117 of 122 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What this book REALLY is, April 28, 2002
This review is from: The GREGG Shorthand Manual Simplified (Hardcover)
Shorthand is a tough but sometimes worthwhile skill. It is complex because it pushes the boundaries of peoples' writing speed. Any shorthand system requires practice if you are to become fluent.
Gregg Shorthand is one of many systems you can choose from. They differ greatly, and the choice you make should depend on your preferences and needs. It is wrong to say that one is better than another in any absolute sense.
To learn Gregg Shorthand you must learn a new alphabet and spelling system. This takes lots of practice. At first the words may look like "meaningless squiggles," but with practice you can come to read them as easily as longhand.
Some shorthand systems are based on the ordinary longhand alphabet. They can be easier for a beginner to learn than Gregg, but once fluency is attained that difference vanishes. Also Gregg is potentially faster to write. Some experts can write Gregg at over 200 words per minute. If you use shorthand to jot down odd notes, speed doesn't much matter. But for dictation, it does, big time.
Gregg Shorthand Simplified, despite its name, is neither a dumbed-down shorthand nor a dumbed-down textbook. It is just the 1949 edition of Gregg Shorthand, and is so named because it is simpler than the earlier editions. Several further simplifications have been made since 1949. The current version is called Gregg Shorthand Centennial Edition.
Follow-up textbooks, shorthand dictionary, and other materials in Gregg Shorthand Simplified can be purchased only on the used book market, but they are plentiful and cheap. (Ditto for other out-of-date editions.) The Gregg Shorthand Centennial Edition books are still in print and costly.
...In Gregg, words are not written like Chinese, but are spelled alphabetically. It is true that abbreviations are only given for some words, but the writer is not expected to make up abbreviations for all the others. Instead he or she is supposed to spell them out in full, using the alphabet and spelling system furnished by Gregg. The textbook is designed to teach the user to do that. Gregg Shorthand can be used to write about any subject matter whatever, without made-up abbreviations or arbitrary symbols.
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81 of 85 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Every Skill Takes Practice Practice Practice, June 16, 2001
This review is from: The GREGG Shorthand Manual Simplified (Hardcover)
In order to become proficient in shorthand, you have to work at it. It is a skill that you must practice daily, not just when you feel like it. I found that if I would sit in from of the TV and try to take dictation from commercials, dialogue, or write a passage from a book, it helped me with becoming use to different cadences of speech. When you draft a letter, draft it with shorthand then transcribe it. If you do not practice you will never achieve any speed or accuracy. I learned shorthand during high school. It developed a dicipline that carried over to my work ethic. Although I only was a secretary for a short time, I loved being able to take notes for my college and MBA classes, then transcribe accurate information to study. All my classmates were jealous of my notes and bought many copies from me. Gregg is the best source of shorthand you will find today. It has been around for a long time. It trains your mind to think quickly because you are not bogged down with letters. It helps you learn to spell, because you are writing phonetically and know that sympols mean certain letters or blends. I have used it to teach my children spelling. IT WORKS GREAT. The poor ratings this book has received are probably from people who do not have the dicipline to stay with something that may be difficult at first. I highly recomment this series of books. You will succeed if you only have the courage to stay with it!
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84 of 92 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Study this book! It's well worth your time., November 14, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: The GREGG Shorthand Manual Simplified (Hardcover)
Learning shorthand requires an effort, but it's well worth your time in the long run. Even if you quit after just studying the first half of this book, you will still be able to write at three or four times the speed of longhand. None of the systems based on the regular alphabet (such as Speedwriting, Stenoscript, Forkner or EasyScript) will let you attain such speeds. Moreover, Gregg shorthand is complete system of writing that you can use for all kinds of texts, not just for the stereotype formulas used in office dictation. And contrary to all the "modern", computer-based systems, Gregg shorthand is something you can use in all situations - you're not dependent on any kind of machine being at hand. It may take time and motivation to learn, but it's twice as useful as any of the "alphabet" systems, and it's a form of writing that will give you enormous benefit and pleasure both in your professional and your private life. I can recommend this book to anyone!
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