Phrasing
(in progress)
1 Intro
& Contents list
2 Theory
3 Theory
4 Omission
Part words
5 Omission
Whole words
6 Miscellaneous
7 Miscellaneous
8 Intersections
If you can recite a song from memory,
you can practise visualising your shorthand, without pen and paper.
Although the language of these carols may not be modern, you will
still get valuable practice of the commonest words.
Carols
make very good slow and even dictation, the ultimate
being the lengthy "Gloria" that takes at least 5 seconds to sing
(in "Ding Dong"). Refrains and choruses seem to be
tailor-made for shorthand drill practice. If you print the PDF (on
Shorthand Reading Intro
page), as soon as a carol is within earshot you can follow along
reading the shorthand or tracing lightly over the outlines with a
hard pencil. Your confidence and bravery may even extend
to replacing your carol service song sheet with a shorthand version!
Alertness is still required, as the words and
number of verses given here, and sung elsewhere, may vary from your
memory of them.
Christmas Cards
Wordings for your shorthand Christmas card greetings can be
found amongst the songs here and you can write out or use
snippets of the shorthand JPGs (and photos) if you wish to
create your personal home-made cards. Everyone will know you
are studying Pitman's Shorthand and maybe some
long-forgotten shorthand books will emerge from dusty
storage from older members of the family or friends!
Christmas
Unwrapped I hope you enjoy this
4-minute video from the Bible Society's website, and perhaps you
might even manage to get the narration down in shorthand!
Angels, from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o'er all the earth;
Ye, who sang creation's story,
Now proclaim Messiah's birth:
Come and worship,
Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
Shepherds in the field abiding
Watching o'er your flocks by night,
God with man is now residing;
Yonder shines the Infant-Light:
Come and worship,
Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
Saints before the altar bending,
Watching long in hope and fear,
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
In His temple shall appear
Come and worship,
Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
All creation, join in praising
God, the Father, Spirit, Son,
Evermore your voices raising
To th’eternal Three in One.
Come and worship,
Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
Vapour trails – from airplanes or
angels? Wing your flight o'er all the earth
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head.
The stars in the bright sky looked down where He lay,
The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the Baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes;
I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky
And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.
Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever, and love me, I pray;
Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care,
And fit us for Heaven to live with Thee there.
Victorian walled garden at Stockwood Park Luton, and smart waste bin in Greenwich Park, London And fit us for Heaven to live with Thee
there
God rest ye merry, gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember Christ our Saviour
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray.
Refrain:
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
In Bethlehem in Israel
This blessèd Babe was born
And laid within a manger
Upon this blessèd morn
The which His Mother Mary
Did nothing take in scorn Refrain
From God our Heavenly Father
A blessèd Angel came;
And unto certain Shepherds
Brought tidings of the same:
How that in Bethlehem was born
The Son of God by Name. Refrain
"Fear not then," said the Angel,
"Let nothing you affright,
This day is born a Saviour
Of a pure Virgin bright,
To free all those who trust in Him
From Satan's power and might." Refrain
The shepherds at those tidings
Rejoicèd much in mind,
And left their flocks a-feeding
In tempest, storm and wind:
And went to Bethlehem straightway
The Son of God to find. Refrain
And when they came to Bethlehem
Where our dear Saviour lay,
They found Him in a manger,
Where oxen feed on hay;
His Mother Mary kneeling down,
Unto the Lord did pray. Refrain
Now to the Lord sing praises,
All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas
All other doth deface. Refrain
Verse 5: “those tidings” –
insert the vowel in “those”, as “these” would also make sense.
Verse 5: “straightway” – this
and “straightaway” are both in the dictionary as one outline. As you
cannot indicate the absence of a vowel, “way” is here shown
disjoined and on the line, in order to indicate its first vowel.
Verse 7: “deface” is used in
its archaic sense of “efface, outshine”.
Lock gates at Tonbridge Town Lock, River Medway, Kent To free all those who trust in Him from Satan's
power and might*
* "I have given you
authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the
power of the enemy; nothing will harm you." Luke 10 v 19 (NIV)
"Since the children have flesh and blood, he too
shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him
who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – and free those
who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death."
Hebrews 2 v 14-15 (NIV)
Good Christian men rejoice
With heart and soul and voice!
Give ye heed to what we say
News! News!
Jesus Christ is born today!
Ox and ass before Him bow
And He is in the manger now.
Christ is born today!
Christ is born today!
Good Christian men, rejoice
With heart and soul and voice
Now ye hear of endless bliss
Joy! Joy!
Jesus Christ was born for this.
He has opened the heavenly door
And man is blessed for evermore.
Christ was born for this!
Christ was born for this!
Good Christian men, rejoice
With heart and soul and voice
Now ye need not fear the grave:
Peace! Peace!
Jesus Christ was born to save
Calls you one and calls you all
To gain His everlasting hall.
Christ was born to save!
Christ was born to save!
Gate to grounds of Vine Cricket Club, Sevenoaks, Kent He has opened the heavenly door
Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even.
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath'ring winter fuel.
