About the Paragraph Practice lesson
Paragraphs test stamina rather than burst speed. Most people's accuracy drops noticeably after the first thirty seconds, and this lesson is about noticing when that happens and easing off before errors start. Each of the 3 drills mixes ordinary words with the capitals and punctuation that break most people's rhythm, so you practise typing the way you actually write. Once you can finish all 3 drills above 95% accuracy, move on to Speed Bursts.
How to approach paragraph practice
- Keep a steady rhythm through the punctuation. Full stops and commas are where most people stall.
- Read ahead. At sentence length your eyes should be several words in front of your hands.
- Use the opposite-hand Shift for capitals so the start of every sentence does not break your flow.
- If accuracy drops below 95%, slow down by about ten percent. Corrections cost more time than the speed gains.
Where this fits
This is lesson 34 of 41 in the free FastFingers touch typing course. The next lesson is Speed Bursts. When you want to measure your speed on real text instead of drills, take a free typing test.
Frequently Asked Questions
Accuracy, still. A run at 40 WPM and 98% accuracy is faster in practice than 55 WPM at 88%, once you count the time spent correcting.
Practise the punctuation reach on its own until it stops being a decision. The comma, full stop, and apostrophe are all reached from the home row with your right hand.