Mechanics of Linear Note Making

Let’s say you have to go to the market to buy some groceries, vegetables, and meet your friends on the same day. Apart from this, you have to borrow and lend some money as well on the same day. You may or may not remember all the tasks, in such a scenario note making process comes handy. In this section, we will study how to write notes and the mechanics of linear note making.

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How to Write Notes

Note Making is a process of writing down important details from a source. When the available information is vast, there is a need for briefing down the details. It helps to go through a lot of information in less time. A person should write notes in a specific format. There are two formats in which one can write notes. They are

1. Linear Note Making, and
2. Non-Linear Note Making

Linear Note Making

It is the simplest form of note making and is used by most of the people it is one of the most common form of note making. Notes presented here is in a very structured manner i.e., one line after the other. Here, a person writes a note in the form heading, subheading, and points. It also includes keywords, indention, and abbreviations.

Browse more Topics under Note Making

• Intro, Advantages and Strategies of Note Making
• Styles of Note Making
• Steps to Comprehend and Summarize Text

Non-Linear Note Making

Here, one can write notes as the diagrammatical representations of ideas and details. It includes mind maps, tree diagrams, tables, and flow charts. It quickly helps us go through the details much quickly and clearly. There is no fixed format for it.

Mechanics of Linear Note Making

In linear note making, you write notes in a downward direction. This order is the same as the one in which a person receives information. One can write notes in the form of headings and subheading using numbers. We can also use letters, roman numerals or pointers. Let us discuss the various ways in which one must write notes in the linear format.

Format

Heading / Title

It shows the topic or the heading of the note. The heading should be very clear and brief in order to have a clear idea of the notes made. It gives the main idea of the passage.

Subheading

As the name suggests, a subheading is a subdivision of the main topic. One can use as many subheadings as he or she wants. It is like the heading to the subsections of the passage.

Point

Below subheading, there are some points which are the part of the main topics.

Sub-subheading

One can add more headings below the points for showing the category, types, advantages, etc.

Indentation

It refers to the proper alignment and spacing in the written matter. Indentation means shifting from the margin. It indicates the subheadings, points, sub-points, sub-subheadings, etc. clearly. Indentation offers a well-defined structure for a note. It makes it readable and increases the objectives of the content.

Key

When a person writes a note, he or she uses some keys to save time. It has the various codes, symbols or the abbreviation for the clear understanding in the note making format.

I. Abbreviations

These are used in order to save time and space when you write notes. Their use makes it easier to read. An abbreviation can be made by

• Using the beginnings of words

Info. – Information

Stat. – Statistics

Max. – Maximum

Min. – Minimum

• Using the beginnings of words with the last letter

Dept. – department

Govt. – government

Prodn. – Production

• Omitting Vowels

Prblm. – Problem

Wrd. – word

Schl. – school

• Using the first and the last letter of a word

Mt – mount

Mr – Mister

• Shortening the suffix at the end of the word

Productn – Production

Distributn – Distribution

II. Symbols

You may also use some commonly used symbols when you write notes. These symbols save a lot of time and easy to understand.

Symbol	Meaning	Symbol	Meaning
→	leads to	←	caused by
↑	increase	↓	decrease
>	greater than	<	less than
=	equal to	∴	therefore
@	at the rate of (or rate)	%	percent
100	hundred	e.g.	example
i.e.,	that is	viz.	namely
&	and	/	or

III. Acronyms

They are words consisting of the first letters of each word in the name of something.

Acronym	Meaning	Acronym	Meaning
CBSE	Central Board of Secondary Education	NCERT	National Council of Educational Research and Training
CM	Chief Minister	PM	Prime Minister
UNO	United Nations Organization	UNESCO	United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
WHO	World Health Organization	COD	Cash On Delivery
FIFO	First In First Out	PTO	Please Turn Over
DOB	Date of Birth	SUV	Sports Utility Vehicle
HR	Human Resources	PR	Public Relations
CEO	Chief Executive Officer	CFO	Chief Financial Officer
UK	United Kingdom	USA	The United States of America

Summarizing the Notes

When you write notes, you don’t write the whole passage or the content. Instead, you summarize the content and tries to note down the main idea or the information from the whole content. While making the summary, all the important points must be added.

Solved Example for You

Problem: Provide a suitable title and make a note of the paragraph in any format.

Conversation is indeed the most easily teachable of all arts. All you need to do in order to become a good conversationalist is to find a subject that interests you and your listeners. There are, for example, numberless hobbies to talk about. But the important thing is that you must talk about other fellow’s hobby rather than yours’. Talk to your friends about the things that interest them, and you will get a reputation for good fellowship, and a brilliant mind. There is nothing that pleases people so much as your interest in their interest.

It is just as important to know what subjects to avoid and what subjects to select for good conversation. If you don’t want to be set down as a bore, be careful to avoid certain unpleasant subjects. Avoid talking about yourself, unless you are asked to do so. People are interested in their own problems not in yours.

To be a good conversationalist you must know not only what to say, but how also to say it. Be mentally quick and witty. Finally, try to avoid mannerism in your conversation. Don’t click your tongue, or roll your eyes or use your hands excessively as you speak.

Solution: The note for the above passage is

The Art of Conversation (The Title for the passage)

1. Convn. – most easily tchble. art
   1. Reqd. intrstng. subject – hobbies
   2. Talk abt. other fellow’s hobby
   3. Winning reptn. as good convn’list.
      1. Good frndship.
      2. Brlnt. Mind.
2. Fit subj. for convn.
   1. What subj. to select/ avoid?
   2. Avoid unpleasant subj.
   3. Avoid talking abt. self
3. Qualities of a good convn’list.
   1. What to say & how to say
   2. Mentally quick & witty
   3. Avoid mannerisms.

Keywords

Abbreviations/Symbols	Meaning
Convn.	Conversation
Reqd.	Required
Intrstng.	Interesting
Abt.	About
Reptn.	Reputation
Convn’list.	Conversationalist
Frndship.	Friendship
Brlnt.	Brilliant
&	And