
    LESSON 14:  ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS, LETTER SIGN, AND ROMAN NUMERALS

SECTION I:  ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS
Part I:  Information

    ABBREVIATIONS and SYMBOLS:  dollar sign, percent sign, decimal sign,
                                fraction sign, opening and closing brackets

          dollar sign            percent sign            decimal sign
Dots:        2-5-6               2-5, 1-2-3-4                 4-6   

          fraction line          opening bracket         closing bracket 
Dots:         3-4                  6, 2-3-5-6              2-3-5-6, 3

     The dollar sign, decimal point and brackets should follow the print
order, punctuation and spacing except as indicated below.  Although special
rules for usage will be discussed in Lesson 15 in the section on Measurement
Abbreviations, the fundamental rules for usage are discussed below.

1    THE DOLLAR SIGN AND DECIMAL POINT SIGN

1.1  The dollar sign (dots 2-5-6) is placed as it is found in print - imme-
diately before and touching the number value.  The symbol should be placed
BEFORE the number sign.

    EXAMPLE:        $25             $35             $95,000

1.2 The decimal point (dots 4-6, NOT a period) helps define the value of the
number and so is considered part of that number.  It should be written AFTER
the number sign.

     EXAMPLE:        .6           .33           .001

1.3  When a decimal number combines a whole number and decimal fraction, a
single number sign placed before the whole number is sufficient.

     EXAMPLE:        1.38           22.05            9.76

1.4  Use the decimal point to represent coinage.  For American dollars, use
the dollar sign.  For other currency, refer to the Library Of Congress
guidelines.

    EXAMPLE:        $1.50            $17.28           $0.95
           
2    THE FRACTION LINE

2.1  As with the decimal point, the fraction line symbol (dots 3-4) is 
considered part of the number and separates the numerator and denominator.
The number sign is not repeated following the fraction line.

    EXAMPLE:        1/22            13/15             5/6

2.2  Whole numbers are joined to fractions by a hyphen, and the number 
sign is not repeated after the hyphen.

    EXAMPLE:        1 1/3               85  5/16

2.3  A mixed number (whole number and its accompanying fraction) is
treated as a unit and should not be split between brailled lines.

2.4  When a mixed number is joined to another mixed number or to a 
whole number, a hyphen is used and the number sign is repeated before
the second number.
    EXAMPLE:        1 1/3-2                   75 1/2-76 1/2

3   PERCENT SIGN

3.1  In braille, the percent sign is formed using two consecutive cells, dots
2-5, 1-2-3-4.  The symbol is placed immediately following the number, and a 
special symbol is used to indicate that it is a print symbol indicator
(dot 4).

     EXAMPLES:         25%             42%              99.99%

NOTE:  The International Council on English Braille is in the process of
developing internationally recognized symbols, and is expected to publish
an addendum (#4) to the 1972 Revision.  (The latest at this date is 10/91.)

4  BRAILLE BRACKETS

4.1  Brackets are also formed using two consecutive cells and function much
like parentheses.  Opening brackets are formed by dots 6, 2-3-5-6.  Closing
brackets are formed by dots 2-3-5-6, 3.

     EXAMPLE:      [See map on page 27.]

Regardless of the protocol used in print, when a passage of text has
several paragraphs in quotation marks, parentheses, or brackets, the opening
sign is placed at the beginning of each paragraph, but the closing sign is
only placed at the end of the last paragraph.

This concludes the information about abbreviations and symbols of lesson 14.
When you are ready, press Esc to return to the submenu and the practice
exercises.

Part II:  Print to Braille Exercises
1.  The class was composed of 80% female and 20% male students.
2.  A dozen oranges cost only $1.99 at the Eagle Grocery store this week.
3.  The following pairs of words are frequently confused:  princip[al] and
    princip[le], station[e]ry and station[a]ry.
4.  The bank is advertizing an interest rate of 7 1/2%.
5.  Talking Books are recorded at 15/16 inches per second.
6.  If Stan bought a notebook for $1.49 and Julio bought one for $0.99, how
    much more did Stan spend?
7.  The stock Dad bought dropped from 76 1/2 to 75 3/4 - 2 1/2 points.
8.  "I hate guns!" she said as she gingerly picked up the .32 caliber pistol.
9.  Saul's math problem asked for the sum of 2.03, 11.865, and 0.1.
10. I swear that his hair must be 2 1/2-3 times as long as mine!
11. Hekla [4,900 feet tall] is an active volcano in SW Iceland.
12. Sukie begged Mom for $2.50 to buy Dad's birthday present.
13. Each loan type is identified by a six-character alphanumeric label
    [e.g. NDSL03, FISL01].
14. [Please refer to notes on page 296.]
15. The price was $50, but good bargaining techniques got it down to $35.50.