"Hither, page, and stand by me
If thou know'st it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?"
"Sire, he lives a good league hence
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes' fountain."
"Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear him thither."
Page and monarch forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind's wild lament
And the bitter weather.
"Sire, the night is darker now
And the wind blows stronger,
Fails my heart, I know not how,
I can go no longer."
"Mark my footsteps, my good page
Tread thou in them boldly,
Thou shalt find the winter's rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly."
In his master's steps he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing.
Verse 4: “thou shalt” – the
short form for “shalt” is the same as “shall”, but is considered
safe as it always follows “thou”. If necessary, you could revert to
a historical full outline (no longer in dictionary) as shown in the
vocabulary list below.
Crumbs and warm water for the visitors When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem."
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
“Hark! The ...” – tick “the” is
used, as there is no pause after “hark”, despite starting a new
sentence. If it were not part of a song, a slight
pause would be likely and then using “dot the” would be more
appropriate.
Stained glass window in Christ Church, Chislehurst, Kent Light and life to all He brings, risen with healing in His wings
In the bleak midwinter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter,
Long ago.
Our God, heaven cannot hold him,
Nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When he comes to reign;
In the bleak midwinter
A stable place sufficed
The Lord God incarnate,
Jesus Christ.
Enough for him, whom Cherubim
Worship night and day
A breast full of milk
And a manger full of hay.
Enough for him, whom angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
which adore.
Angels and archangels
May have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
Thronged the air;
But his mother only,
In her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the Belovèd
With a kiss.
What can I give him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man
I would do my part,
Yet what I can I give Him —
Give my heart.
Sluggish goldfish Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone
5-star accommodation for robins A stable place sufficed
I saw three ships come sailing in
On Christmas day, on Christmas day;
I saw three ships come sailing in
On Christmas day in the morning.
And what was in those ships all three,
On Christmas day, on Christmas day?
And what was in those ships all three,
On Christmas day in the morning?
Our Saviour Christ and His Lady,
On Christmas day, on Christmas day;
Our Saviour Christ and His Lady,
On Christmas day in the morning.
Pray whither sailed those ships all three,
On Christmas day, on Christmas day?
Pray whither sailed those ships all three,
On Christmas day in the morning?
O they sailed into Bethlehem,
On Christmas day, on Christmas day,
O they sailed into Bethlehem,
On Christmas day in the morning.
And all the bells on earth shall ring,
On Christmas day, on Christmas day;
And all the bells on earth shall ring,
On Christmas day in the morning.
And all the angels in Heav’n shall sing,
On Christmas day, on Christmas day;
And all the angels in Heav’n shall sing,
On Christmas day in the morning.
And all the souls on Earth shall sing,
On Christmas day, on Christmas day;
And all the souls on Earth shall sing,
On Christmas day in the morning.
Then let us all rejoice, amain,
On Christmas day, on Christmas day;
Then let us all rejoice, amain,
On Christmas day in the morning.
Verse 9: “amain” = at full
speed, with great haste
Cheery Ted with Christmas sweets Then let us all rejoice, amain
It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold:
"Peace on the earth, goodwill to men
From heaven's all gracious King!"
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing.
Still through the cloven skies they come,
With peaceful wings unfurled;
And still their heavenly music floats
O'er all the weary world:
Above its sad and lowly plains
They bend on hovering wing,
And ever o'er its Babel sounds
The blessèd angels sing.
O ye beneath life's crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow;
Look now, for glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing;
O rest beside the weary road
And hear the angels sing.
For lo! the days are hastening on,
By prophets seen of old,
When with the ever-circling years
Shall come the time foretold,
When the new heaven and earth shall own
The Prince of Peace, their King,
And the whole world send back the song
Which now the angels sing.
Verse 1: “goodwill to men” –
insert the vowel in “men”, as “man” would also make sense.
Verse 4: “own” is used in its
archaic sense of “acknowledge"
Marigolds in municipal bedding, Hastings, Sussex Look now, for glad and golden hours come swiftly
on the wing
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing, and Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.
Joy to the world, the Saviour reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love, and wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders of His love.
Author's garden No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns
infest the ground
O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times did'st give the Law,
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Cumulus storm clouds over Orpington,
Kent Disperse the gloomy clouds of night and death's
dark shadows put to flight
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! O, hear the angels' voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born;
O night divine, O night, O night Divine.
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here come the wise men from Orient land.
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friend.
He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;*
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
*This unusual line may have been influenced by
the anti-slavery movement in the early 1800s. The original French of
Minuit Chretiéns was "Il voit un frère où n’était qu’un esclave = He
(the Redeemer) sees a brother where there was only a slave"
presumably referring to slavery to sin that Jesus came to release.
Dawn over Orpington, Kent For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight
For Christ is born of Mary
And gathered all above
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars together
Proclaim the holy birth
And praises sing to God the King
And peace to men on earth
How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him still,
The dear Christ enters in.
O holy Child of Bethlehem
Descend to us, we pray
Cast out our sin and enter in
Be born to us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell.
