Clickable dictation at various speeds is available at the bottom of this page. The transcript of the dictation appears here as well.
Of course these letters are dated today but they're still good dictation practice. For some reason, I dropped a word in the middle of this. My apologies. Then again, there are those who think real office dictation has issues like that so some circles would think this is perfectly normal for practice. Not sure I agree, but I was too lazy to redictate the entire piece.
For those who think I sound funny this month like last, remember that it's still allergy season.
Remember, the dictation pieces must be a minimum of three minutes to be a valid test. Anything under three minutes is therefore not acceptable for testing purposes. Keep in mind that before Diamond Jubilee Gregg, all shorthand tests were five minutes. If you go back far enough, tests were ten minutes or longer.
200 Takes for Building Shorthand Speed, Zoubek, 1946, Letter 107
Dear Friend: How a person can save as much as $200 yearly on his purchases is worth a moment of consideration from everyone. In the enclosed booklet, we are reprinting a number of letters that we have received from our subscribers praising the Consumers’ Magazine. In those letters, they tell how useful the information given in the Consumers’ Magazine has been to them and how it has saved them a great deal of money on their purchases. Surely, you, too, would like to know how you can take advantage of the same kind of savings.
You know, of course, that the United States Government has an agency for testing the products used by Government departments. Many large corporations maintain testing agencies of the same type. You, as an individual consumer, cannot hope to maintain testing laboratories of your own; but this does not mean that you must remain without the services of chemists and engineers to give you the information you need to be an intelligent consumer. The Consumers’ Magazine provides this service for you at a low cost.
Do you know, for example, how to select the automobile best suited to your needs and purse? The answer to this question may be the means of saving you a large sum of money. Complete information about automobiles is available in the bulletin we issued on February 15. The small yearly subscription fee of $3 includes an elaborate study of this year’s automobile models as part of the service we render.
Of vital interest to you right now is the 400-page “Handbook on Buying,” which gives a rating to more than 4,000 products. Savings that are possible by following the suggestions that the book contains will amount to many times the cost of your yearly subscription. Yet, this 400-page “Handbook of Buying” will be sent to you without extra charge, in addition to the bulletins that are issued monthly.
The first bulletin you receive will be on furniture. Each month you will receive the results of tests conducted on the products of various furniture companies; and, from the results of these tests, you can determine what furniture will give you the best buy for your money.
Just as soon as we receive your subscription fee of $3, we shall mail you the 400-page “Handbook on Buying.” When you receive the book, look through the index and see the wide range of products covered in the book. No matter whether you want information on pencils or automobiles, you will find complete data in the “Handbook of Buying.”
} Start saving money on your purchases today. Sign the enclosed agreement and send us your remittance of $3. Use the enclosed envelope; no postage is required. Very truly yours,
For more information on shorthand speed building, click here.
Instructions for Self-Dictation Practice:
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Dictation Practice:
Note that the material was counted and recorded for dictation at 100; all other speeds were copied from the 100 take and electronically adjusted and may therefore sound unusual.
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