Lesson 5: Shift and Capital Letters

Two Shift keys, one rule

The keyboard has a Shift key on each side of the bottom row. The rule is simple: use the Shift key on the opposite side from the letter you want. For a letter on the left side of the keyboard, hold the right Shift with your right pinky. For a letter on the right side, hold the left Shift with your left pinky. This way one hand holds Shift while the other hand types.

The steps for a capital letter

1. Keep your fingers on the home row.
2. Stretch the opposite pinky to the Shift key and hold it down.
3. Press the letter with the correct finger.
4. Let go of both keys and return your fingers home.

It sounds like many steps, but it becomes one smooth motion with practice. The most common mistake is releasing Shift too late, which turns the next letter into a capital too.

Which hand does what

• Left-hand letters (Q W E R T, A S D F G, Z X C V B): hold right Shift with the right pinky (red).
• Right-hand letters (Y U I O P, H J K L, N M): hold left Shift with the left pinky (red).

Shift also gives you the symbols on the number row, such as the exclamation mark above the 1. The same rule applies to those.

How to practice

1. Start with single capitals. Type Aa Ss Dd Ff and then Jj Kk Ll, switching Shift hands as you go.
2. Move to names, because they begin with capitals: Maria, Daniel, Kenji, Priya, Olivia, Samuel.
3. Type full sentences with a capital at the start. The typing sentences page is a good place for this because every sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a full stop.
4. Do the drill above slowly at first. Your pinkies are the weakest fingers, so go gently.

Caps Lock is for a different job

Caps Lock is useful for typing a whole word or an acronym in capitals, like NASA or USB. For a single capital at the start of a sentence, use Shift. It is faster and it avoids the annoying mistake of leaving Caps Lock on.

Common mistakes

• Using the same-side Shift key. This twists your hand and slows you down. Use the opposite pinky.
• Holding Shift too long. Release it right after the letter.
• Leaving Caps Lock on. If your text turns into capitals, check the key before you retype.
• Looking at the pinky. Find Shift by feel. It lives at the very corner of the bottom row.

What's next

Now that you can capitalize letters, you will add punctuation marks to your toolkit. Continue with Lesson 6: Punctuation Keys.

Ready to measure your progress? Try the typing test, browse the Learn to Type lessons, or play a few typing games.

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