Touch typing lesson 6: Lessons 1 - 4 + Shift

Keys and finger movements

Keyboard layout: English US.

For capitals, hold Shift with the hand opposite the letter key, then release it. Practice the change between lowercase and uppercase; leaving Caps Lock on does not train this movement.

+ means hold the keys together.

• E: Shift + E
• I: Shift + I
• A: Shift + A
• S: Shift + S
• D: Shift + D
• F: Shift + F
• G: Shift + G
• H: Shift + H
• J: Shift + J
• K: Shift + K
• L: Shift + L

If a key produces a different character, check that your system's input source matches this layout. On a Mac, Keyboard Viewer shows what Option and Shift produce; Command does not replace Option.

Typing capital letters

You often need capital letters when typing everyday texts, and they also appear in typing lessons. If you want to type quickly with all ten fingers, you should practice typing capital letters accurately, as they are needed in professional written communication. The Shift key lets you type a capital letter without changing how you type subsequent letters. Hold down Shift and press the corresponding letter key, then release Shift to return to lowercase letters.

You use this combination for proper nouns, the beginnings of sentences, and other places where capitalization is required. The Caps Lock key offers an alternative way to type capital letters. When it is activated, you can write entire phrases or sections in uppercase without continuously holding down Shift. This is useful when a document's formatting guidelines call for a longer section in uppercase.

When Caps Lock is off, an unexpected lowercase letter can mean that Shift went down too late; an extra capital afterward can mean it stayed down too long. Pay attention to this timing as well as finding the letter key. For consecutive capitals, you can keep Shift held rather than release it between every letter.