Part III:  Braille to Print Exercises
1.  With a mark up of 25% or more, it's possible to make a good profit in used 
    cars.
2.  In 1986 the highest per capita income was in Connecticut at $19,208; the   
    lowest [in Mississippi] was $6,573.
3.  She gave the teller a $10 bill for a $7.58 purchase.  
4.  When she agreed to pay 1/2 the rent, she didn't know she'd have to share the 
    apartment with 2 other people.
5.  The papers reported [from an undisclosed source] that Mrs. J. would be     
    visiting our area in the near future.
6.  A $25.00 deposit will hold your reservation until 9 this evening.
7.  If we sell the litter of puppies at $50.00 per pup, we should just about   
    break even.

8.  My bank requires no more than 25% indebtedness before they will even consider 
    a mortgage.
9.  One possible solution would be to donate 1/2-1/3 of the profits to charity.
10. "Why is it that men earn 1 1/2 - 2 times as much for the same job as women?" 
    she demanded angrily.
11. The Eiffel Tower is 984 feet [300 meters] high.
12. Alaska has more national parks than any other state [8/48 parks].
13. My Aunt Katarina sent me to buy her some lace - at $3.96 per yard.
14. Mr. Tomei asked his class, "What is 8% of $4.99?"
15. Of course I'm not satisfied, 10% of nothing is still nothing!

Part IV:  Proof Reading Exercises
1.  A 10% increase resulted in a rent of $450.00 per month.
2.  Mrs. Huang's grandmother [from the old country] told her she should be eating 
    more vegetables.
3.  There are 4 states which border directly on Michigan.  [See map on page 256.]
4.  If I add my $1.25 to Jorge's $2.80 and Sam's $0.63, will we have enough to 
    buy the present?
5.  Of the $100,000 raised for charity, 60% went to publicity, 25% to          
    administration, and 15% to the charity.  


SECTION II:  THE LETTER SIGN
Part I:  Information

    The letter sign is used when a single letter must retain its meaning as a
letter rather than a whole word sign.  It is represented by the dots 5-6 
placed immediately before the letter or letters in question.  When the letter
is capitalized, the letter sign is placed BEFORE the capital sign.

        The letter sign:   

1   DO use for the following

1.1  With the letters 'a', 'e', 'i', 'o' and 'u' when they stand for letters,
not words.

     EXAMPLES:   Madame E
                 The first three vowels are a, e, and i.

1.2  When any letter not a whole word sign is joined to a word by a hyphen.

     EXAMPLES:   U-Haul               T-shaped              Four-H

1.3  When more than 2 or more letters are joined by a hyphen or a dash, use a
etter sign before each individual letter.

     EXAMPLES:    "A-b-c, like do-re-mi," she sang.

                  Read sections f-l for the next class.

1.4  When adding an 's' to a single letter to indicate a plural.  Regardless
of whether or not the print uses an apostrophe, the braille text should have
an apostrophe between the letter and the plural 's'.

     EXAMPLES:   Remember to dot your i's.

                 He had a problem with Es and Is.
1.5  When print text uses italics or quotations to indicate single letters, 
use the letter sign alone.

     EXAMPLES:   [Z]s are hard to write at first.
                Sometimes 'y' is a vowel too.

2    DO NOT use the letter sign
2.1  before a single letter used as an initial or abbreviation followed by a
period.

     EXAMPLES:   J. F. Kennedy                       33 1/3 r.p.m.

2.2  when the letter is part of an outline or reference that is followed by a
period or enclosed in brackets or parentheses.

     EXAMPLES:   section 1(a)                A.  Introduction

2.3  when a single letter is preceded or followed by an apostrophe.

     EXAMPLES:    rock 'n' roll             Peg O' My Heart

2.4  when the letter is found at the end of a sentence ending with a period
and it is clear FROM PRIOR USAGE or CONTEXT that the letter is used as itself
or an initial.

     EXAMPLE:     "I won't!"  shouted Mrs. J.


Part II:  Print to Braille Exercises
1.  Tyrone is learning his ABC's but has trouble with reversing his E's and I's.
2.  I don't see how [x] plus [y] could possibly equal [z].
3.  Desperately, Mrs. E repeated her cries for help.
4.  Historians have written much about V-E Day.
5.  I believe "101 Dalmations" is my favorite G-rated movie.
6.  W. H. Harrison was our ninth president.
7.  Your lease, section 3(a), prohibits your having loud parties after midnight 
    on weeknights.
8.  "'N' then what'll we do?" Petey demanded.
9.  I guess I know sections a-n, it's o that has me stumped.
10. Mrs. X will be the defence's surprise witness.


