INTERSECTIONS

A stroke can be written through a normal outline to represent common combinations of words that occur regularly and with little or no variation.

• Use for common phrases only

• Write in the order spoken

• If spoken first, place the intersection so that it goes through the first stroke

• Write through the last stroke if spoken last

• If it cannot be intersected clearly, write close up

• Beware similar combinations that need differentiation

• Add Circle S or Dot Ing, but not stroke Ing, as happens with Short Forms

Despite the usefulness of these abbreviations, it is essential to know the full outlines thoroughly, as those words will occur in other combinations where an intersection is not possible or advisable.

The full outlines are given first, with the text in capitals.

P = party policy
 

PARTY POLICY, birthday party, political party, Labour party, insurance policies

B = bank, bill
 

BANK BILL, national bank, high street bank, bank manager

bank note, education bill, finance bill, final bill

T = attention
 

ATTENTION, for your attention, to my attention, more attention

draw your attention, immediate attention, for the attention of*

* Omission Phrase

D = department
 

DEPARTMENT, service department, government departments, department store

this department, new department, many departments 

Not used for "departmental" e.g. departmental manager vs department manager

Chay = charge-d
 

CHARGE, bank charges, there is no charge, you may be charged
 

they will be charging, electrical charge, negative charge

J = journal
 

JOURNAL, nursing journal, collectors journal, journal of banking*

* Omission Phrase

K = company council captain
 

COMPANY COUNCIL CAPTAIN

design company, investment* company, of the company, local council, borough council

* Contraction

Captain Jones, Captain Morris, Captain Smith, ship's captain

G = government
 

GOVERNMENT, government officer, government rules, British government

Not used for "governmental" e.g. governmental policy vs government policy

To make "company, council, government" clearer, the following can be used instead:

this company, this council, this government*

* The fuller form can be used whenever convenient

company offices, council offices, government offices

(B)

M = mark manager morning Major
 

MARK MANAGER MORNING MAJOR
 

watermark, trademark, dirty marks, works manager, factory manager

line manager, managing director, this morning, tomorrow morning, yesterday morning, early morning
 

Monday morning, every morning, Major Jones, Major Smith vs Mr Smith

Vary the placement to make these clearer:

general manager, Major General

N = national enquire-y-d inquire-y-d
 

NATIONAL ENQUIRE ENQUIRY

national defence, national affairs, national celebration, national news

foreign nationals, American nationals, for your enquiry, I will enquire

I am enquiring, have they enquired, police inquiry, internal inquiry

(C)

F = form
 

FORM, application form, order forms, entry form

life forms, agreement form, form of agreement*, form of government*

* Omission phrases

Ith = authority month
 

AUTHORITY MONTH, local authority, municipal authority,

education authority, port authority, official authorities, necessary authority

many months, several months, for some months, this month, next month*, six months

* "next" is here reduced to "ness"

S = society
 

SOCIETY, Floral Society, Lawyers Society, Dramatic Society

Writers* Society, local society, Society of Actors

* Contraction

(D)

L = limited Liberal
 

LIMITED LIBERAL, Brown Limited, Housing Company Limited, Liberal policy

Ar = arrange-d-ment
 

ARRANGE ARRANGEMENT I will arrange, they must arrange, we have arranged

please make arrangements, necessary arrangements, they will be arranging

Ray = require-d-ment railway royal
 

REQUIRE RAILWAY ROYAL
 

I will require, do you require, you will be required

they will be requiring, important requirements, legal requirements
 

railway carriage, railway ticket, royal palace, royal visit, royal tour

A mixture of these subjects are best shown in full: royal carriage, royal train

(E)

STROKES WITH ATTACHMENTS

Pr = professor
 

PROFESSOR, Professor Smith, professor of commerce, college professor

Pl = application
 

APPLICATION, for your application, many applications, planning application

Gn = beginning
 

BEGINNING, at the beginning, at the beginning of the, in the beginning, I am beginning

Kr = corporation colonel
 

CORPORATION COLONEL, City of London Corporation*, investment** corporation, Colonel Johnson
 

* Omission phrase  ** Contraction

Vn = convenient-ce
 

CONVENIENCE CONVENIENT at your convenience, earliest convenience, very convenient

Mn = minister

MINISTER, Minister for Education, minister of religion, government minister

Including the N Hook prevents it being misread as "manager"

Nr - Honourable

Honourable Member, Right Honourable, Honourable Senator

Ns = insurance
 

INSURANCE, house insurance, building insurances, insurance premiums

sR = Conservative
 

CONSERVATIVE, Conservative conference, conservative policy, conservative views, conservative estimate

Contractions
 

inconvenience-t-ly nevertheless notwithstanding unfortunately

JOB SPECIFIC INTERSECTIONS

Intersections can be adapted to the terminology occurring in a particular line of work. It is essential to check very thoroughly that no clashes or ambiguities are possible. This is best done as they occur during the normal work routine, when it will become clear which are the terms that need their own abbreviation.

Only the common ones as above need be learned, as they are the most useful when taking down general matter and likely to be found in examinations. However, using a stroke on the spur of the moment during an exam may alert the examiner to the fact you were unable to write that outline, and may result in loss of marks, if the outlines are being considered when your transcript is being marked. You should check up on the marking requirements for any exam.

Examples are given below to show the versatility of this method, but there is no need to learn all the possibilities from lists which may be available, although they might be a useful source of suggestions for your current use of shorthand. Therefore exercises on those below are not given.
 

proportional representation, shipping documents, high voltage, safety valve

works superintendent, energy resistance, engine driver, official receiver

differential calculus,  obtuse angle, aneroid barometer
 

automatic receiver, direct current, continuous current, military strategy

SUMMARY

• Intersections can be written through or close to the outline

• Write in the order spoken

• Only use for common phrases for the context in hand

• New intersections should be thoroughly checked before using, to avoid ambiguities

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