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CHAPTER 4
Alphabet Whole Words and More Punctuation
I’m truly impressed! You’ve mastered uncontracted braille with flying
colors. Now it’s time to tackle your first true contractions in braille. It’s important
to understand why contractions are so important. There are actually a couple of
reasons. First, contractions minimize the sheer volume of material that is
required to transcribe print to braille. No doubt you’ve already noticed that you’ve
been through quite a bit of paper as you did your exercises. A line of braille
typically consists of about 40 characters. There are typically 25 lines on a page.
That means that the standard braille page contains only 1000 characters. Print
documents can hold up to 3 or 4 times that amount. Additionally, print documents
are highly variable in terms of the amount of material included on a given page.
This amount can be changed by changing the size or type of font used, adjusting
the spacing between letters, words, and lines or even by using special paper (e.
g. legal size sheets). Braille doesn’t provide for these luxuries. In order to be read
most efficiently, it has to be produced in the size and format prescribed by the
Rules. All of this means that it requires a vast amount of paper to produce
materials in braille. When I worked for one of the Education Service Centers in
Texas as a vision specialist, we had a copy of a “pocket” dictionary (that’s what it
said on the spine “So and So’s English Pocket Dictionary”). We had it sitting on
some library shelves in a storage room. The shelves were probably 12-15 feet
long, and it took up four full shelves! I don’t remember exactly how many
volumes there were, but I do remember thinking that you’d have to have a heck
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of a pocket to carry that sucker around! Space is always an issue with braille
production.
The other reason that space is a critical variable has to do with the speed
with which braille can be read. Current research indicates that a good braille
reader reads at around 100-150 words per minute. The average (not
outstanding) print reader reads approximately 200-400 words per minute. So
reading braille tends to be a slower process than reading print. This shouldn’t
surprise us since braille reading is an entirely different process. Braille is a
physical activity. It requires efficient and exacting movements of the fingers,
hands, wrists and arms. It simply takes longer to scan a line of material with your
hands than with your eyes. All of this leads us to the inescapable conclusion that
if we want our students to be faster and more efficient readers, we’ve got to
teach them all the contractions and we’ve got to save every single cell space that
we can. Besides, contractions just make braille more fun – like a mysterious
code!
So, let us summon up our courage and take our first step into the
fascinating and exciting world of contracted braille!
A Word About the Use of Contractions
In This Program
The thing that makes it most difficult to develop a program in braille is
figuring out meaningful sentences that include the contraction that you’re working
on but do not contain any other contractions that you will be learning later on.
Most braille books design their exercises and examples without using any words
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or letter configurations that you will eventually learn are contractions. While I
admire the creativity (not to mention the patience and sheer determination) of the
authors who write these books, I also believe that this approach limits the amount
of practice that the author is actually able to provide. There are only a very
limited number of sentences that can be developed without using words or
groups of letters that will eventually be contracted. The other result of this
approach is that it frustrates the learner. The most enjoyable part of braille (at
least to me) is being able to actually USE it in fun and creative ways. That’s
almost impossible to do when you limit yourself to the contractions that you know
and eliminate any that you will learn in the future.
So, my approach is a little bit different. In this program, I will give you
sentences, etc. that emphasize the contractions that you’re learning. The
material will almost invariably contain words and letter clusters that you will
eventually learn to contract. Here, we’ll take the “additive” approach. Spell
everything out in uncontracted braille until you learn the contraction. Then stop
spelling it out and substitute the contracted form. This is probably just as clear as
mud at this point, but, trust me, the fog will lift soon! Anyway, given this approach
to teaching braille, here’s the most important thing to remember: DO NOT TRY
TO USE CONTRACTIONS THAT WE HAVE NOT COVERED. If we haven’t
dealt with it in this program or discussed it in class, just spell it out.
Okay, so I think that you’re ready for your first official contractions! How
exciting!
