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Sounds/syllables/words omitted from a phrase are underlined
3. Omission
(d) Omitting whole words
This principal is a
reliable one if you keep to these guidelines:
-
Only omit words
that must be supplied for the sentence to make sense.
-
If different words
could be supplied for the one omitted in the phrase, use the
phrase only for the commonest version, and write the other version(s)
in full.
-
Only use omission
phrases that have been learned beforehand. If you make them
up as you go along, you might
find later that
there are several different words that could fill the omission, with no way of knowing which one
it was. There is also the possibility that you fail to hear the
exact words used, in the eagerness to use a well-practised phrase.
-
If in doubt, always write in full, and check up on the viability
of a possible phrase afterwards. If acceptable, then learn and
drill, so that you can use it next time without hesitation.
A final "of" or "to" is omitted in some
phrases, and you would supply this during transcription only
if it is required to make sense:
The information was supplied in the form of a
printed report.
The information was supplied in the form of the
requested documents.
The information was in the form that he sent to us.
The early part
of his book is exciting. The early part is exciting.
I sent an email in reply
to this man. I sent an email in reply this
morning.
If you are not sure whether the final word of
a phrase is omitted from the shorthand, it is better to
actually write it in, than to hesitate in trying to recall
the textbook phrase. You will still save time because you
are taking action to avoid a hesitation, and in future, when
you familiar enough with the phrase to be able to use it,
you will be making the further time saving that it offers.
This is a strategy to apply to all shorthand writing, both
phrases and normal outlines.
Phrases that omit a final word are much
easier to learn if you practise them with Tick The
attached at the end, as shown on many of the examples.
Omission is only reliable when used for well-known word
groupings.
A new phrase that omits a word should
be given careful consideration before adoption, and possible clashes
sought out, and preferably be
noted in your shorthand resource file, for future review and
revision.
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a/an |
as a rule, as a general rule, as
a result, at a glance, at a loss, just a
few
in such a way, in such a matter compare
in such matters
for a moment, for a minute, for a few days, in
a few days
*See also Phrasing
6/for the moment & at the time
for a long time, for a
time,
after a time, at
a time*Note above compare at times
there are a great many, we have a
great number of, to a great degree
that is a question* but
that is the question*
*Optional contraction
Expressions of speed/measurement: different
variations of phrasing are to be found, but I have rationalised them as follows
– omit the "a" but write "per" in full:
words a minute, words per minute
miles an
hour, miles per hour, miles per
gallon
kilometres/kilometers an hour, kilometres/kilometers per hour
The following, and similar measurement descriptions, are best
written in full, although some books show them phrased with the "a"
omitted. It is possible that both could make sense and when writing
there is no time to check on this:
in a position, half a million, half a metre
It is safe to phrase them as simple joinings, with nothing omitted:
the team are in position,
a half-pound weight, a
half-mile race
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and |
black and white, board and lodging, body and soul, boys
and
girls
back and forth, backwards and forwards, land
and sea,
cause and effect*
*Don't misread this for
because of the fact/Phrasing
4
Church and State, done and dusted,
England and Wales*, now and then, every now
and then
*See also
Distinguishing Outlines 2
Rule/Wells Wales
fair and reasonable, first and foremost, first
and foremost*,
give and take
*Non-textbook version, vowel may be helpful, keep the F well curved so
it does not look like "first place"
grace and favour,
heart and soul,
heaven and earth, here and there
ladies and gentlemen,
men and women, Mr and Mrs, north and south
over and above, over and over, over and over* again,
again and again, part
and parcel
*The second VR is reversed to gain a good join
with the last stroke
profit and loss,
present and future, pure and simple, pen
and ink
terms
and conditions,
rough and ready, report and accounts, right
and left
safe and sound,
signed sealed and delivered, spick and span, stocks
and
bonds, stocks and shares
time and motion*, trials and tribulations,
up
and down**, ways and means
*Insert the vowel, as it
is similar to at the moment below. **Compare
upsidedown/Phrasing4
Include "and" where it joins well. These phrases
would not be possible without it:
there and then, hither and thither, then and
now, east and west
far and wide,
hard and fast, by and by compare
by the by |
|
by |
step by step,
side by side, year by
year
"side to side" and "year to
year" would be written in full, but see from
year to year below. A suggestion might be to intersect
for "year to year"
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for |
word for word |
|
in |
bear in mind,
borne in mind,
keep in mind, cash in hand, stock in trade |
|
into |
take into account, took into
account, taken into account, taking into
account
take/taken into consideration,
took into consideration, take/taken into
consideration the fact
Care is needed with these two, don't join "under":
taking into consideration, take under
consideration
Some alternatives:
taken into consideration showing
the N Hook and omitting R Hook, which distinguishes it from the "take" version
above. Note that medial Circle S is written clockwise for convenience of joining
and does not denote inclusion of the R hook.
