INITIAL HOOKS 1

These are called double consonants, as the two sounds are spoken together. There are two versions, the R Hook and the L Hook.

R HOOK TO STRAIGHT STROKES

A clockwise hook at the beginning of a straight stroke adds the R sound after the sound of the stroke. A first place vowel sign is written outside the hook:
 

pro pray/prey praise/prays/preys property probe pretty

approach prime prior brow bright

brought break bring broad bread

try tray true trap tread

truck trim trail dry dried draw

dress drape drudge drag dream drill
 

drink cry cried accrued crab
 

credit crunch crime across agree grass

grape grab growth gram grill

When the hooked K and G strokes are written on the line, the hook starts from the line:
 

crow craze cream grey/gray grim greed

(B) The R Hook is also used when there is an indeterminate slurred vowel (the schwa) between the two:

upper paper deeper cheaper riper

robber rubber labour laboured utter

patter better butter teacher water

daughter chatter jotter udder reader

header bidder pitcher badger dodger
 

leader lodger acre packer speaker baker
 

taker maker worker bigger digger

logger rigger/rigour jogger figure vigour

In some of the combinations above, the angle between the strokes makes the hook sharper (packer, baker, bigger) or more open (digger, taker)

(C) Adding S to the R Hook

An initial Circle S is shown by closing the R hook into a circle. This is quicker than writing a circle inside the hook, and it cannot be misread for an ordinary Circle S because it is on the other side of the stroke.

The S is spoken first. There can be a vowel between the S and the sounds of the hooked stroke, or all three can be spoken together:

Spoken together:
 

spray spread spring sprawl straw

stray stripy straight/strait street stride stretch

strike stream string strong strength
 

strange strict screw screwed scrape
 

script scrub scratch scream scruffy

Vowel between:
 

supper super supervise cyber setter sitter

sitters citrus sadder cedar sicker seeker

Both the circle and the hook are shown if they are in the middle of an outline:
 

prosper express expressed pastry pesterer

bistro  destroy district restrict
 

extra extract extreme Exeter
 

industry mystery chemistry upholstery

There are no words in English that fit S + Chay with R Hook, therefore that stroke is used for Downward Hay. If a word were found in future with those sounds, e.g. an acronym or proper name, then stroke Ar would be used.

Adding Sway Circle and Stee Loop to the hooked stroke:

These are written on the R Hook side of the stroke, in the same way as Circle S, and spoken first:
 

sweeper sweater sweeter swagger
 

stopper steeper stutter stuttered stutterer
 

stitcher stacker sticker stagger staggered

D followed by SKR or SGR has the circle reversed to mimic the R hook. There are very few occasions when a Circle S is written in this way, as it is less flowing to write:
 

describe discredit disagreed discreet/discrete discriminate

In a few outlines, the circle and hook cannot be shown clearly in this way, as the angle is too wide, so the R Hook is omitted:
 

prescribe proscribe subscribe subscriber

Distinguishing Outlines

sacred secret describe transcribe* Roger Richard

* Omits the N

Short Forms
 

principle-al-ally liberty member/remember-ed, number-ed
 

Dr/doctor dear during truth

chair chaired cheer cheered larger

care cared accord-ing surprise particular opportunity
 

spirit tried trade/toward towards

Derivatives:
 

doctoring dearly dearer dearest* remembering numbering

* This does not use Stee Loop, in order to not look similar to "truest" which is given in a later Lesson
 

chairing cheering caring careless

careful carefully accordingly surprises surprised

surprising particularly spiritual trading (trader traded*)
 

* Normal outlines

Contractions
 

practice-se-sed, probable-ly-bility, danger stranger passenger messenger

Spellings: "practice" is the noun, "practise" is the verb

Derivatives:
 

practising practices*/practises** dangerous

* Plural noun   ** Verb

Omission Phrases

A phrase can omit one or more of the words, and this is only done when it is obvious what the missing word is and when the phrase would not make sense without it:
 

according to the, according to my, as a rule, as a result
 

for the first time, first and foremost, on the subject, larger and larger, side by side

SUMMARY

• Clockwise hook on straight strokes adds R sound: pray

• R Hook also used if there is an indeterminate vowel between: upper

• Close the hook to add an initial Circle S: spray, supper

• Stee and Sway written on the R Hook side: stopper, sweeper

• On horizontals, the beginning of the hook rests on the notepad line

EXTRA VOCABULARY

praying prow appraise appraisal prop

prep prod preach apprentice prick

Prague prime primary prim primrose

promise promenade prang prate bray

brew Brady brick brim broom

broil briar bride breed brood

trying trial trier tribe trudge trick

astray treat drew dread drab drug

drama drier craw cram

crude crutch grub gripe

grit greedy groom grew eager

pressed impress suppress braised embrace

trees trust dressed crease increase grease

popper pepper topper hopper labourer

uttering uttered tatter dodder loader

rudder ruder raider judder jitter

preacher archer lurcher (arch lurch)

bodger poker broker checker joker

tugger digger mugger meagre nagger

rugger faker looker spraying sprat

sprightly sprout sprig sprung spruce

strap strobe strawberry strut strategy straightest

strata stress stressed streak streamer

stroll scrap scrupulous scribe screech

sucker scree scrawny scrutiny scrounge

Top of page