# What is cursive useful for? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 11, 2003, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-cursive-useful-for/187680 "2003-07-11T10:45:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-cursive-useful-for/187680/1 "2003-07-11T10:45:53Z")
I was taught cursive in school, and it seems to be the only subject that really has no use at all. Why do they teach it? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Doubt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@Peter\_Doubt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Doubt)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-cursive-useful-for/187680/2 "2003-07-11T11:18:11Z")
Smoother, faster writing and more output before your hand falls off at the wrist. ---
**Author:** ![dogmatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@dogmatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogmatic)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-cursive-useful-for/187680/3 "2003-07-11T11:28:25Z")
To make it harder for people to forge your signature and steal your Visa card. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-cursive-useful-for/187680/4 "2003-07-11T12:13:35Z")
Cursive is useful for those morons who cut you off on the highway. It’s the prerequisite for Driver’s Ed. 😉 No, what Sender said. For most people, it’s easier to write for long periods of time in cursive before writer’s cramp sets in. Robin ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-cursive-useful-for/187680/5 "2003-07-11T12:24:24Z")
So cursive is used to write large amounts of text quickly and easily? So, now that almost everyone types, is cursive obsolete? ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-cursive-useful-for/187680/6 "2003-07-11T12:36:01Z")
It separates the third graders from the fourth graders. The men from the boys. The kids from the adults. The…oh, never mind. You get it. ---
**Author:** ![Aries28](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Aries28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aries28)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-cursive-useful-for/187680/7 "2003-07-11T12:48:29Z")
Cursive is so those cute little smiley faces and hearts that young ladies draw over their “i” look better. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![refusal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@refusal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/refusal)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-cursive-useful-for/187680/8 "2003-07-11T12:50:25Z")
Don’t you ever write joined up? You’re definitely in a minority. Even teaching good penmanship (as distinct from what passes for my handwriting) is no more pointless than many other things taught school (e.g. how to do a somersault, long division, making forts out of cardboard boxes, etc.) ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-cursive-useful-for/187680/9 "2003-07-11T13:18:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BrotherCadfael \* > \*\*So cursive is used to write large amounts of text quickly and easily? So, now that almost everyone types, is cursive obsolete? \*\* I wouldn’t go that far. There are always going to be times and circumstances where a computer is not available, such as in class or meetings. I have a hand-held computer, and it’s not easy to take a lot of notes directly into that. So I take notes by hand and enter them into the hand-held later. Robin ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-cursive-useful-for/187680/10 "2003-07-11T13:25:36Z")
I don’t think John Hancock’s signature on the Declaration of Independence would look as cool if he printed it. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-cursive-useful-for/187680/11 "2003-07-11T13:40:07Z")
I transferred from a school which taught cursive in fourth grade to a school which taught cursive in third grade – of course, I did this between third and fourth grade, so I never learned to write cursive. Oh, I can actually do it, but it is difficult, looks like hell, and takes forever. Thus, for me, writing cursive is not really an option. ---
**Author:** ![Einmon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Einmon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Einmon)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-cursive-useful-for/187680/12 "2003-07-11T13:44:53Z")
In Germany, we are only taught cursive in school and thus almost nobody uses print. I personally look like a moron when I am trying to write letters in print - sticking out my tongue, concentrating real hard and going reeeeaaaaall slllllooooowww. Looks crappy, too, afterwards. So I guess I could ask you: What good is learning to print letters? When you want to write elegantly and fast you need cursive… ---
**Author:** ![bubba\_jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@bubba\_jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bubba_jr)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-cursive-useful-for/187680/13 "2003-07-11T14:06:10Z")
My cursive looked like hell from day one, my 3rd grade teacher told my mother to get me typing lessons. As time went on I learned to print really fast, note taking and such, now I can’t even write cursive, well, it takes a lot of concentration and it is slow, and I can’t even read it. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-cursive-useful-for/187680/14 "2003-07-11T14:09:26Z")
Yeah but cursive does not look as good, nor is it as easy to read as print. If it where then everything would be in cursive. I asked about this a number of years ago when I was planning on becoming a teacher and was told they still teach it because you need to be able to read it if your boss still writes in cursive. I was glad when I could stop writting in cursvie and go back to printing. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-cursive-useful-for/187680/15 "2003-07-11T14:15:00Z")
As others have said, cursive; indeed, handwriting in general, is useful. At least it is to me, when I need to make notes quickly in a meeting or similar; or when dragging a computer along is just not practical. Or, when I’m making notes in such things as the _Daily Racing Form_. Perhaps not so strangely, the guy who arrives at my local OTB armed with his laptop and handicapping software and softcopy notes does no better than the rest of us who can quickly use pen and paper on the _Form_ and program itself to handicap the races. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-cursive-useful-for/187680/16 "2003-07-11T15:47:48Z")
My husband and I were having this conversation the other day. He doesn’t find it useful at all; I use it all the time. Handwriting is still a pretty important skill, and many people still admire a nice cursive. Besides, I may be the only person my age left who still thinks that handwritten notes and letters are better than typed ones, but they are, dagnabit. ---
**Author:** ![BuckleberryFerry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5f9b8f/32.png) [@BuckleberryFerry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuckleberryFerry)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-cursive-useful-for/187680/17 "2003-07-11T16:52:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BrotherCadfael \* > \*\*I transferred from a school which taught cursive in fourth grade to a school which taught cursive in third grade – of course, I did this between third and fourth grade, so I never learned to write cursive. Oh, I can actually do it, but it is difficult, looks like hell, and takes forever. Thus, for me, writing cursive is not really an option. \*\* I read this and said to myself “I don’t remember posting here…” ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-cursive-useful-for/187680/18 "2003-07-11T18:00:58Z")
Just guessing, but I’m thinking that in the days before ballpoint pens, you’d get a lot less blotting if you reduced the number of times that you had to raise your quill/fountain pen from the paper. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-cursive-useful-for/187680/19 "2003-07-11T18:31:43Z")
It is also useful for teaching dyslexic children to write. Lots of kids have trouble with reversed letters when they are learning to write, due to the difficulty of re-creating a symbol on paper. Cursive, on the other hand, is more kinesthetic – you just do a flowing series of movements, and you can create a letter, or an entire word, without ever removing your pen from paper. It’s a trick that works when teaching a child to print won’t, sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-cursive-useful-for/187680/20 "2003-07-11T18:37:44Z")
Oops. Scratch out “dyslexic” and put in “learning disabled,” in that previous post… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-cursive-useful-for/187680.md?page=2)