MORE ISH & STROKE S

(A) ISH

Ish is mostly a downstroke, but is sometimes written upwards:

For a better join:
 

shell shelled shelling shale shoal
 

shawl shallow shield social socialise

sociable unsociable shelter shoulder
 

sheaf shaft shift chiffon

shave chauvinist sheath

shimmer chauffeur shaver shiver shivering

shaker sugar shackle shekel
 

associate associated association disassociate

fish stiffish roughish flash
 

vicious lavish slavish ravish peevish

thievish finish fiendish vanish fool foolish

(B) Down in these words:

shuffle shuffled shuffling shovel chivalry chevron

To balance a hook on the previous stroke, this helps to keep the stroke straight:

bush blush brush brushed trash trashed

appreciation appreciate appreciated depreciation

atrocious nutritious meretricious

To keep the outline compact:
 

bishop shipshape sheepshank sheepish
 

suspicious auspicious

(C) Generally down after plain T and up after D, to give additional distinction:
 

tosh tush attaché sweetish

moustache Saltash succotash

dash dashed, dish dished

dishevelled oddish reddish radish

Swedish Yiddish modish faddish

(D) When halved, the Ish may have to change direction to make an angle to show the halving:
 

fish fished flash flashed lavished

ravished officious officiate knavish novitiate

refresh refreshed impoverish impoverished

After M-SH, add T stroke for the past tense:

mashed smashed famished ambushed

After L-SH, change to upward Ish + T:

lash lashed, slash slashed

polish polished, abolish abolished

(E) Stee Loop is not written to the beginning of the stroke Ish:

stash stashed

Stee Loop can be written to the end of the stroke:

lushest shiest ashiest trashiest

Reminder: Sher is always down, Shel is always up:
 

fisher facial pressure bushel kosher eggshell

sheepishly waspishly shelf shelved shellfish shellac

Distinguishing Outlines
 

British brutish, pastiche pistachio

(F) STROKE S

Outlines beginning with stroke S retain it in most derivatives:

say sayer saying saw sawyer sawing

see seer seeing, sew/sow sewer/sower sewing/sowing

sigh sigher sighing, sue suer suing

pursue pursuer pursuing, ensue ensuing

Note: seen sewn sighed sued pursued ensued

Stee Loop is not written to stroke S initially: Stacy stasis

(G) The initial sound of S + triphone uses the full stroke, rather than Circle S, even though there is no vowel before it, in order to signify the extra syllable:

science scientific sighing sciatica

Siam Sewell sewer sewage
 

Compare: Sam signs sell sear

(H) Stroke S is used to differentiate an outline, often -ess or -uous, from a similar plain plural, by showing that there is another syllable, rather than indicating any final vowel:

manageress heiress countess Jewess Jesus Moses
 

princess deaconess prophetess cateress murderess

These do not use stroke S, as there is no extra syllable, so it is necessary to insert the second vowel sign:

actors actress waiters waitress

(I) These revert to the circle for the -ly version, which keeps the outline compact:
 

dangerous dangerously pious piously

joyous but joyously to enable the insertion of the triphone

advantageous but advantageously as the only way to join the L stroke

CONTRACTIONS

deficient-ly-cy proficient-ly-cy English England

SUMMARY

• Ish generally downstroke

• Upwards to get a better join, balance an initial hook, or keep the outline level

• Halved Ish may change direction in order to produce a clear angle

• Down after T, up after D, to gain a distinction

• Sher is always down, Shel is always up

• Outlines of just stroke S retain it in derivatives: sayer

• Stroke S does not take initial Stee Loop: Stacy

• Stroke S used finally to show an extra syllable: managers manageress

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