The Palmer Method of Business Writing · Lesson 61 · Part 10: Figures
56. Business figures
Goal: Your child knows why figures must be small and plain, and makes the figure 1 with a quick light pull.
You'll need
- Wide-ruled lined paper (several sheets)
- A sharp pencil or a smooth gel pen
- The book open at today's page
What's in the book
Lesson 61 explains why clear figures matter in business, shows a diagram comparing large and small figures, and on the next page gives the figures for study and notes on how to practice each one.
The lesson, step by step
Warm up
About three minutes: compact ovals, then a line each of small o, small m and small l (drills 3, 11, 14 and 33).
Why figures matter
Letters in a word may be known by the context, but each figure must depend upon itself for legibility.
Ask your child: if you can't read one letter in a word, can you still guess the word? What about one digit in a price?
Look at the model
Open the book page. Look at the diagram. The small figures on the right, with white paper round them, are easier to read than the big ones on the left. The book says one-eighth of an inch is about high enough for ordinary figures.
Figure 1
Turn to the next page.
In making figure one, draw the hand toward you with a quick light motion, sliding on the third and fourth fingers.
Three lines of 1's, all the same height and slant.
The other figures
Look at the row of figures for study. The book gives counts: three for 2, 3, 4 and 5; two for 6, 7 and 9. Your child makes one line of each, slowly.
Gentle check and finish
Your child writes today's date in figures, small, and checks each figure against the book.
Afterwards
The book says to drill the figures one at a time first, then in mixed order, repeating each as often as the others.