One of the most frequently occurring words in the English language is the word to, and, as it requires almost as much time to write as a much longer word, the author, early in his professional experience, adopted a method by which to may frequently be indicated without being written. This is done by writing a succeeding word near the lower portion of the word immediately preceding to in a phrase. See signs 235 to 237 in Exercise.

When the word to begins a sentence, above plan does not, of course, apply, the word to, as the initiatory word of any sentence, being written as in the List of Word-Signs.

The oft recurring word of may be similarly indicated by writing the succeeding word near, but towards the upper portion of the preceding outline, as with signs 238 and 239.

Neither to nor of however, should ever be invisibly indicated this way, save where the words between which they occur can occupy their proper position, with regard to the line of writing.

In some instances, as in such phrases as are represented by signs 240 to 251 of this Exercise, the indication of of or of the need not be considered, the other words of the phrase being written joined as if there were no of or of the in the phrase.

In phrases represented by signs 253 to 271 and 277 to 282, etc., etc., other words can be omitted without indication or without destroying legibility, their outlines being distinctive of themselves and not clashing with any others. Such outlines are really phrase-abbreviations and should be accepted as such.