Do we still need to write by hand? – Quiz

Quizzes and exercises

1.  Read the text and answer the questions.

1. Give an example from the article of something you can write with?
Examples mentioned included: ballpoint pen, fountain pen, pencil.

2. Doing what can cause students a lack of ‘tactile feedback’ to the brain?
Typing notes into a laptop is thought to lack the ‘tactile feedback’ to the brain.

3. How do some experts think handwriting can help us?
Handwriting may boost fine motor skills in your hands and fingers.

4. True or false? Pen pal writer Katherine Moller thinks writing a letter adds a personal touch to communication.
True. Pen pal writer, Katherine Moller said: “In a world where it is so easy to hop online to email or to send a fast text, it is so personal and so precious to know someone chose to turn off the virtual world to spend some time with you.”

5. Why might you have no choice but use a pen or pencil to write something?
Because your smartphone, tablet or laptop has run out of power!

2.  Choose the appropriate words or phrases to complete the following sentences.

1. Snail mail might take longer, but I like to receive something personal through the post.

2. I couldn’t take notes in the lecture because my pen ran out of ink!

3. My boyfriend left me a handwritten note, saying he was leaving me.

4. Have you got a pen and paper? I need to write this number down.

5. I’m paraphrasing what my boss said – but basically, we’ve worked very hard and he’s very pleased with us! 

Do we still need to write by hand?

When did you last write a letter? Properly write one – by hand? In a digital world, where sending a text or email is far more convenient than using snail mail, is the writing on the wall for traditional pen and paper? Well, some people claim that writing still has many benefits, so maybe it’s not time to ditch your ballpoint or fountain pen yet.

These days, when people request things in writing, a typed, electronic document will be accepted. Doing this on a computer means it could be saved, edited, duplicated and sent via email. But crafting a handwritten document is unique: It requires planning and thought, and, as well as practising your handwriting, it helps you to remember spelling and punctuation.

Some experts believe your brain benefits from using old-fashioned pen and paper. This is particularly relevant for students, where typing notes into a laptop is thought to lack the ‘tactile feedback’ to the brain that contact between pen and paper does. BBC Worklife website quotes Hetty Roessingh from the University of Calgary, who says that “taking notes by hand involves cognitive engagement in summarising, paraphrasing, organising, concept and vocabulary mapping.” Others agree that handwriting may boost fine motor skills in your hands and fingers.

There are everyday benefits to using pen and paper too. Scribbling notes, shopping lists or messages on the back of an envelope can still be useful, quick and portable. But putting pen to paper in a letter to a friend or loved one can probably have the most impact. Pen pal writer Katherine Moller told the BBC: “In a world where it is so easy to hop online to email or to send a fast text, it is so personal and so precious to know someone chose to turn off the virtual world to spend some time with you.”

So, while digital skills remain important, don’t write off your pens and pencils yet – especially if your smartphone, tablet or laptop runs out of power!