How to Write Shorthand

How to Write Shorthand – Shorthand is a speed-writing technique that uses special abbreviations or symbols to represent words. Shorthand was invented in Ancient Greece around the 4th century BC so that students could share written notes on their lecture classes. It also helped secretaries to take notes on what was said on the lecture classes quickly.

Shorthand is a system of writing that uses symbols to represent letters, words, or phrases. Writing with shorthand symbols allows you to write at a quicker speed than traditional handwriting. You will soon learn that shorthand is also used by many professionals, in places such as law courts.

There is more than one type of shorthand writing. The first modern system was developed by Sir Isaac Pitman in 1837. In his system, Pitman used symbols to represent the sounds made by words. This system is known as Pitman shorthand, and is still popular in the UK today.

In 1888, John Robert Gregg published his own system of shorthand. While he studied Pitman shorthand, he decided to make changes that he thought would improve the shorthand system. He then took the Gregg shorthand system to the United States, where it has since become the most popular form of shorthand.

Another well-known form of shorthand writing is Teeline. It is one of the newer systems as it was developed in 1968. This system got quite a lot of popularity in the British commonwealth, where it is often taught to journalists.

How to Write Shorthand

Method 1 Writing Teeline Shorthand

1. Study the Teeline alphabet. The alphabet uses curves and strokes to represent letters in the English alphabet. It does not use phonics like other shorthand methods. Instead, it uses different symbols to represent certain letters. Most of the letters are represented by a curve or stroke that is in the English letter, such as a pointed upside down “v” shape for “A.”
   • You can find the Teeline shorthand alphabet here: http://www.alysion.org/handy/althandwriting.htm.
2. Keep only the essential vowels and consonants in words. In Teeline shorthand, you leave out silent consonants, double consonants, and vowels that are unnecessary. You keep only vowels at the beginning of a word and at the very end of a word.^[1]
   • For example, the word “LAMB” will be written as “LM.” “COMMA” will be written as “CMA,” “ABOUT” is written as “ABT,” and “LIGHT” is written as “LT.”
   • If you were writing a sentence in Teeline like, “You should always remember to take notes in class,” it would be written as, “U shld alwys rmbr t tk nts in cls.”
3. Write vowels smaller than consonants. In Teeline shorthand, the vowels appear a bit smaller than the consonants on the page. This makes it easier for you to distinguish the vowels from the consonants.
   • For example, if you were writing the word “COMMA” in Teeline shorthand, you would write the “C” and the “M” in a regular size and the “A” in a smaller size.
4. Join consonants together. Try to write consonants in one to two strokes without lifting your pen. Keep the first letter clear and then add on the next letter so they form one symbol. This will make your shorthand much faster.
   • For example, you may join “b” with “d” by starting with the symbol for “b” and adding a horizontal line on the “b” to note the “d.”

Method 2 Using Pitman Shorthand

1. Study the Pitman shorthand alphabet. The Pitman method uses the sound of speech, rather than the spelling of words, to create its alphabet. It has a separate set of symbols for consonants and vowels. It uses thick lines, slashes, and dots to notate words.
   • You can find the Pitman shorthand alphabet here: http://www.omniglot.com/writing/shorthand.htm.
   • Because this method uses phonetics, the sound of a letter in a word will be written the same way in each word. For example, the sound “f” in “form,” “elephant,” and “rough” are all written in the same way using Pitman shorthand.
2. Apply the right thickness to the consonant symbols. The consonants in Pitman shorthand have different levels of thickness for different consonants. Make sure you use the right thickness for each consonant.
   • For example, the vertical line for the consonant “t” is slightly less thick than the vertical line for the consonant “d.”
   • The left slanted line for the consonant “p” is less thick than the left slanted line for the consonant “b.”
3. Use dots or dashes to represent vowels. In the Pitman shorthand system, vowels are represented with dots or dashes that are applied to the symbols for consonants. This allows you to represent words in shorthand using the sound of the word, rather than how it is spelled.
   • For example, to form the word “bat,” you would write the shorthand symbols for “b” and then place the symbol for “t” under the “b” symbol. To note the “a,” you would place a dot at the top of the left hand slant of the “b.”
4. Include abbreviations for common words like “a,” “the,” “of,” and “to.” The abbreviation for “a” and “an” is one dot above the bottom line of the paper. The abbreviation for “the” is one dot on the bottom line of the paper. “Of” is represented by a small slash starting on the lefthand side that sits above the bottom line. “To” is represented by a small slash starting on the lefthand side that touches the bottom line.^[6]
   • A complete list of abbreviations in Pitman shorthand can be found here: http://www.omniglot.com/writing/shorthand.htm.

