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Heidi
Can I say 'He can write well'?
I mean 'He has good handwriting'. In China, students may learn calligraphy when they're small kids so that they have beautiful handwriting. Then can I say 'He can write well'?
Thank you!
Dec 29, 2015 7:41 AM
Answers · 3
The sentence is correct, but I'd interpret it to mean that he's a good author or that he's good at writing essays.
I think "His handwriting is very good" is the most natural option.
December 29, 2015
We don't have a tradition of calligraphy, and since the widespread use of computers/keyboards, the average child doesn't spend much time making letter forms. So for us, 'he writes well', has no suggestion that his handwriting is good - rather that he knows how to compose a good sentence. So you would need to specify that it is his 'handwriting' that you are referring to. A more traditional term is 'penmanship', but that isn't in common usage these days.
December 29, 2015
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Heidi
Language Skills
Chinese (Mandarin), English
Learning Language
English
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