This exercise is getting a bit trickier. Here is a simple top join and then a reversing join.
To join c to o you go over the top of the o and back again.
Joining to reversing letters
Some letters make the pen do strange things. It has to go one way and then turn back. This only happens when the letters are joined up.
The pen moves across the top of the letter a twice. The letters a , d , c , g and q are all reversing letters, and there are two usual ways of writing them. One way retraces the top stroke as the model does.
Practise it for a while: it is very good to have the control that you need to do this exercise. The other way is more relaxed and uses a loop. Chapter 10 on personal modifi cations shows you how to deal with that.
Joining to a d g q , c f s and of course o is done in the same way. At this stage of training you should go over the top of the letter and then retrace the stroke back and down again.
This is very good discipline.
Some people avoid the problem by lifting the pen to move the hand along.
Later on, when you get back to a personal hand, you may do this reverse join, or you can loop the join, or not join at all to round letters, just as you please.
This writer sometimes chooses not to join to round letters, and at other times makes a very clean join to the top of his a ’ s. Note the two-stroke e .
When you are learning to join up, any writing is good practice.
Nevertheless, it may be better for you to write the same line several times to reinforce what you have learned. Repeat the lines underneath each other. Concentrate on the joins. Compare the results to see how you have improved and carry on until you are satisfi ed.
The exercises on this page all concentrate on reversing joins.
When you have mastered these and can do them neatly and are getting faster, then you are ready for the next stage.
As there are two different e ’ s there are two different joining exercises. Try them both and see which you like best.
The letter t can join from its base or from the crossbar. Again you should practise both ways.
Remember t is not a very tall letter.
In your personal handwriting you will probably fi nd that you join from the base sometimes and from the crossbar at others. It can depend on what letter follows the t , and where it comes in the word.
Alternatives
In some joins there is defi nitely a right way and a wrong way of doing it. In others there are several ways of doing it. Take one of the simplest joins, that of an i to an n. It can either go over the top and make a loop, or it can go straight to the top and make a point like this:
There are two ways of doing the simple join from i to n or m . In the fi rst you go over the top of the downstroke, making a rounded join. In the second you go straight to the top of the downstroke and make a pointed join.
Most likely you are set in your own way of joining up, even though you never thought of this before. It really makes little difference which way you join those two letters, so you must choose.
The alternative joins for ‘ in ’ , ‘ ti ’ and ‘ ei ’ are shown here.
Now the letter t . You probably know the old saying about not forgetting to cross your t ’ s and dot your i ’ s. This suggests that the writer joins the t from its base and then goes back to cross it and complete the letter. However, many writing masters suggest joining from the crossbar of a t like an f . Look again at your own writing. Maybe you do it one way, maybe another. Most people have a variety of ways that they join from the letter t . It depends on whether the letter is at the beginning, the middle or the end of a word, even what letter comes next. Both ways of joining are shown here.
Next look at the e . The model shows two versions of the letter (pages 78 – 9). One is a single loop, the other is written in two strokes. If you have always used a one-stroke e you are accustomed to joining it from the base to the next letter. The two-stroke e joins from the centre – and a very attractive and practical join it is. Try them both in different situations. You are likely to observe that the two-stroke e has certain advantages. You may like to take it up sometimes.
One thing that will make a difference to your writing is if you get careless with your arches. When you do these joining-up exercises make sure that there is a difference between the u arch and the n arch. This is one of the most useful exercises towards building up a legible fl owing cursive. clear in the top sample. They have become a zig-zag in the second illustration, which may be just decipherable in a long word, but by the third they are a scallop which is worse still.
Now try several lines of ‘ nu ’ taking great care with your arches. Speed this up and try not to let your n ’ s become u ’ s.