Part III:  Braille to Print Exercises
1.  How many exceptions do you know to the rule "i before e except after c"?
2.  The pilot reported that she was A-OK and coming in now that the landing
    gear was in operation again.
3.  "She has the most beautiful salt 'n' pepper colored hair," raved my mother.
4.  A. J. Foyt was a favorite race car driver at the Indy 500.
5.  How many S's are there in the word "Mississippi"?
6.  Mr. DuPage asked us to refer to "C. Outcomes" in our chapter outline.
7.  The letters i-o-u are often used in crossword puzzles.
8.  Madame X, familiar by now with the procedure, prepared to be questioned
    anew by Detective Polaski.
9.  We were all admonished at an early age to mind our Ps and Qs.
10. The T. Rex was a voracious hunter, so archaeologists believe.


Part IV:  Proof Reading Exercises
(1.)  Mr. T. J. Henderson had prepared what he thought would be a fascinating  
      lecture on the ABC's of reading.
(2.)  As he set out the outline materials, he noticed that he had transposed   
      chapter 2, a-j with chapter 3, c-l.
(3.)  Afraid of being accused of producing only B-rated seminars, Mr. H. quickly 
      gathered up all his notes.
(4.)  At first he considered doing a cut-and-paste job to fix things.
(5.)  Then, looking at the time he had left to prepare, he decided to start over 
      with chapter 1(a).  Aren't computers great!



SECTION III:  LETTER SIGNS, PART II AND ROMAN NUMERALS
Part I:  Information

1    LETTER SIGNS, Part II

1.1  DO use the letter sign when

1.   numbers and letters are joined or hyphenated

     EXAMPLES:     Apt. 3C              B-52                Sect. 22a

2.  the combinations of letters might appear to be short-form words

     EXAMPLES:   Angle BAC of square ABDC

3.   it is not clear that Al or Ab are names rather than the short-form words
"Also" or "About" (at the beginning of a sentence, quotation, or line of poetry)

     EXAMPLES:  Ab was one of my best friends until...

           Let me tell you about my friend Al.

1.2  DO NOT use the letter sign when
1.   a number sign directly follows a letter in a combined letter-number sequence

     EXAMPLES:          RS232C port                    page a17

2.   when a contraction follows directly behind a letter

     EXAMPLES:    71st              4th                121st

3.   when the printed text shows a vocal sound by "hmmmm".  However, when 
shorter sound is indicated by "hm", the braille text is written with both
an apostrophe and a letter sign.

     EXAMPLES:   "Hm, and who are you?" he asked.

         "Hmmmm, that smells good!" she declared.

1.3  In Summary,

     The letter sign is only used when there is a possibility of confusion
between letters and number-letter combinations.  In the majority of cases a
letter sign is not needed, and should be used judiciously.

1.   DO use the letter sign with

1.   single letters representing letters not short-form words

2.   single letters followed by apostrophe s

3.   single letters joined to words by a hyphen

4.   single letters joined to each other by a hyphen or dash
5.   any letter immediately following a number

6.   any letter joined to a number by a hyphen

7.   any combination of letters that might be mistaken for a short-form word

8.   the names Al or Ab at the start of sentences, quotes, or lines poetry

9.   lower case roman numerals [see below].


2.   DO NOT use the letter sign with

1.   any letter immediately preceding a number sign

2.   a letter followed immediately by a contraction

3.   initials and abbreviations followed by periods 

4.   letters in an outline followed by periods or enclosed by punctuation

5.   letters preceded or followed by apostrophes showing omission of letters

6.   with the names Al or Ab except when these might be confused for the
     short-form words "Also" or "About"

7.   spelled-out or syllabized words (hyphens should be used between the
     individual letters or syllables).


2    ROMAN NUMERALS

2.1  Transcribe the corresponding braille characters, following capitaliza-
tion rules.  If the roman numerals are in lowercase, they must be preceded by
the letter sign.

     EXAMPLES:    X               Louis XIV              iii

2.2  Repeat the appropriate capital, double capital, or letter sign after a
hyphen or dash.

     EXAMPLES:   XIX-XX                 iii-v               V--VII

2.3  Attachments to the roman numeral such as letter or letters, and ordinal
endings must be identified as such by placing the letter sign between the
roman numeral and the addition.  English ordinal contracted endings used  
with ordinal numbers can be used with roman numerals, however foreign ordinal
endings should not be contracted.