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Alphabet Whole Words
Remember when you were a kid and you and your friends devised
elaborate codes with certain letters standing for other letters? No? Well, maybe
my friends were just naturally sneakier than yours!  Anyway, that’s sort of how
our first group of contractions work. They are called Alphabet (because they are
based on the alphabet) Whole Words (because each letter of the alphabet stands
for a word). Like for example:
Letter
Whole Word
b
but
c
can
d
do
Okay, so when a braille reader sees “b” all by itself, he or she knows that it
stands for “but”. “c” stands for “can”, “d” stands for “do” and so forth. So here’s
how you’d write the sentence
I can but do as I am told.
I c b d as I am told.
Here’s how it would look in braille:
,i c b d as ,i am told4
Okay, now you try it. Transcribe the sentences in Exercise 4-1
using the alphabet whole word contractions for “b”, “c”, and “d” then check your
work using Key 4-1.
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Exercise 4-1
Do all of them but one.
I can do it, but I won’t!
Do I need to bring a can of Coke?
I do most of the cooking, but she can
take care of the cleaning.
Key 4-1
Great! You’ve got the idea! Now of course there are some rules that go
with these little contractions (there always are). We’ll learn those in just a second,
but first, let’s just learn all of the whole word equivalents and get a little bit of
practice using them. Ready for a few more whole words? Okay, here we go in
alphabetical order for all of hyper-organized people in the class. 
Letter
Whole Word
e
every
f
from
g
go
An example of a sentence using these (and other alphabet whole word) letters
would be:
But if I go to my locker from every class, I can be
sure I’ve got the books I need to do my work.
Here’s how it would look in braille:
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,b if ,i g to my locker f e class1 ,i c
be sure ,i've got the books ,i need to d
my work4
Print this out and interline it. Check your work using Key
4-2.
Now you take a crack at it! Write two sentences that use all of the alphabet whole
words that you have learned so far. Interline them. You can take a look at mine in
Key 4-3.
Great! Now let’s learn some more of these handy little contractions!
Letter
Whole Word
h
have
j
just
k
knowledge
l
like
There are a couple of very interesting things about this group of alphabet
whole word contractions. First, you’ll notice that there is no whole word for “i”.
Why do you think that might be the case? Here is the answer:
The letter “i” standing by itself already is the whole
word “I” as in “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing!” So
if we assigned another whole word meaning to “i” we
would constantly be confusing our readers about
whether we meant “I” or whatever the whole word
might be. The same is true for the letters “a” and “o.”
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The next thing that you might find interesting is that the word “knowledge”
is assigned to “k”! Seems like there ought to be a simpler and more useful word
for “k” than “knowledge.” Here’s how “k” became “knowledge.” One of the first
uses for braille was to make the Bible accessible to tactual readers. Now while
“knowledge” may not be a big word in our culture (and it’s a little scary to say
that!) it is a common word in the Bible. So the choice makes perfect sense.
Let’s try using these new contractions. Braille the sentences provided in
Exercise 4-2 then check your work with Key 4-4.
Exercise 4-2
I just don’t have any knowledge of what it
is like to travel from here to there.
Every day is just like the last!
I can do the work, but I think that she is
just the last person I’d want to help.
Have Sam and Teri come by here?
I often wish I had knowledge of just what it
is like to live in New York City, but I’m
certain that the closest I’ll come is
listening to music from there.
How did you do? Great! Ready to add some more? Okay, here we go.
Letter
Whole Word
m
more
n
not
p
people
q
quite
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Notice that the “q” stands for the word “quite” as in “I’m quite certain that
you will master braille with ease!” The contraction is NOT used for the word
“quiet” as in “Be quiet!” Let’s practice with these a bit.
Exercise 4-3
The more knowledge I have of the country’s
customs, the more I realize that I’d like to
see it.
Do not try to tell me all the people in
those lines are here to see this boring
movie!
She was quite taken with the pitiful looking
puppy who had not yet been adopted.
People quite often think more about their
job and not about their friends and
families.
Key 4-5
Those are fairly easy. Let’s add a few m! 
