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SHORTHAND PRINCIPLES

A familiar old saying tells us “You can’t get something for

nothing”. Shorthand is something of tremendous value, but it
can only be acquired through reasonable, honest effort.
-Gregg

MODULE OVERVIEW
Shorthand is one of the most valuable skills you will ever learn. It is a
lifelong personal skill which relieves one from the drudgery of writing
longhand. Shorthand makes it possible for most people to write three or four
times faster than their longhand writing speed. Personal notes, list, messages
and reminders written in shorthand have become very useful and saved
tremendous amount of time. Professionals in all occupation particularly in
stenographer and office secretaries find their jobs made easier and more
efficient through shorthand writing. In a student’s particularly on the BSOA-
office management, shorthand writing will help you to take notes completely
and easily, for you to out on the struggle in longhand writing where often miss
important details.
This module is designed for you to acquire knowledge and skills about
shorthand writing where you will learn to read and write correctly the sound
and symbols of the phonetic letters to words of shorthand. Always remember
that when you write in shorthand is not about the word you see but all about
the sounds you hear.
MODULE OBJECTIVES
On successful completion of this module, the learner should be able to:
 Identify shorthand forms.
 Write the shorthand strokes correctly
 Demonstrate the ability to write in shorthand at a minimum of 40 words
per minute and
 Read these shorthand strokes for at least 40 words a minute.
LESSONS IN THIS MODULE
This module discusses the following lessons:
 Lesson 1. Concept of you write what you hear and symbols for the
sounds.
 Lesson 2. Shorthand Phrases and symbols for the sounds.
 Lesson 3. Phrases containing theory words, Number Expression and
Symbols for the sounds
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Lesson 1 Concept of you write what you hear and symbols

for the sounds.
Objectives

 Identify shorthand spelling of the a, e, m, m, t, d, h, o, r, l,

-ing, long i, short i. words
 Classify the written description of the symbols for the
sounds of a, e, m, m, t, d, h, o, r, l, -ing, long i, short i.
 Read the shorthand strokes of this lesson and
 Write the shorthand strokes correctly
Time Frame
2 weeks
Introduction
Good day student! Welcome to lesson 1 of module 1. This lesson helps
you for a better understanding about the sounds and symbols of shorthand.
You don’t need to be afraid while looking in this lesson. All you need to do is
enjoy and understand every topic and try to practice it after. This lesson also
helps you to familiarize how to spell the words in shorthand sounds as well as
to stroke the symbols. You will also learn the punctuation and paragraph
symbols and last is to know the minor vowels omitted as an abbreviating
principle.
Task 1. My Shorthand Spelling 40 pts.
Direction: Determine the shorthand spelling of each of the following words
below. Write your answer on the underlined space provided.

1. name = __________ 11. navy = __________

2. copy = __________ 12. large = __________
3. day = __________ 13. lead = __________
4. date = __________ 14. phone = __________
5. team = __________ 15. safe = __________
6. eat = __________ 16. aim = __________
7. aid = __________ 17. know = __________
8. main = __________ 18. mean = __________
9. may = __________ 19. knee = __________
10. tea = __________ 20. own = __________
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Task 2. Matching Type 30 pts.

Direction: Match the letters to their writing description. Select your answer on
the table provided and write it on the space below.

a. It is written in a short slanting straight line.

b. It is written in a dot placed above the vowel.
c. It is written in a long straight line.
d. It is written in a small circle.
e. It is written in a dot placed close to the end of the body of the outline.
f. It is written in a long forward curve.
g. It is written in a long slanting line.
h. It is written in a large circle.
i. It is written in a tiny hook.
j. It is written in a broken a circle.
k. It is written in a short forward curve.
l. It is written in a short straight line.
m. It is also written in a small circle.
n. It represents the word made and man
o. It represents the word Lee and let

1. A
2. E
3. N
4. M
5. T
6. D
7. H
8. –ing
9. Long i
10. O
11. R
12. L
13. Short i
14. Short and Soft Sounds of A
15. Short and Soft Sounds of E

ANALYSIS
Task 3. (20 pts.)
Direction: Provide the name and shorthand symbols of each of the following
punctuation and paragraph symbols.
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Name of Punctuation
Longhand Symbols Shorthand Symbols
and Paragraph Symbols

1. _

2. ?

3. (

4. ;

5. !

6. ,

7. )

8. :

9. -

10. .

Task 4. (30 pts.)

Direction: Read the following words and give the shorthand sounds/spelling
and the outline. Write you answer on the space provided.

Example: day da

Words Sounds Shorthand

1. Made
2. Team
3. Date
4. Night
5. meeting
6. known
7. light
8. little
9. man
10. art
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11. Letter
12. Alarm
13. Did
14. Leader
15. Own
16. Tie
17. Hate
18. Mean
19. Him
20. My

ABSTRACTION

 Shorthand Sounds/ Spelling

In shorthand, silent letters are omitted and other letters may have different
sounds. Following are some English words with their shorthand spellings and
an explanation of the sounds.

Word Sounds Explanation

day da y is silent

made mad e is silent

snow sno w is silent

age aj g sounds like j

right rit gh is silent

Shorthand records the sounds of the speaker, not the English words
spelling. Just for example in the table above the English word day sounds da,
the y letter is silent, so the shorthand symbol of d and a is the shorthand
outline of day.

Example. d +a =

The table shows the symbols of R,L,T,D,N,M,H,A,E O. The –ing symbol is

written also in a dot like h, and the short i is written like an e.
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Long i

 The Short and Soft Sounds of A and E

The short a sound of a as in man and the soft sound of a as in arm. The tiny e
circle, which represents the long sound of e as in Lee, also represents the
short sound of e as in let.

 Capitalization
Capitalization is indicated by two upward dashes placed underneath the word
to be capitalized.
Example:

 Punctuation and Paragraph Symbols of Shorthand.

 Brief Forms
The following are the nine brief forms in this lesson are all written with
single shorthand symbols.
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APPLICATION
Task 5. (50 pts.)
Direction: Transcribe the following shorthand stroke into longhand. Write
your answer on the above of the stroke.

1. is his to

2. I who the

3. and a story

4. We car the sale

5. I cat

6. our

7. be to the

8. is known as

9. for the

10. a
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Task 6. (50 pts.)

Direction: Transcribe the following sentences in to shorthand. Write your
answers on the space provided.

1. I will meet Dean.

___________________________________________

2. Amy hate dating.

___________________________________________

3. I am the team leader.

___________________________________________

4. Ray may mail me the note.

___________________________________________

5. He may name the day.

___________________________________________

Task 7. Reflective Journal (15 pts.)

Direction: Complete the sentence below.

The difference between shorthand and longhand is

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
In this lesson I learn
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
I realized that
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
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Closure
Well done student! You have just finished lesson 1 of this module. How
did you find the tasks given? Did you find it challenging? I know that it is not
easy to remember those shorthand sounds and symbols of this lesson. Do not
lose hope, everything will get easier as you go along. Now if you are ready,
please proceed to lesson 2 of this module. Good luck and God bless I know
you can do it!