     EXAMPLES:   XX.B           Xth           xvC               5sten

This concludes the information section.  Press Esc when you are ready to
continue.

Part II:  Print to Braille Exercises
1.  Al wants Jarred to join him and Ab after the game.
2.  For next week's class we need to read chapter 3, parts i-ix in unit II.
3.  We've recently moved to Apt. A17 in the 4th building of the complex.
4.  Sofia asked Natalie to pick up a few things at the store:  a. a gallon
    of 2% milk, b. 1/2 a carton of eggs, and c. a loaf of bread.
5.  How many exceptions do you know to the rule "'i' before 'e' except after 
    'c'"?
6.  AB intersects line DF at point O to form angle AOD.
7.  She was the 1st one of the family to graduate from college.
8.  Louis XIV furniture is quite elegant.
9.  "Hmmmm, I just love chocolate!" she murmured.
10. I suggest you refer to Section 23f of the fire code before pursuing this   
    further.

Part III:  Braille to Print Exercises
1.  Triangle CAB is an isoceles triangle.
2.  "About that raise," began the anxious salesclerk.
3.  Frederick William IV was the ruler of Germany from 1840-1861, followed by  
    William I.
4.  Mikhail Romanoff lives in Apt. C3 in the large green house, 4th from the   
    corner on the left.
5.  He couldn't believe it -- all he'd needed to win was B-12!
6.  Articles V-VIIf of the club's constitution deal with the rights and        
    responsibilities of its members.
7.  Brazil, with an area of 3,286,488 sq. mi., is the largest country in 
    S. America.  [See map on pg. 179.]
8.  The title for IIA in your chapter outline should read "The Problem."
9.  T-bone steaks are very popular with picnic-goers.
10. "M-u-s-e-u-m," she sounded out carefully.

Part IV:  The officers searched apartments a-j in building XII, and they still
could not find the source of those odd sounds.  In desperation, the K-9 officer
and dog unit were called in.  The dog eagerly bounded the basement's piles of
boxes, many labelled with just [a] or [b].  A sudden rattle behind some boxes
caught the attention of both P. J. Martinez and his dog Loco.


SECTION VII:  SELF-TEST EXERCISES
Part I:  Information

                The secret of happiness is not 
                      in doing what one likes, 
                           but in liking
                                 what one does.
                     James M. Barrie
                                          Enjoy!??

Part II:  Print to Braille Exercises
1.  She has a peaches 'n' cream complexion.
2.  Ab is getting tired of all those L'il Abner jokes.
3.  Upon reviewing Jendi's transcripts, her advisor found 55% general stud-
    ies, 27.5% education, and 17.5% psychology.
4.  "Please note that article XIVc(iii) does not support your position."
5.  Pope John-Paul II was elected to his position as Pope by a majority of votes.
6.  The O'Hara's had so much stuff they had to rent the largest U-Haul available.
7.  Federico asked the choir director if he would include his favorite carol, "O 
    Come, O Come Emanuel."
8.  The vowels are: a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y.
9.  What is the value of the angle cad of the triangle dag, given that cag is 22 
    deg?
10. Mrs. Juneau's recipe for popovers calls for 1 cup milk, 1 tablespoon melted 
    butter, 1 cup flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 beaten eggs.

Part III:  Braille to Print Exercises
1.  Mom wanted to know if Al always had dessert after dinner.
2.  The XYZ Affair was a spoof on the real C.I.A. plot during the early 1960's 
    called the "ABC Affair".
3.  Mrs. A found that nearly 1/2 of her students had visited the local zoo, but 
    none had seen the new arrival.
4.  I think I like T. S. Elliot because he does such clever things with words.
5.  Asia is the world's largest continent containing 60% of the world's        
    population.  [See table on page 256.]
6.  Clarence was given $10.00 to buy a birthday present for his Mom, but the one 
    he wanted to buy cost $12.45.
7.  Roy just loved singing "O What a Beautiful Morning!" from that old musical.
8.  When she got to the registration desk she found a long line in front of the 
    "T-Z" counter.
9.  That stock you recommended just took off - 48 1/2 - 55 3/4, up 7 1/4.
10. Your outline, when you're finished, should have the following headings:  IA, 
    IB(a), IB(b), II, and III.


Part IV:  Proof Reading Exercises
Spencer loved making words with his ABC's, though not everyone could read what
he wrote.  [He was only 3 years old, after all.]  One day he decided he needed
more letters than he had, so he took his Monopoly money and went "shopping" for
letters.  The store owner, Mrs. Mom, sold him all the letters he could name [a's
and e's].  Happy, Spencer spelled "aae ikm hae".