O come to us, abide with us
Our Lord Emmanuel.
Verse 2: “to men on earth” –
insert the vowel in “men”, as “man” would also make sense.
Stained glass rose window in Christ Church, Chislehurst, Kent Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light
Once in royal David’s city,
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her Baby,
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ, her little Child.
He came down to earth from heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall:
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Saviour holy.
And, through all His wondrous childhood,
He would honour and obey,
Love and watch the lowly maiden,
In whose gentle arms He lay:
Christian children all must be
Mild, obedient, good as He.
For He is our childhood's pattern;
Day by day, like us, He grew;
He was little, weak, and helpless,
Tears and smiles, like us He knew;
And He cares when we are sad,
And he shares when we are glad.
And our eyes at last shall see Him,
Through His own redeeming love;
For that Child so dear and gentle,
Is our Lord in heaven above:
And He leads His children on,
To the place where He is gone.
Not in that poor lowly stable,
With the oxen standing by,
We shall see Him; but in Heaven,
Set at God’s right hand on high;
Where like stars His children crowned
All in white shall wait around.
Verse 5: “at last” – insert the
vowel in "last", to distinguish it from “least”
Robin in author's garden finding crumbs He was little, weak, and helpless
Where like stars His children crowned, all in
white shall wait around
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born.
Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.
Silent night, holy night
Wondrous star, lend thy light;
With the angels let us sing,
Alleluia to our King;
Christ the Saviour is born,
Christ the Saviour is born.
Dawn sun and snow shower over Orpington, Kent Glories stream from heaven afar
The angel Gabriel from Heaven came,
His wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame;
“All hail,” said he, “thou lowly maiden Mary,
Most highly favoured lady,” Gloria!
“For know a blessèd mother thou shalt be,
All generations laud and honour thee,
Thy Son shall be Emmanuel, by seers foretold,
Most highly favoured lady,” Gloria!
Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head,
“To me be as it pleaseth God,” she said,
“My soul shall laud and magnify His holy Name.”
Most highly favoured lady, Gloria!
Of her, Emmanuel, the Christ, was born
In Bethlehem, all on a Christmas morn,
And Christian folk throughout the world will ever say—“Most highly
favoured lady,” Gloria!
Verse 2: “thou shalt” – the
short form for “shalt” is the same as “shall”, but is considered
safe as it always follows “thou”. If necessary, you could revert to
a historical full outline (no longer in dictionary) as shown in the
vocabulary list below.
Stained glass window in Christ Church, Chislehurst, Kent The angel Gabriel from Heaven came
The first Nowell the angels did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
On a cold winter's night that was so deep.
Refrain:
Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell
Born is the King of Israel!
They lookèd up and saw a star
Shining in the East beyond them far
And to the earth it gave great light
And so it continued both day and night.
Refrain
And by the light of that same star
Three wise men came from country far
To seek for a King was their intent
And to follow the star wherever it went.
Refrain
This star drew nigh to the northwest
O'er Bethlehem it took its rest
And there it did both pause and stay
Right o'er the place where Jesus lay.
Refrain
Then entered in those wise men three
Full reverently upon their knee
And offered there in His presence
Their gold and myrrh and frankincense.
Refrain
Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord
That has made Heaven and earth of nought
And with his blood mankind has bought.
Refrain
And to the earth it gave great light and so it
continued both day and night
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things." (Philippians 4:8)
HELP FIND
MISSING CHILD MADELEINE McCANN:
www.findmadeleine.com/campaigns/age_progression.html
"Madeleine is now 8 years old.
These ‘age-progression’ images have been produced by
experts at NCMEC, Washington. They are a guide as to
what Madeleine may look like now."
The code to embed
this YouTube is available at
www.ceop.police.uk (Child Exploitation and
Online Protection Centre) who request as many web
users as possible to propagate the video.
"The earnest, heartfelt,
continued prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous
power available, dynamic in its working." James 5 v 16
(Amplified)
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Vapour trails – from airplanes or
angels?
Dawn over Orpington, Kent 
Lock gates at Tonbridge Town Lock, River Medway, Kent
Gate to grounds of Vine Cricket Club, Sevenoaks, Kent
Crumbs and warm water for the visitors
Stained glass window in Christ Church, Chislehurst, Kent
Sluggish goldfish
5-star accommodation for robins
Cheery Ted with Christmas sweets
Marigolds in municipal bedding, Hastings, Sussex
Author's garden
Pedham Place boot sale field, Kent
Cumulus storm clouds over Orpington,
Kent 
Dawn over Orpington, Kent
Stained glass rose window in Christ Church, Chislehurst, Kent
Robin in author's garden finding crumbs
Blustery sunset over Orpington, Kent
Royal Observatory Greenwich Park, home of Greenwich Mean Time
Sunset over Orpington, Kent
Dawn sun and snow shower over Orpington, Kent
Stained glass window in Christ Church, Chislehurst, Kent
View over Snodland from Blue Bell Hill, near Rochester, Kent
Golden Showers rose
Yellow Teddy sampling the Christmas victuals
