Basic Details
Word: Handwriting
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Writing done by hand with a pen or pencil, and the particular way a person forms their letters.
Synonyms: script, penmanship, longhand
How to Spell Handwriting
Syllables: hand - writ - ing
Tricky part: Writing keeps the silent w of write and has only one t. Students often double the t, as in written, or forget the w.
Watch out for: handwritting, handriting, handwrighting
Memory tip: Hand + writing, two whole words. The i in write is long, so writing keeps a single t; written has a short i, so it doubles.
Usage Examples
Example 1: Mrs Rao praised Neha's neat handwriting in front of the whole class.
Example 2: I could hardly read the doctor's handwriting on the prescription.
Example 3: Grandpa's handwriting in his old diaries has long, curly loops.
Fun Fact
Scholars who study the handwriting in old manuscripts to work out when and where they were written practise a subject called palaeography.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Choose the correctly spelt compound word:
a) handwriting
b) wheelchiar
c) bookeeper
d) fingernale
Show answer
a) handwriting. Bookkeeper needs a double k, fingernail ends in ail and wheelchair in air; handwriting is hand plus writing.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
handwritting
a) w
b) t
c) n
d) i
Show answer
b) t. Writing has only one t, so one of the two is extra.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. handwriting 2. punctuasion 3. vocabulery 4. grammer
a) the rules for putting words together
b) writing done with a pen or pencil
c) marks such as commas and full stops
d) all the words a person knows
Show answer
b) writing done with a pen or pencil. Grammar ends in ar, vocabulary in ary and punctuation in tion, so handwriting is the only one written right.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Someone with illegible handwriting writes in a way that is ____.
a) hard to read
b) very neat
c) in colour
d) very large
Show answer
a) hard to read
2. Which tool is used for handwriting?
a) a keyboard
b) a printer
c) a scanner
d) a fountain pen
Show answer
d) a fountain pen
