HALVING 1

(A) Strokes can be halved to represent the following sound of T or D.

Longhand must be ignored, e.g. "hoped" "itched" where the sound is T although the spelling is D.

Word of one syllable - A thin stroke is halved only for T, thick stroke is halved only for D. There very many short words ending in T or D, and this provides some differentiation.

There can be a vowel between the two sounds, as in "pat" "bed", or the two can run on, as in "apt" "ebbed".

Third position for a halved stroke is on the line, as a half length stroke is not so easy to place accurately through a line.

Thin = T
 

pat pet pit spot tot taught

chat cheat cat cut fat foot

might meet/meat omit not/knot note neat

thought shut shoot Watt wait/weight wit

hot hut heat yet yacht

opt stopped* hoped wiped wrapped

* Stee loop is written smaller, so that it remains half the length of the stroke

itched fetched stitched birthed/berthed

parched marched act sacked packed talked

choked asked soft staffed lift

ant saint iced east art heart/hart hurt

(B) Thick = D
 

bad bid dad did jade Judd

God good void vied zed eased

sobbed stabbed rubbed fudged smudged

aged edged sagged tagged chugged

sieved loathed sheathed mouthed

soothed bathed oozed

(C) Not halved, because one stroke sound is thin and one thick:
 

pad pod paid stupid tied toad/toed

Ted cod code keyed fade thud

shade showed wide wade wood

hide head hid yawed

bat bite boat bit beat

dot date debt chide chewed

jet jut get goat vat vet

(D) Words of two or more syllables:

As these are longer words and have more strokes in the outlines, there is more information and so generally the last stroke can be halved for either T or D:

potted pitted batted coated coded guided

chatted jutted matted omitted noted
 

slotted melted smelted wasted heated

repeat repeated rapid rabid/rabbit alphabet

dubbed debit debate attached budged budget

unfit unified renovate renovated

method expedite indeed possessed accessed system

seated seeded sighted suited studded studied

(E) Although words like the following are two syllables, if halved they would result a single plain stroke (as the extra syllable is just the first vowel) therefore they follow the thin/T thick/D rule also:

added aided, edit audit echoed

asset acid aside, abide abode abate

Note also these which change the outline in the past tense:

stay stayed/staid, stow stowed

(F) Final Vowel

If there is a final vowel, then a full stroke T or D must be used, so that the vowel sign can be placed:

pit pity, bad body, tat tatty, dad daddy
 

chat chatty, Jude Judy, kit kitty, good giddy
 

fat fatty, meat meaty, nut nutty, wit witty

In such cases, the full T or D lets you know there is a final vowel, even when vowel signs are omitted.

Short Forms
 

quite could that without wished sent

Contractions
 

anything nothing something together altogether

Phrases
 

as much as, inasmuch as, as large as

In the following phrases "much" is written in full in order to be able to join in a phrase, as it is faster to include the M than to lift the pen to write separate outlines:
 

so much, too much, how much

The above phrases also serve to distinguish from "large" which has a similar meaning:

so large, too large, how large
 

It is best not to phrase "could" where it would be out of position, so that it does not look like "can":

we can, we could, I can, I could, you can, you could

It is safe to phrase "could not", because the outline for "cannot" is entirely different (introduced in Lesson 28)

we could not, I could not, you could not,

SUMMARY

• Single syllable outlines - thin strokes halved for T, thick strokes halved for D

• Two or more syllables/strokes - halving adds either T or D

• Not halved if there is a final vowel

EXTRA VOCABULARY

Kate cut scoot skate Scot

sect stacked tact/tacked chalked walked

hawked poached botched touched ditched

coached thatched hatched hitched watched searched

fight fought fit fate feet/feat oft

loft aft sift swift stuffed

mat met mate mitt emit

moot smut gnat knit/nit shot shout

oast oust hat height hate hit wet

bad Boyd bed bode bud bead

lobed robed robbed tabbed webbed

died dead dud deed guide goad

bogged bagged tagged pegged void evidence

rigged mugged nagged jawed bodged

cadged hedged wedged hinged singed

ridged rigid* smoothed writhed

* "rigid" must have its second vowel inserted, to distinguish from "ridged"

loathed mated emitted knotted knighted knitted

belated wetted widget fidget gadget etched earthed

assayed abut invade Nevada worsted* worsted**

* Past tense of the verb "to worst" = defeat

** "Twisted woollen thread, or made of such". The R of the spelling is not pronounced or shown in the outline. This and the outline for "Worcester" (Lesson 14 Extra Vocab) are the only two outlines that ignore the R in the spelling.

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