FINAL HOOKS 4 - ADDING S, Ses, Stee, Ster

The S sound is always spoken last, after the stroke and its final hook and any halving.

(A) On straight strokes with F/V Hook, Circle S is written small and flattened inside the hook:

puffs approves briefs strives drives chiefs jives
 

serves reserves swerves waves halves

tufts drafts drifts gifts rafts wafts

(B) On straight strokes with N Hook:

Close up the hook into a circle or loop for S, Ses, Stee or Ster:

pains spins beans bounce tens/tense tons
 

dance distance chance joins cans runs

rinse wins/wince points bonds tents/tends dents

joints kinds counts rounds winds

pounces expenses bounces dances

chances cleanses glances rinses winces
 

pounced bounced dispensed tensed danced chanced

against glanced rinsed punster spinster Dunster

Ses Stee or Ster are not used after a halved and finally hooked stroke.

Use Dot Ing after the closed N Hook, as stroke Ing cannot join:
 

pouncing bouncing tensing dancing

cleansing glancing rinsing wincing

(C) On a curved stroke with N Hook:

On full-length curves, final Circle S is written small and flattened inside the N Hook, and this represents the -NZ sound only:

fines phones vines thins assigns zones

shines shins oceans mines men’s means

moans nines nouns lines loans leans earns

(D) Sound of -nce

After a full-length curved stroke, the sound of -nce uses stroke N + Circle S, and this allows Ses and Stee Loop to also be added. This distinction is made so that derivatives can be easily formed (unlike the -NZ sounds above which have no further derivatives):

fence fences fenced

announce announces announced

pronounce pronounces pronounced

denounce denounces denounced

mince minces minced
 

silence silences silenced
 

When the curved stroke is halved, the S inside the N Hook can represent both S and Z sounds, as these words do not have further derivatives:
 

fonts faints finds events shunts mints

mends amounts talents lands islands  lends

These derivatives require expanding to a full stroke N, as the only way to write them:

lens lenses lensed, elevens elevenses

(E) Short Forms

balance deliverance signify-ied-icant significance
 

Derivatives: balancing balances balanced deliverances

 signifying significantly insignificant

Contractions
 

negligence responsible-ility expensive

Derivatives using full outlines:

negligent negligently

responsibly responsibilities* Compare: response responses

*The singular is a contraction, the plural is written in full. To ensure no possible ambiguity, it is advisable to always insert the dash vowel in the normal outlines "response, responses"

(F) Phrases

at once, Monday next, balance sheet

In the following phrases, the normal reading order (stroke, F/V hook, T/D halving) is reversed, in order to make very convenient phrases, where the hook stands for a whole word:
 

instead of, part of, sort of

When phrasing "part of" using the halved PR stroke version, omit the "of", so that it cannot be misread as "number of":
 

large part of, large part of the, large number of, large number of the

N Hook and Halving on a short form and some outlines can represent "not":

I am not, you were not, you will not, had not*, do not, did not

* It is necessary to insert the two dots, to keep it clear, but it is quicker to just write it as two normal outlines.

But these in full: have not, are not, was not, shall not

(G) Apostrophied phrases

Apostrophied words always have a full outline, they are always fully vocalised, and they ignore any short forms that exist for the words:
 

hadn't, don't, didn't*, aren't, isn't, won't

* This outline omits the second D, i.e. "dint"

wasn't, can't, couldn't, haven't, shouldn't

Note that with "can't, don't, didn't" the shape of the outline is the same as the normal version. It is necessary to keep "did not" unphrased to allow it to be written in its own position, because you cannot clarify it by adding a vowel:

we do not, we did not, we had not

we don't, we didn't, we hadn't

The full list of all possible apostrophied combinations can be found on the Theory website www.long-live-pitmans-shorthand.org.uk

SUMMARY

• On straight strokes, close up N Hook to add S, Stee, Ster: pain pains danced punster

• On curved strokes, add small circle: mean means

• Add small circle in F/V Hook: pave paves

• On full curves, use Hook for -NZ sound, and Stroke for -NS sound: fens fence

• On halved curves, above rule is not needed: minds mints

• Apostrophied forms are always vocalised: can't won't

EXTRA VOCABULARY

attains detains cones canes glands surrounds

softens women's remains Romans

romance offence evidence avoidance

relevance alliance grievance reliance

resonance violence vigilance opulence

pestilence nuance essence