I have taken into
consideration, we shall be taking into
consideration = even greater abbreviation, you
can only do this with the noun consideration, not the verb, compare
we shall be considering, I have considered
ought to be taken into
consideration, ought to have been taken
into consideration
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|
of |
course of events, normal course of events
in the ordinary
course of events OR in
the ordinary
course of events
in course of time,
in the course of time but in the course of the year
as a matter of urgency,
as a matter of course compare
some other course
as a matter of
principle, as a matter of opinion,
next of kin, years of age, length of
time
end of next week, end of
next month, first of all, loss of life, word
of mouth
difference of
opinion, expression
of opinion, to give an expression of
opinion, terms of contract, short space
of time
standard of
living, standards of living, cost of
living, cost of wages
cost of production
but costs of production, burden of
proof, parcel of land
best of my belief, out of place, point
of view, points of view but
point in view
waste of time, waste
of time and
effort, waste of time and energy
waste
of time and
money, waste of money*,
waste
of life compare waste/waist wasted/waisted
*Sometimes a Stee loop is replaced by a Circle
S + Tee in a phrase or compound word, but here that would be
misleading, as we already have the Tee being used for "time" in the other
phrases.
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some of you,
some of them, all sorts of difficulties, all sorts of
trouble but all sorts of
right of
way/right away*, statement of account, Church of England,
Word of God, Kingdom of God
*For "right away" the A vowel could be inserted before the Way if necessary
House of
Israel,
House
of Representatives, House of Lords,
Houses of Parliament, Secretary of State
Act
of Parliament, Member of Parliament, Members
of Parliament,
Court of Appeal, courts of law
City of London, City of Melbourne, City of
Berlin
Retain the F/V Hook for "of" where it is helps to make a good join:
City of New York, City of Delhi, City of Tokyo
in consequence of, in place of, early part
of, in the form of
in the manner of, in the matter
of, on account of, on account of the, on account of
your
in the presence of, for the sake of, by
reason of, at the
request of
in the name of, in the
hands of, in the
event of*
*Grammar of the sentence prevents
any clash, as shown below:
in the event of him
coming back compare in the
event he comes back
If in doubt, it is better to write the "of"
outline separately, but if you do, you must take care not to read the "of" as
"all":
by reason of our actions compare by reason of all our actions
After such phrases, it might even be safer to always write both outlines "of
all" rather than omit one and then misread the other. |
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of the |
one of the most,
one of the most
important, end of
the world
some other part of the
world, in all parts of the
country, many parts of the
globe
history of the world, in the
history of the world
out
of the
question*,
freedom of the press, freedom of the people, law of the land
*Optional contraction
at the end of the year,
anything of the sort,
nothing of the sort, something of
the sort* *Vowel
advised, as these might look similar to "any answer, no answer, some
answer"
sign
of the times, signs of the times, ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
Justice of the Peace, Chancellor
of the Exchequer
Leader of the House, President of the United States, Constitution of the
United States
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or |
whether
or not, yes or no, more or less, word or
two, once or
twice
in one form or another, one way or another, of
one kind or another
sooner or later, right
or wrong, rightly or wrongly
For "one or two" "two or three" etc see
Vocabulary
Numbers/Or Pairs
|
|
nor |
neither this nor that, neither
more nor less These are the only phrases where
the joined diphthong of "neither" is omitted
See
Phrasing 6/"neether"
pronunciation |
|
out of |
in nine cases out of ten, nine times out
of ten*
