Quick touch typing course for complete beginners (Five lessons - 15 minutes each)

Lesson: Beginner 1

Welcome to the first lesson: Beginner 1.

In the Beginner series of lessons, we will be learning to touch-type on the standard keyboard. We will introduce you to each letter on the keyboard, one at a time.
By the time you have completed this series, you will be able to type the entire alphabet, the numbers, and most of the punctuation keys by touch.

If you have never taken any lessons in typing before, please be patient. Typing is not difficult but it does take a lot of practice. Avoid the tendency to look down at your fingers while typing. This is a very bad habit and is hard to break later. If you hit the wrong key, we will let you know. (But, we won't tell anyone else, so don't worry about it.)
If you have always used the hunt-and-peck method, you will have an even harder time keeping yourself from looking. Don't be surprised if you find touch typing slower than your old ways.
It may be slower when you first start, but touch typing is far faster once you get the hang of it.
If you can already touch type, you should be able to go through these lessons fairly quickly. Or, you may want to go directly to the speed-building lessons.

The HOME Keys

In order to hit the correct keys by touch alone, you must always know where your fingers are. The way to do this is to have a special place for each finger.
This key is called the HOME position.

Place the first finger of your right hand on the J-key. Now, place your second finger on the K-key, your third finger on the L-key, and your fourth-finger on the ;-key (the one with the : and ; on it).

Similarly place the four fingers of your left hand on the F, D, S, and A-keys.
Place your right thumb over the SPACE bar. (From now on, always hit the SPACE bar with this thumb). Now, lift all your fingers slightly so that they are poised just over the keys. Each finger should be just barely touching its home key. This is an electronic keyboard and does not take much pressure to accidentally press the key down.
Above the D-key is the E-key. Above the K-key is the I-key. Learn these positions well. Whenever you are about to type a line, look at your fingers and make sure they are in the HOME position. Then don't look at them again.

HOW TO DO THE EXERCISES

These lessons are made up of instructions, followed by a number of exercises.
Each exercise consists of some lines of text and under each an edit box, for you to type in.
To start each exercise, just start typing in the edit box.
Try to type the same characters in the edit box as in the line above it.
If you type a word wrong the edit box will go red until you start the next word. Just keep going till the end of the exercise.

When you have finished typing the line, hit the RETURN key. To do this, extend the little finger of your right hand over to the RETURN key. Hit the key and zip the finger back to its home position. Be careful not to let your other fingers move far from their home positions in the process. Also, be careful not to type an extra space at the end of the line.

If you made few mistakes in the exercise, it will show as PASSED, and you can move on to the next. If you failed, click the 'Restart' button to do it again.
Just keep trying until you can pass that exercise.

(1) Try this:

Now this (use 'k' finger for 'i' and 'd' finger for 'e'):

(2) Some more:

(3) Hang in there; let's do some sentences...

To get capitals use your ';' finger on [right-SHIFT]

(4) Now try [left-SHIFT] usage (for 'L') and [right-SHIFT]!

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

Lesson: Beginner 2

(h g o u n . t)

In this lesson you learn six new letters (H, G, O, U, N, T) and the period. (.). Be sure that the F-finger does not linger on the G-key or the J-finger on the H-key. Also be sure to use your fingers as follows:
'f' for 't' and 'g', 'j' for 'h', 'u' and 'n', finally use 'l' for 'o' and '.'
Note that you always follow a period with a single space.

(1) Rhythm Drill

(2) Balanced Keyboard Drill

(3) Continuous Copy

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8) Rhythmic Review

Lesson: Beginner 3

(y r c , ? : p)

You learned first the letters that are most frequently used in the English language. They are repeated over and over again.

One space always follows a comma. Don't forget there is one space between sentences, no matter what punctuation mark closes the sentence.

The colon (:) introduces a list and is followed by two spaces. Finger usage:
'j' for 'y', 'f' for 'r', 'k' for ',', 'd' for 'c', ';' for '?', 'p' and ':'

(1) Rhythm Drill

(2) Balanced Keyboard Drill

(3) Continuous Copy

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

(9A)

(10) Rhythmic Review

Lesson: Beginner 4

(m w v z x b q ' -)

Self control is important in learning to type. Concentrate on using the correct finger for each key. In this lesson you learn the seven remaining letters of the alphabet.

The semicolon (;), like the comma, is followed by one space in a sentence.

Fingers: 'j' for 'm', 's' for 'w' and 'x', 'f' for 'v' and 'b', ';' for ' and '-', 'a' for 'z' and 'q'

(1) Rhythm Drill

(2) Balanced Keyboard Drill

(3) Continuous Copy

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

(9A)

(9B)

(10) Rhythmic Review

Lesson: Beginner 5

Now you know all of the alphabet. In this lesson we add the hyphen (-) and the apostrophe (').

(1) Rhythm Drill

(2) Balanced Keyboard Drill

(3) Continuous Copy -- Review

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9) Rhythmic Review

Quick touch typing course for complete beginners (Five lessons - 15 minutes each)

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