NUMERALS, FRACTIONS, DATES, CURRENCIES

(A) NUMERALS

Definition: A number is a mathematical concept that can be written either as a word "five" or as a numeral which is a non-phonetic symbol "5" (Arabic) or "V" (Roman").

The numerals we use are called Arabic, although they originated in India.

In shorthand it is acceptable to write the Arabic numerals, as they are already a form of shorthand, but it is necessary to ensure that they do not look like other shorthand outlines.

"Eight" "eighty" "ten" "eighteen" must have their vowels written in:

one two* three four five  * Short Form

six seven eight nine ten

eleven twelve thirteen fourteen fifteen

sixteen seventeen eighteen nineteen twenty

thirty forty fifty sixty seventy eighty

ninety hundred thousand million billion trillion

An isolated low or round number within text is generally better written as a shorthand outline:

We have five horses. There are six people here.

About a hundred people came to the meeting.

(B) More complicated numbers, and especially the larger ones, are best written as numerals in conjunction with the strokes shown below. These strokes should only be used with Arabic numerals, and not with shorthand outlines, and the strokes can be joined to each other:

N = hundred

Ith = thousand

M = million

B = billion
 

Write the numerals thus, with minimal backward movement and no flourishes:

The figure nought/zero can be clarified by inserting a slash inside it, the "slashed zero".

three hundred, twenty thousand, two hundred thousand, nine million, two hundred million

ten billion, three thousand billion

(C) Use a full outline instead of just the stroke, if it follows an outline:

a hundred, a thousand, a few hundred, several thousand

a thousand billion light years, a hundred trillion stars

half a million, one part per million

Use the outline for plural numbers:

many hundreds, many thousands, millions of people

hundreds of people; thousands of cars

a man in his twenties, born in the nineties

(D) Once you have accurately recorded what was said, how you lay out the numbers will depend upon the context and purpose of the transcript.

Ensure the figure "6" is very clear with a large circle so that it does not look like an Ith stroke. Write the numeral "9" with an anticlockwise circle and a straight downstroke, as that is less like an outline than writing it clockwise in one movement:
 

If you have used one of the stroke abbreviations and the speaker continues with more numbers, just leave a space and continue writing the further numerals, even though that is not the ideal way to write it. This may happen because with numbers you have to keep as close to the speaker as possible and not lag behind. It is too risky to wait until the number is finished before you start writing it, as they are not so memorable in bulk, and, unlike grammatical sentences, they are impossible to retrieve if not written accurately:

five thousand six hundred and forty-two

In the above example, the Ith stroke is not really necessary, but having written it, you have to continue. Similarly, use the stroke abbreviation to avoid inserting several zeros:
 

four thousand and three, five million and twenty six

SUMMARY Numerals

• Use single strokes after Arabic numerals for hundred, thousand, etc

• Do not mix Arabic numerals and shorthand outlines for any particular number

• Specific amounts best written in numerals, general amounts in outlines

• A succession of numerals is preferable to a long string of outlines for a particular number

(E) FRACTIONS

Some shorthand instruction books allow the stroke abbreviations to also be used for the larger fractional numbers, again only in conjunction with Arabic numerals. Always use the full outline if there is any doubt about reading back. Do not just add an additional Ith stroke, as that is already in use for "thousand":

one hundredth, three hundredths, thirty-three thousandths

five hundred thousandths, fifty millionths, sixty billionths

The above rule is given for completeness, but this author considers it not safe enough for all circumstances and therefore advises that the full outline for the fraction is the safest method:

The total was reduced by one hundred.

The total was reduced by one hundredth.

half third fourth quarter* fifth

* Optional Contraction

sixth seventh eighth ninth tenth

eleventh twelfth thirteenth fourteenth fifteenth

 sixteenth seventeenth eighteenth nineteenth

twentieth thirtieth fortieth fiftieth sixtieth

seventieth eightieth ninetieth hundredth

thousandth millionth billionth trillionth

(F) There are two important points to note regarding writing of shorthand outlines for numbers:

(1) Pairs that must have vowel signs, to differentiate:

ten eighteen, tenth eighteenth, eighth eightieth

(2) Several where halving is not used for the T sound, to keep them clearly different:

fifth fiftieth, seventh seventieth, ninth ninetieth

(G) Use the following methods for these smaller fractions following a numeral:
 

two and a quarter, three and a half, four and three quarters, five and a third, six and two-thirds

For other fractions, it is faster to write one numeral on top of the other and omitting the divisor line. This must be done neatly, so that does not look like a superscript sign (i.e. squared, cubed etc):
 

three fifths, two sevenths, nineteen twentieths

three and one fifth, four and two thirds, six and one eighth

"Thousand" can also be signified by a long upward slash after the numeral, if nothing else follows. This is not a shorthand outline and has no phonetic value, but is copied from clerical practice in the past to save writing the zeros. It has the advantage that it cannot be mistaken for a numeral, as stroke Ith can:
 

5 thousand, 296 thousand

(H) DATES

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

Friday Saturday Sunday

January* February* March April May June

July August September October November* December

* These three are Contractions. "November" is the same outline as the contraction "never" so it is helpful to use the cap marks underneath

It is not always necessary to indicate the "-th" part of a date, or the word "of", but if you prefer, the Ith stroke can be used after a numeral, because in the context of a date it would never mean "thousand":

twenty-ninth of March, thirteenth of December

first of January, second of February, third of March, twenty-first of April

(I) Currency terms can be shown with a single stroke, where convenient, as long as there is no clash with other items in the text. Use full outlines for clarity if necessary. The stroke is kept in position according to the first vowel.

cent dollar dinar euro franc

krona lek peso pound rand

rupee shekel shilling/schilling yen* yuan*

* Insert vowel signs to ensure these are not misread for each other

one dollar, three dollars, six hundred thousand dollars

nine rupees, nine hundred rupees, 9 francs, twenty-five euros

Always put the vowels in the following to prevent misreading:
 

pennies pence pounds pints

For "thousand" Use Ith+Circle S to enable convenient joins:
 

two thousand pounds, two hundred thousand pounds, fifty thousand rupees

fifty thousand francs, three thousand dollars, five thousand dinar

SUMMARY Dates Currencies

• Dates are written with numeral for the day number, except "first, second, third"

• Currencies can use the first stroke of the currency word, as convenient

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