*Easy to remember if you
notice that the second phrase has crossed strokes, like the
cross sign for "times" = X |
|
the |
in the world, what in the world, all over the
world, all over the place
on the present occasion, for the present time, at the
present time but at present
from
the present time, at the present moment,
at the moment,
from the moment
for the first time, it is not the first time,
in the first instance,
from the first, cross the line, in the shape of
on the subject, during the
year, but
during the week,
during the war, during the
month, during the time which are clearer with the Tick The included
at the earliest opportunity, on the contrary, in
the past*,
in the past months, in past months
* Only use this for an
adverbial phrase .i.e. you could put a comma after it: "In
the past, we worked in the city." Not phrased if a connected
word follows, e.g. in the past months, in past months, as an omission phrase
would be ambiguous.
what is the matter, what was the matter, how
the matter, about the matter
under the circumstances, in
the circumstances but in
all circumstances, in all the circumstances
what is the result, what was
the result, as to the question*
*Optional contraction
in the first place*, in
the second
place, in the third place*
*L Hook omitted
The phrases in the above line are common ones for
introducing points in a discussion. You are much less likely
to be listing winners of a race, where you can make it clear that
there is no "the" omitted by writing the "in" separately:
In first place is Smith and in second
place is Jones.
In third place is Green and in last
place is White.
on the one hand but separately
for on one hand Include "the" in the following
to enable a join:
none the
worse*, on the other hand
*The tick is a bit longer than usual because it
has to span both the hooks
by the way "by way" should be written
separately to distinguish it:
He went by the way of the river. He went by way of the river.
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to |
do you mean to say,
needless to say, that is
to
say, bound to say, I am very sorry to see that
See also
Phrasing 2/Circle S/say that
I am pleased to find, I am pleased to know, in
reply to, in reply to the, in reply to your letter
it is satisfactory
to know,
I will be glad to know, we are glad to know
See also
Phrasing 6/Distinguishing Pairs/know
note
it stands to reason but
stand to reason, so to speak, from bad to worse
it appears
to me, it appears to him, I have been given
to understand, led to believe
ought to
have, ought to have been, ought to have known, ought to have
seen,
reason to suppose
door to
door, generation to generation,
face to face, house to house,
from year
to year
See
Phrasing 4/bigger
and bigger
See year by year above
In the following, "wish to" and "shall" both make sense,
so always insert the "to" after "wish", as that is
the less common of the pair:
speak to
you, we shall speak to you, we wish to speak to
you, write to you,
write you
Don't omit the outline for
"to" before "write" as there are two possible usages. To
prevent guesswork in transcribing, get all
the words in shorthand without any omission:
British usage: I will
write to you.
American usage: I will write you.
British and American
usages agree: I will write you a letter. I will write a
letter to you.
according*/according to, according
to the, accordingly, in addition to the *Short
form |
|
to the |
up to the present,
up to the present time, up-to-the-minute, up
to the time
of writing |
|
with |
in accordance with, in accordance with the, in conformity
with the
as compared with, as compare with the, as compared with last year
but as
compared to the
Compare with = to consider or contrast the differences or
qualities of two items: "I compared shorthand with longhand, and found out which
was faster to write."
Compare to = to liken one thing to another, to
draw a similarity: "The writer compared himself to Shakespeare."
These
differences in meaning are not always observed. |
|
you |
if you please, yes if you please, will you please
but will you |
|
hand |
shorthand
writing, shorthand writer |
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