The Gregg Group was founded 22 May 2004, prompted by the lack of online shorthand resources. As the primary use for shorthand — business and legal recording — has waned in recent decades, we generally acclaim the skill as a hobby or personal tool. The purpose of the group is to promote the use of Gregg systems of shorthand by providing advice to beginners, support for students, and an association of users of this efficient, attractive, and enjoyable method of writing.
Hello,
I’d like to know which S is used to write absolutely in Anniversary.
I came across absolument in French DJS and was surprised to find out that the S was just marked by making the end of the O-shape slightly lower than its beginning, as in “juste” but upside-down.
Soleil is written with right S, and the syllables split into ab-so-lu-ment so I was expecting a right S here too, like the one we also find in absence.
Thanks.
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The left s is used for legibility and ease of writing.
In Gregg, there's an unwritten rule that you don't blend more than 2 curves without an intervening angle to avoid the loss of proportion in fast writing. If you write the word with the right s, you will have 3 curves: the b, the right s, and the hook (without any angles). Try writing it both ways (with the left s and the right s) as fast as you can, and see which one will still be distinct, maintains the proportion between the characters, and is easier to write at high speed.
Lastly, you know it is a right s and not an o-hook after the b because of the angle.
Thank you Carlos. It may be an unwritten rule, but it’s very useful to know 🙂
You're welcome!
About that s-o in "soleil", it's usual to write initial s-o with a clockwise s in Gregg. Were the counterclockwise s to be used, s-o in fast writing might just look like o, so that for instance, "sold" could be mistaken for "old". Internally in a word, this confusion is far less likely to occur, as Carlos points out above for "absolutely".
Thank you LVW, this too makes a lot of sense. Thanks to your explanation I can now see how "abolutely", if it existed, would look different from left-S "absolutely" which thus leaves no room for confuson.