Punctuation typing: the small keys that cost the most time
Punctuation marks sit on the right edge of the keyboard and most of them belong to the right ring and pinky fingers, the two weakest. They also often need Shift. That is why a typist who flies through plain words can drop 10 WPM on a normal paragraph. This lesson isolates those keys, then puts them back into full sentences.
Where the punctuation keys are (US layout)
- Comma: right middle finger, one row below K.
- Full stop (period): right ring finger, below L.
- Slash and question mark: right pinky, below the semicolon. The question mark needs left Shift.
- Semicolon and colon: right pinky on the home row; colon needs left Shift.
- Apostrophe and quotation marks: right pinky, one key to the right of the semicolon.
- Exclamation mark: Shift + 1, left pinky.
Rule of thumb for Shift: use the Shift key on the opposite hand from the key you are pressing. The keyboard above lights up the correct Shift for you.
Two kinds of drill
Half the drill is single words followed by a mark, such as river! or else,, to train the reach. The other half is short real sentences with quotes, colons and question marks, for example She said, "Meet me at noon.", so you practise punctuation the way it actually appears in text.
Common punctuation typing mistakes
- Typing a space before a comma or full stop. In English the mark follows the word directly.
- Holding Shift too long after a question mark, so the next letter comes out in capitals.
- Reaching for the comma with the index finger. It belongs to the middle finger.
When you can pass at 90% accuracy, move on to lesson 14, medium sentences, and then typing paragraph practice.