We’re told that writing is dying. Typing on keyboards and screens curbs ________written communication today. Learning cursive (草书), joined-up handwriting was once obligatory ________in schools. But now, not so much. Countries such as Finland have dropped joined-up handwriting lessons in schools to stick up for ________ typing courses. And in the U.S., the requirement to learm cursive has been left out of core standards since 2013. A few U.S. states still place value on formative cursive education, such as Arizona, but they’re not the mayority.

Some experts point out that writing lessons can have indirect benefts. Anne Trubek, author of The History and   Uncertain Future of Handwriting, argues that such lessons can reinforce a skill   called   automaticity. Thats   when   you’ve   perfected     a   task, and     can   do   it     almost   without thinking, granting ________ you extra mental bandwidth to think about or do other things while you’re doing the task. In this sense, Trubek likens handwriting to driving. “Once you have driven for a while, you   don’t consciously ________think   ‘Step   on   gas now’ or ‘Turn the   steering wheel   a bit’,” she explains.