Letter
Whole Word
r
rather
s
so
t
that
u
us
There are some really handy contractions in this batch! You’ll especially enjoy
having “t” for that and “s” for “so.” Remember that Alphabet Whole Words can be
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capitalized (like as the first word in a sentence) or they can be used as a proper
name. (Rule XI. 36.c) As in:
That report comes to us from Dan Rather.
,t report comes to u f ,dan ,r4
Practice time!
Exercise 4-4
I would rather not think about how so many
people lost their homes in the flood.
Would he rather go with us to that class, or
can he go alone?
That book belongs to Mr. More and he really
needs to get it back soon!
Do just three pages in that book so everyone
can have a better knowledge of the lesson.
We are going to the party rather sooner than
I expected but Tim says that we can just
have more fun that way.
Key 4-6
Okay, Partner! How’d you do? Super! I guess it’s time to round up the last
of these little doggies!
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Letter
Whole Word
v
very
w
will
x
it
y
you
z
as
This little herd has a couple of mismatched calves in it!  Yep, I’m talking about
“x” and “z.” I guess the people who developed braille didn’t think that we’d be
using “xylophone” and “zebra” a whole lot, so they decided to assign “x” and “z”
words that would be a bit more useful – “it” and “as.” I always think about the
word “exit” to help me remember “x”, and “as” has that “z” sort of sound at the
end. Pretty soon it’ll make perfect sense to you. That’s the point at which you
ought to begin to REALLY worry!
Exercise 4-5
The hike will be very hard, but you can do
it!
Will you take this box as you go to class
with us?
You will be working with our group as we
study the people of Peru.
I have a very sharp pencil and will use it
when I take my exam.
As Shirley moved across the room, it
occurred to her that she will be very lucky
if she escapes the haunted mansion with you!
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Key 4-7
Well, that’s all of them! Congratulations! You now know your first group of
braille contractions! See, it wasn’t that hard, was it?
Rules for Using Alphabet Whole Words
As contractions go, the Alphabet Whole Words are a pretty handy lot!
You’ll find yourself using them a lot, and they’ll save you lots of space and grief –
if you know when and where to use them. Actually, I suppose in some ways you
could argue that Alphabet Whole Words are a sort of fragile group of
contractions. When I was a kid, I remember my mother had a Victorian glass
Christmas ornament that had belonged to her mother. It was one of her most
cherished possessions, and I remember how every year she would take it
carefully off of the tree and wrap it tenderly in cotton batting before putting it in a
box so it wouldn’t accidentally bump up against another ornament. Now, I know
what you’re thinking. You’re thinking “What the heck do Alphabet Whole Words
have to do with fragile antique Christmas ornaments?” Well, here’s the answer.
Like antique Christmas ornaments, Alphabet Whole Words must be
wrapped carefully. They must be surrounded by one of three things:

Spaces

Punctuation marks

Composition signs
If an Alphabet Whole Word touches another letter or is part of another word, it
explodes! Really! Boom! Blows itself right off of the page! No kidding! Well,
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maybe a little kidding, but you really can’t use them without being wrapped by
either spaces, punctuation marks, or composition signs. (Rule XI. 36)
So, let’’s look at some examples. You can use the Whole Words in:
Tom and I will do the work alone.
In this case, we have two Whole Words each of which is separated from the
nearest letter by spaces; they are “wrapped” in spaces. You can also use the
Whole words in:
Have you done the problems yet?
Here, the first Whole Word (“have”) is surrounded (“wrapped”) by a composition
sign (the cap sign) and a space. It’s perfectly legal to have any combination of
the three “wrappers” (space, composition sign, or punctuation) on either side of
the Whole Word. The second Whole Word (“you”) is surrounded by spaces.
Finally, you could use the Alphabet Whole Word contraction in:
Abbey knows that I will go with you.
The first three Whole Words are pretty obviously okay. They are all wrapped in
spaces. The last one (“you”), however, is also acceptable because it is wrapped
in a space on one side and piece of punctuation (the period) on the other. Got it!
See, it ain’t hard at all! 
