Keyboard - lesson 5-us
UK PC Keyboard | UK Apple Mac Keyboard | US Keyboard
Different keyboards touch-typing assumes that all keyboards have the same layout. There is clearly no point in training yourself to touch-type if you cannot expect the keyboards to be laid out in a uniform manner. However, while the QWERTY layout is widely used around the world and almost exclusively in the English speaking world, there are slight variations which are relevant to this lesson, so look at the menu above and click on your keyboard type.
This is the last lesson in our touch-typing course. We hope you have found it enjoyable. You should by now be comfortable with touch-typing. Hands on the keyboard, eyes on the screen. Both your accuracy and your speed will improve with practice.
The exercises in this lesson focus on character keys. It will be of particular use to those involved in computer programming and we have used snippets of computer code for some of the exercises.
| LEFT HAND | RIGHT HAND | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LF | LF | RF | MF | IF | IF | IF | IF | MF | RF | LF | LF | LF |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | - | = | |
| q | w | e | r | t | y | u | i | o | p | [ | ] | |
| a | s | d | f | g | h | j | k | l | ; | ' | \ | |
| ` | z | x | c | v | b | n | m | , | . | / | ||
| LEFT HAND | RIGHT HAND | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LF | LF | RF | MF | IF | IF | IF | IF | MF | RF | LF | LF | LF |
| ! | @ | # | $ | % | ^ | & | * | ( | ) | _ | + | |
| Q | W | E | R | T | Y | U | I | O | P | { | } | |
| A | S | D | F | G | H | J | K | L | : | " | | | |
| ~ | Z | X | C | V | B | N | M | < | > | ? | ||
Before you begin typing make sure you are sitting up straight, your feet flat on the floor. Keep your elbows close to your body, your wrists straight and your forearms level, and remember to take regular breaks.
When you are ready to begin the lesson, select an exercise and strike the key requested. Try not to look at the keyboard, it will be difficult at first but as the exercise progresses you will find it becomes easier and your fingers will begin to move without you consciously deciding which finger is associated with which key.
As always, you may find it helpful to quietly say the name of the key as you strike it. Don't let your mistakes cause you to lose heart, touch-typing is a skill that can be learned by practice.
Repeat each exercise at least three times.