Customer Reviews

The GREGG Shorthand Manual Simplified

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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 (Ditto for other out-of-date editions.)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.

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!

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!

When I was in my World History class last year, I could hardly keep up with the teacher spoon-feeding notes. I would scribble and scribble, but I would still be a note behind. Over the summer, I learned about shorthand. I purchased this book and learned the system. Now, I am able to write down mostly everything that this year's history teacher says. Unlike what one reviewer said, the book does teach the location of Gregg letters on a line. For instance, it says that a "b" should vertically cover the entire line, and "p" approximately half the line. By looking at the tables like that on paragraph 217, on page 105, it clearly shows where the strokes should be on the line and what words should look like.

At first, I thought that I could learn it by just looking at the rules and writing, but I found that after reading every page of reading and writing practice, I could read and write shorthand much more efficiently. With a decent amount of studying and practice, I eventually got a very nice speed. Also, since no one in the entire school has even heard of shorthand, it is very handy for note privacy.

Its printing is very good, and I am quite proud to have it in my library.

Gregg Shorthand Simplified takes a lot of time and constant repetition, but it is well worth taking that time. Brief forms make for easy, quick and efficient note-taking, once memorized. Initially, notehands and speedwriting are easier to learn, but take much longer to write than shorthand. In the long run, Gregg shorthand wins out. My students learned to love it, even though at first they thought they would never, ever understand it!

I bought this book to see if I could remember any of the shorthand I took in high school in the 1960's. This may even be the same textbook I used back then. I am surprised at how much I remember and what is coming back to me. If you want to unlock the knowledge of Gregg shorthand that may be lurking in your brain from years ago, this is a wonderful tool to use. I would not recommend it to someone who has no knowledge of shorthand. I think it would be way too difficult to truly learn it from this book. But if you once were able to take shorthand, and for whatever reason want or need to do that again, this book will be very helpful to you. I only wish there was some sort of workbook to go along with it. Then I would have given it 5 stars.

Call me sick, deranged, or otherwise twisted, but I'm having a great time going through this book and learning shorthand. I decided to learn "Simplified" rather than the other versions of Gregg after doing a minor amount of research, and finding a general consensus that this version is probably the best combo of a) ease of learning and b) writing speed. I think I've made the right choice. Good luck to you in your study of the all-but-lost art of shorthand.

PS, Please don't make the same mistake I did and buy the Gregg Reference Manual. It has nothing to do with learning Gregg Shorthand. It is a grammar and usage manual.

Having learned Gregg shorthand in highschool in the 1950's and not using it since the 60's I found this edition of the text book easy to use. After going through the first couple of chapters everything came back to me. If I were a student just learning Gregg shorthand, this is the manual I would choose. The chapters are concise and precise.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has an earnest desire to learn shorthand on their own. The layout makes it easy to read and understand.

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!