Leftywrite Shorthand

 

Shorthand is any system of abbreviation.

Assuming your are already familiar with Leftywrite handwriting, which offers a short and sweet (but not abbreviated) writing system, you can write even faster by systematically abbreviating common words and phrases. Of course you could learn one of the many alphabetic shorthand systems and write in abbreviated longhand, but why start with an inherently slow form of handwriting and then try to write fast? Better to start with something that is already fast and go from there.

What to abbreviate? The most common words, prefixes, suffixes, and phrases.

About 40 words make up about 40% of all the words you write and the 100 most frequent words make up about 50%, so learning a few abbreviations for the most common words would give you a big bang for the effort. If you have to stop writing to think of an abbreviation, then you're better off just writing out the word.

Here are 100 abbreviations selected from the 300 most common words listed in their order of frequency. Only use an abbreviation is if you feel it is easier than writing it out in full.

the

of

and

a, an

in

is

you

that

he

for

was

are

as

with

they

at

be

this

from

have

one

had

not

but

what

all

when

we

can

your

you're

which

said

will

about

how

out

she

many

some

would

into

time

could

first

been

now

people

over

did

down

only

find

use

long

very

after

words

just

where

before

good

new

our

used

think

around

another

come

become

because

things

different

again

number

great

small

every

found

between

should

Mr.

under

along

next

while

below

something

often

house

hadn't

form

without

sometimes

being

however

thing

example

using

answer

 

Note that a short upward line can be used for the "au" sound in "out." Also place dots, dashes, and commas used as punctuation close to the preceding word and further away when used to represent words (the, of, in, some).

 

Prefixes

Prefixes may be written separately from the root word that should then be written below or through the prefix.

pre-

de-

inter-

in-

com-

re-

over-

be-

out-

fore-

trans-

counter-

after-

an-

sub-

 

Suffixes

Suffixes may be written separately from the root word also, and should be written under or through it.

-ment

-ly

-ness

-er

-ed or

-est

-ing

-ological

-tion, -sion

-able

-ant

-ent

-ten, -tin, -ton

 

-ship

-al

-ful

 

Common Phrases

Some phrases occur frequently enough that you might want to use abbreviations for them.

 are not, aren't

are you

as many

as soon as

be able

cannot

could be

could have, could've

could not

did not, didn't

do not

had not

have been

have had

have not, haven't

have you

I am, I'm

I have, I've

in which

is not, isn't

it is, it's

of course

of which

one of

should be

should have

should not

some of

that are

that have

that is, that's

that will

they are

they could

they will

this is

this will

we are, we're

we could

we have, we've

we should

we will

will be

will have

with which

would have

you have, you've

you will, you'll

 

Suggestions

Don't try to convert from longhand to Leftywrite in one go. Just start to write a few of the most common words in Leftywrite, and add more as you feel the need for speed. This will make learning Leftywrite relatively painless and provide an immediate payoff.

 

You will have to practice if you do not want to write words the long way.