Method 3 Writing Gregg Shorthand

1. Look at the Gregg shorthand alphabet. The Gregg shorthand method is phonetic, so it follows the sound of words, rather than the spelling of words. It uses hooks and circles as symbols for words. Like the Pitman method, it has a separate set of symbols for consonants and vowels.
   • You can find the Gregg shorthand alphabet here: http://www.omniglot.com/writing/shorthand.htm.
2. Use the correct shape and length for the consonant symbols. Each consonant is represented by a hook that is a different shape and length. Some consonants, like “n” or “m,” are straight vertical lines. Other consonants, like “f” or “v,” are more horizontal and curved. Study each consonant to ensure you are writing it correctly.
   • In some cases, multiple consonants are represented with one symbol based on the sound of the word, such as the sound “n-d” in “and” or “m-n” in “men.”
3. Represent vowels with circles. The Gregg method uses circles of different sizes to notate the vowel sounds in words. Common vowels like “a” are represented by a large circle, while vowels like “e” are represented by a smaller circle.
   • Make sure you notate vowel sounds correctly with circles, rather than just how the vowel appears written in the word. For example, the vowel sound “oo” is represented by an open circle at the bottom. The vowel sound “ea” is represented by a circle with a dot in the center.
4. Use the proper punctuation marks in Gregg shorthand. Punctuation marks like a period, a question mark, and a hyphen are represented by different symbols in Gregg shorthand. The symbol for the punctuation mark should appear above the bottom line of the page.
   • For example, a period is represented by a small dash and a question mark is represented by a small “x.”
   • A complete list of shorthand for punctuation marks can be found here: http://www.omniglot.com/writing/shorthand.htm.

Method 4 Improving Your Shorthand

1. Use an ink pen or a sharp pencil. Shorthand is easier to write if you have a writing utensil that glides smoothly across the page. Avoid pens that leak a lot of ink or a pencil with a dull point.
2. Take a course in shorthand writing. Improve your shorthand by taking a class taught by a veteran shorthand writer. Look for a shorthand writing class at your local community college, writing center, or online. The course can teach you how to speed up your shorthand and make it more legible on the page.
   • If you do better with one on one instruction, look for a shorthand tutor at your local writing center or online. Schedule regular tutoring sessions so your shorthand can improve.
3. Practice your shorthand regularly. Try practicing shorthand at least once a day. Get in the habit of using shorthand in class or during an interview so you can get better at it.
   • Write each letter of the shorthand on flashcards and use the cards to help you practice.
   • Have a copy of the shorthand alphabet handy so you can refer to it as needed.

Why is Learning Shorthand Valuable?

Firstly, writing in shorthand is much quicker than standard writing. Standard handwriting reaches speeds of 20 to 30 words per minute, which is too slow to record someone speaking. The average shorthand speed of some people has been recorded at over 200 words per minute. This makes shorthand better for taking notes. Because of the difference in speed, shorthand is an important skill to learn to keep up with lecturers when taking notes.

Shorthand has also proven to be useful in many lines of work. Personal assistants and secretaries use for it for minute taking, while journalists use it when documenting a news story. Court reporters use it when typing on a stenotype machine. Stenographers, who transcribe letters and documents, are often employed in law offices.

Shorthand is helpful for taking down all important details when getting instructions from your boss or conveying a phone message. Often, voice-recognition software makes mistakes, especially if someone gets words mixed up or names wrong. A person using shorthand can identify and rectify such mistakes.

Shorthand also provides personal benefits such as improving your listening, summarizing, and memory skills. It is also good for your CV, as it shows you have commitment to learning a new skill. Overall, shorthand reduces the time you spend on writing, and the time that you save can be utilized for other tasks.

Conclusion

Whether or not you need to improve your writing speed, learning shorthand makes for a fascinating, fun hobby. Believe it or not, shorthand is one of the most helpful skills you can acquire simply because it will help improve your ability to communicate effectively, irrespective of whether you’re writing notes or letters. It will also provide an added benefit of teaching you how to take better mental notes about things that are currently happening around you.