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.
I’m going to make this a post because I’m pretty sure I’ll be back with more questions.
When you write an outline that includes an H dot, do you make the dot first or you make the rest of the outline first and then add the dot, like dotting an “i” in cursive?
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I don't think it officially says in the manual.
The way I do it: if h is at the start of the word, I write it first. Otherwise I come back.
Another way of expressing Niten's thought …
I write in the order I hear it.
Although it is not in the manual, both Niten and Angela are correct. If h is the first sound of the word, it is written before, because as Angela says, you hear it first. Dr. Gregg explained this in Question 16 of the Q's & A's book:
https://gregg-shorthand.com/2017/03/09/ive-retypeset-qs-and-as-of-shorthand/
However, if the h sound is in the middle of the word, you write the word first and then the dot (you don't stop the outline to write the dot).
Here are some posts discussing this topic:
https://gregg-shorthand.com/2006/01/08/h-dot-first-or-las
https://gregg-shorthand.com/2005/07/10/dot-timing/
This question has been answered correctly, but here's is something related to the "h dot" that may interest you. In the Expert Speed Building books (Simplified, DJ, Series 90), there is an advanced word-building principle that says the "h dot" can be omitted in words such as the following: has, had, him, her, himself, herself, whether. While I have used most of the "expert" shortcuts presented in this book (DJ) for years, this is one advanced principle I could never get used to–I always write the "h dot" at the beginning of words.
That is correct. Those words are not written with the dot in Anniversary and earlier, so in Expert DJS and S90 they just adopted the earlier outlines that did not have the dot.
Also, according to Charles Swem in the Gregg Shorthand Reporting Course, the only words that require the h-dot in English are "who", "whole", and "happen." But if you are using the "had" phrase rules as in Anniversary, the dot is necessary for legibility in "he had", "who had", and "you had."
Thanks all!
You’re welcome!
New question: why on Earth does la = "like" instead of it being li?
In Anniversary and earlier series, “like” is written as “l-a”, and the outline “li” (that is, “l-broken circle”) is the word “light.” In Simplified, however, “light” is written with the t, but Louis Leslie decided to keep the “l-a” from Anniversary for “like”, perhaps thinking that by keeping the old outline (since it is a very frequent word) it will not confuse those teachers who were writing Anniversary and had now to teach the new series.
Thanks!
You're welcome!