Clickable dictation at various speeds is available at the bottom of this page. The transcript of the dictation appears here as well.
You'll be delighted to know I've been using these "takes" myself and am finding them an excellent review of all the principles of Anniversary Gregg which I write. I hope you've been using them, learning from them, and appreciating the rich vocabulary. In case you're wondering, I'm writing them at 140 wpm. I won't say I'm perfect on the first shot, but I'm certainly improving.
We continue with the review book: ""The ten letters in this booklet contain all the brief forms and other contractions in Gregg Shorthand as well as 400 of the most common words employing analogical word beginnings and word endings.
"Because of their high shorthand content value, these letters may be used again and again as repetition practice until students can write them at a rapid rate of speed."
This was published during the height of the Anniversary edition of Gregg. The memory load of this version of Gregg was heavy. There were hundreds of brief forms, tons of special forms, the abbreviating principle was applied to more words than you can shake a stick at, and then there were scores of word beginning and word endings, both joined and disjoined. Some of you may find the vocabularly a bit rich but it's well worth that repetion practice mentioned above. Hang in there!
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.
Gregg Shorthand Review Letters, The Gregg Publishing Company, 1940, Letter 9
Dear Mrs. Jones: As our patrons continue to multiply, Brown’s chronicles the opening of another up-to-date furniture store. The store this letter introduces is located at the intersection of Grand and Central Streets.
In retrospect, Mr. Brown’s small investment in the furniture business fifty years ago was the seed from which have grown ten great shopping centers. Brown’s ability to please is therefore self-evident. Buyers of intelligence and intellect have transacted business with Brown’s for half a century. The fact that we have never lost a patron is uncontradicted. We know you will not disagree with this statement, Mrs. Jones, for we consider you too as one of our satisfied friends.
A record of your account has recently been transferred to the new store, in case you should wish to make your future purchases there. Mr. Smith, the manager of our new store, is going to put aside a variety of beautiful small tables in anticipation of a visit from you. With your next purchase, he is going to offer you your choice of one in appreciation of your good patronage. One of the oblong tables, centered under a mirror, will contribute much to the appearance of any room. The round tables are from 40 to 50 inches in circumference. The flexibility of their use, of course, makes them particularly desirable. Their beauty is not being given any publicity as the tables will be distributed to a restricted number of people.
We hope you will come in soon to see our new store. The multitude of displays presents quite a spectacle. A notion that the store should be overcrowded in the opening weeks has deterred some of our friends from visiting us. Please do not entertain this notion. Though we centralize each department, we distribute the displays over a wide area to avoid crowding. Furthermore, we restrain from aggressive sales efforts which act as a magnet to curiosity seekers and tend to aggravate patrons who really wish to shop.
Come to Brown’s and shop in quiet and comfort. You will find that our counters are always accessible, that no salesman will intrude should you wish to browse around, and that there are plenty of comfortable chairs in which to recline if you desire an intermission in your shopping. If you have a musical inclination, we suggest you rest in the music department.
We never have bargain sales and there is no possibility of suspension of this policy. The fact that this course has not detracted from our success is circumstantial evidence that our customers must incline toward it, too.
Remember, come before the tables are gone. Cordially,
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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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