Okay, let’s try some that are a little trickier! Could you use the Alphabet
Whole Words in the following ways? Let’s look at some examples:
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You and I will do it!
Yes, you can use the Alphabet Whole Word
contraction in each case. The “you” is wrapped by a
composition sign (cap) and a space. The “will” and
“do” are wrapped by spaces, and “it” is wrapped by
a space and a punctuation mark (!).
I will put the button on the shirt.
In this case, you can use the “w” for “will” because
it is wrapped in spaces. However, you CAN’T use
the “b” for “but” in “button” because it touches
another letter. It’s wrapped on one side only, and
if you used it – it would explode!
I can’t find my hat!
Ding, ding, ding! We’ve got a winner! You CAN use
the “c” to stand for “can” because it is wrapped by
a space on the left and an apostrophe on the right.
It LOOKS a little tricky, but if you just apply the
“wrapping rule” it’s simple.
Don’t ask me. I’m not going!
This one is a bit of a mixed bag. You CANNOT use
the “d” for “do” in “don’t” because the “o” actually
touches another letter (unlike in “can’t” where the
Whole Word touches an apostrophe). You CAN,
obviously use the whole word for “not” because it’s
gently wrapped by two spaces. You CANNOT use
the “g” for “go” in “going.” Why? You’ve got it! It
touches another letter.
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He cannot decide if I can go with you.
Tricky, tricky, tricky! You are NOT allowed to use either
the “c” for “can” or the “n” for “not” in the word “cannot.”
They touch each other, making each Whole Word prospect
touch another letter. Of course, you can use all of the
other Whole Words that are marked in the sentence.
As Yoda would say, “An Exercise I think you need!” Braille each of the
following sentences using the Alphabet Whole Words correctly. Check your work
with the Key that follows.
Exercise 4-6
Do I need to go with Mr. More, or would you
rather I not?
Sam and Kim do not know how they will do
that assignment without more time.
Ms. Moreley and the class haven’t left for
the zoo yet.
As soon as I hear from Jim, I’ll be doing
the job that I learned from him.
Will’s new bike is shiny and red.
Please collect the cans and put them in the
trash can.
Key 4-8
So, how ‘ya feeling? Good? Good! Let’s polish this chapter off and get on
with checking in on Mason and Abbey.
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Quotation Marks
It’s really pretty tough for Mason and Abbey right now. The reason is –
they can’t talk because you don’t know how to use quotation marks yet. So let’s
fix that. Trust me, they’ve got lots of stuff to say!
Remember those “dropped” characters that we use to make punctuation?
Like the “dropped d” for a period and the “dropped h” for “huh?” Well, quotation
marks are made with dropped characters, too. In fact, they’re made with two
different dropped characters, one on each side of the material to be quoted. The
opening quote is a “dropped h” and the closing quote is a “dropped j.” Here’s how
they look.
Character
Dot Count
Symbol
Open quotes
2, 3, 6
8
Closed
3, 5, 6
0
quotes
How about a sample sentence?
“Listen, Abbey,” said Mason, “I’ve got lots to say.”
8,listen1 ,abbey10 said ,mason1 8,i've
got lots to say40
Now you try it.
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Exercise 4-7
“I’m the sheriff of this quiet little town,”
said Mason.
“What I do is hard to explain,” Abbey said.
“I think of myself as a soul harvester,” she
finally said quietly.
“That’s sort of what I’ve done all my life
as a gunslinger,” Mason smiled ruefully.
“No,” she shook her head violently. “It’s
not the same!”
Key 4-9
Okay! Mason and Abbey can talk! Of course they won’t for awhile. First,
we have to find out how Mason did on his fishing trip and what he thinks of
Abbey at this point. Hmmmm….. the plot (and the contractions) thickens! Go on
to your Homework assignment and we’ll see what’s going on with them. Note that
you have three assignments. Two are transcribing assignments and the other is
an interlining assignment. Have fun!
Homework Assignment 4-1
Homework Assignment 4-2
Extra Credit 4-2a
Homework Assignment 4-3
***Key Homework 4-3