Maharashtra HSC Stenography (Occupational) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Halving principle

In Pitman shorthand, a light halved consonant stroke adds the sound t or d to that consonant, letting a writer record common word endings and short words with a single quick stroke.

Vowel positions in Pitman

Vowel signs are placed above the line (first position), on the line (second position), or below the line (third position), depending on the vowel sound class, so the same consonant outline can carry different words.

Grammalogue

A grammalogue is a single shorthand sign standing for an entire common word such as be, the, of, to, or and. These fixed outlines must be memorised exactly as taught.

Shun hook

The shun hook is a large final hook added to a stroke to represent the endings -tion, -sion, or -shun, allowing words like nation and motion to be written in one compact outline.

Phraseography

Phraseography is the writing of two or more short common words as one joined outline without lifting the pen, such as I am or you are, to increase dictation speed.

Light and heavy strokes

Pitman pairs consonants by stroke thickness: light straight strokes are voiceless (p, t, ch) and heavy straight strokes are voiced (b, d, j), so pressure alone distinguishes them.

Net typing speed formula

Net speed equals gross words per minute minus the penalty for errors, commonly ten words deducted per error. Gross speed is total keystrokes divided by five, then divided by minutes typed.

Home row keys

The home row is A S D F for the left hand and J K L semicolon for the right. The F and J keys carry raised bumps so touch typists can find position without looking.

Accuracy percentage formula

Typing accuracy is calculated as correct characters divided by total characters typed, multiplied by one hundred. Most computer typing tests require at least ninety-five percent accuracy to pass.

Dictation transcription time allowance

In shorthand examinations a dictated passage is normally followed by about thirty minutes for transcription. Candidates read back the notes first, then type or write the passage with correct punctuation.

Word count by five characters

Typing and dictation word counts treat every five characters, including spaces, as one word. A five-minute passage dictated at one hundred words per minute therefore contains five hundred words.

Transcription error logging

After each practice dictation, compare the transcript with the source and record every error by type: wrong outline, misplaced vowel, faulty phrasing, or spelling. This reveals patterns to correct.

Inward and outward mail registers

An inward mail register records date received, sender, subject, and action taken. An outward mail register records date dispatched, addressee, subject, and mode of dispatch for accountability.

Notice of meeting

A notice of meeting is the formal intimation to members stating date, time, place, and agenda. Statutory meetings generally require twenty-one clear days' notice unless a shorter period is allowed.

Quorum

Quorum is the minimum number of members whose presence is required for a meeting to transact business validly. Decisions taken without quorum may be invalid and must be ratified later.

Minutes of meeting

Minutes are the official written record of proceedings, decisions, and resolutions of a meeting. They are entered in the minutes book and signed by the chairperson as evidence.

Yours faithfully vs sincerely

Use Yours faithfully when the salutation is Dear Sir or Madam because the recipient is unnamed. Use Yours sincerely when the letter names the recipient, as in Dear Mr Sharma.

Full block letter format

In full block format every line begins at the left margin, including the date, inside address, and complimentary close. Paragraphs are separated by a blank line and are not indented.

Memorandum headings

A memorandum carries four standard headings: To, From, Date, and Subject. It is used for internal communication and has no salutation, complimentary close, or signature block.

Circular letter

A circular letter is a single identical message sent to many recipients at once, often announcing a change of address, a new product, or an office notice, and it carries a date.

Subject-verb agreement

A verb must agree with its subject in number and person. Singular subjects take singular verbs, and collective nouns take a singular verb when the group acts as one unit.

Active versus passive voice

In active voice the subject performs the action, as in the clerk typed the letter. In passive voice the subject receives the action, formed with a form of be plus the past participle.

Communication feedback loop

Communication runs from sender through encoding, message, channel, and receiver to decoding, then returns as feedback. Noise is any interference that distorts the message along the channel.

Commonly confused word pairs

Its is possessive while it's means it is. Your is possessive while you're means you are. Their is possessive, there shows place, and they're means they are.

Devanagari matras

Matras are vowel signs attached to consonants in Devanagari. Their position matters: the short i matra is written before the consonant even though it is pronounced after it.

Marathi grammatical gender

Marathi nouns carry three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. Verbs and adjectives must agree with the noun's gender and number, which differs from Hindi's two-gender system.

Translation of meaning not words

Good translation conveys the sense, tone, and register of the source rather than word-for-word substitution. Idioms are replaced by equivalent idioms, and technical terms may be retained.

Official Marathi salutation terms

In Marathi official letters, Vishay means subject, Prati means copy to, Mahoday or Mahodaya is the salutation, and Bhavadiya is the complimentary close meaning yours faithfully.

Memory unit conversions

One byte equals eight bits. One kilobyte equals one thousand twenty-four bytes, one megabyte equals one thousand twenty-four kilobytes, and one gigabyte equals one thousand twenty-four megabytes.

Spreadsheet cell reference

A cell reference such as A1 combines the column letter and row number. A dollar sign before the letter or number, as in $A$1, makes the reference absolute when a formula is copied.

Transition versus animation

In presentation software a transition is the visual effect between one slide and the next, while an animation is an effect applied to text or objects within a single slide.

CC versus BCC

CC sends a visible copy of an e-mail to additional recipients. BCC sends a hidden copy, so other recipients cannot see that person's address, which protects privacy in bulk mail.