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Lesson 13

 

STEE LOOP & DOT ING

 

(A) STEE LOOP

A small loop on a stroke represents the sounds ST with no vowel between the S and T sounds. It is written half the length of the stroke and fairly flat. Like the Circle S, the Stee Loop is written anticlockwise on straight strokes, and inside curves, and is read first or last.

 

A first or third place vowel is written just outside the loop.

At the beginning of an outline, it represents the sounds ST:

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

stop step steep stub state
 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

stayed stood stitch stage stuff
 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

stove stack stick stem steam
 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand
stone sting still store story


At the end of an outline, it represents -ST or -ZD sounds:


Pitman's New Era Shorthand

post/posed best based/baste test dust

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

chest cast text guest/guessed gazed
 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

faced/fazed feast vast invest

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

advised revised mist/missed nest last

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

least list sliced burst sourced

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

assist seized/ceased shiest rest raced/raised/razed

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

haste housed west waste used


(B) A circle S is added by continuing the loop on the other side, and there is no vowel between the ST and the S:

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

pests posts boasts tests casts costs

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

texts guests feasts invests mists nests
 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand
lists arrests assists
rests hosts wastes

Stee Loop can be written in the middle of some outlines, where the stroke after the loop joins clearly:


Pitman's New Era Shorthand

testing dusting jesting suggesting adjusting* digesting

* There is no D sound in this word

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

artistic statistic elastic fantastic testify justify

 

Otherwise full strokes:

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

plastic mystic mystify custom caustic

 

In some compound words, it is better to use the full strokes, so that it can be written as one outline:

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

hay, stack, haystack, live, livestock

 

A secondary derivative follows the form of the primary derivative, e.g. the -ness version is based on "dusty"  rather than on "dust":

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

dust dusty dustiness, test testy testiness

(C) When not used

 

Stee Loop is not used if there is a vowel between the S and T sounds:
 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand
post upset, best beset, dazed decide

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand
test tacit, dust deceit, cost cosset

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

gust gusset, fast faucet, vest visit

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

rest reset, step setup, star satire

It is not used when the word ends in a vowel, because there must be somewhere to place the vowel sign:
 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand
pasty tasty chesty vista misty nasty


It is not used before strokes S or Ish:

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

Stacy stash

 

(D) DOT ING

After thin downstrokes P T Chay Ar and Downward Hay, a dot is used for the suffix "ing" instead of the Ing stroke, as it is clearer.

 

As Do Ing represents the whole syllable, it includes the I vowel sound, so no extra vowel sign for that is needed:
 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

paying typing wrapping eating staying sitting stating
 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

editing exciting chewing watching attaching hoeing

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

airing stirring colouring tearing tiring hiring

 

Dot Ing is used where the Ing stroke would not be possible:
 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand
posting costing
assisting wasting listing investing

 

Stroke Ing is used where the "-ing" or "-ng" ending is not a suffix:
 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

pang ping tong tang tongue

 

Dot Ing is never used medially

 

Dot Ing on Short Forms

Dot Ing is used after short forms, under the same rule i.e. after thin downstrokes:
 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

putting speaking

 

Dot Ing is also used after a short form that do not contain all the consonants of the word, even though stroke Ing would join clearly. This prevents it looking like a normal full outline for some other word:

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand
subjecting coming giving thinking thanking

These short forms use stroke Ing:
 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

being doing going having33

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

wishing owning influencing*

 

* "influence" is given below

(E) Dash Ings

Where Dot Ing is used in the singular, a dash is used for the plural "-ings" written at a right angle to the end of the stroke:
 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

wrappings sittings outings pairings

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

stirrings costings listings

 

"Tick The" cannot be written on an outline that ends in Dot Ing or Dash Ings:

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

He is paying the bills and getting the costings the same day37

.

(C) Distinguishing outlines
 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

cost caused, poorest* purest, amazed amused*

* Here it is "poorest" that is written against the rule, as it has a vowel following the R sound

 

* Always insert the second vowel in these two, as the only way to differentiate them, likewise for all their derivatives

 

Short Forms
 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

first most influence influenced next

The short form "first" is the only outline where the loop is written alone.

Derivatives
 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

almost largest youngest mostly*

* "mostly" omits the lightly-sounded T

Phrases
 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

as fast as, last year, at first*, at last*, at least*

* "at first" Omits the F and R sounds

 

* "at last" "at least" These must always have the vowel written in, to differentiate them

 

SUMMARY

  • Stee Loop for ST at the beginning, and ST ZD at the end

  • Stee Loop is half the length of the stroke

  • No vowel comes between the S and T sounds

  • Add S by continuing with a small circle on the other side of the stroke

  • An initial or final vowel requires full strokes

  • Dot Ing used where stroke Ing is not possible or clear

  • Dot Ing used on short forms where the last consonant of the word is absent in the outline

  • Dash Ings for the plural

 

EXTRA VOCABULARY

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

stoop stupid stub statue stoat stout

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

staid stud study stooge stack Stan
 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand
stiff stave starry stall style stole
 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

stir steer stark stork storm

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

supposed bust/bussed/buzzed beast boost/boozed taste toast

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

teased attest artist rudest dosed/dozed oddest

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

starch jest jazzed adjust axed coast gassed

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

fussed sufficed fist/fizzed vest devised

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

voiced amassed bemused honest soonest

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

lost tallest smallest coolest assessed zest

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

sized cyst lushest barest forest raced/raised/razed

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

wrist roost host/hosed hissed reused yeast

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

bestow gusty gusto majesty honesty nicety

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

feisty rusty hasty Westie yeasty

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

stopping stepping biting baiting boating beating

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

tying outing stewing partying dotting auditing doting

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

vacating affecting selecting dominating

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

itching matching fetching hewing daring

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

soaring mooring admiring boosting coasting

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

pairing bearing boring touring towering jeering

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

staring storing steering goring cowering

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

 

pasting boasting casting ghosting gusting

 

Pitman's New Era Shorthand

fasting nesting arresting resting hosting

 

boastings castings moorings hustings Hastings

 

Top of page

hank

 

"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things." (Philippians 4:8)

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