Most writing is done on a computer. As a result, keyboarding skill has come to replace handwriting. While handwriting is still a valuable skill, it's emphasis in early writing instruction as a necessary writing skill may be misconceived. If a young writer continues to show poor handwriting, teaching keyboarding skills may be a better alternative than remedial handwriting instruction. Morphologically complex words do not appear in children's writing with any frequency until between about grades 6 and 8.
Morphemes are units of meaning, as opposed to phonemes which are units of sound.
The use of morphological forms of words in younger writers can trail behind the forms they can speak or read by as many as 5 years. They are able to understand prefixes, suffixes, and inflection long before they are able to use them in their writing. This discrepancy may disappear by high school with proper instruction through the middle school years that focus on developing knowledge and understanding of morphological forms. A strong understanding of associations between root words, compound words, prefixes, and suffixes can go a long way in developing vocabulary. Syntax Syntax is the arrangement and interrelations between words in phrases and sentences.