Writing: Basic Mechanics and Formation (A1) - Lesson 2: Basic Typing Practice for English Characters

Lesson 2: Basic Typing Practice for English Characters

In our last lesson, you learned to write English letters by hand. Today, we will learn how to write them using a computer keyboard¹. This skill, called typing², is very important for work, school, and communicating online.

Most English keyboards use the QWERTY³ layout. It is named for the first six letters on the top row. Let's look at the layout.

The Keyboard Layout

Your main goal today is to learn where the letters are. You do not need to be fast. Look at this picture of a keyboard to see where all the letters, the space bar, and the shift key are located.

` ~  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  0  -  =  Backspace
     Q  W  E  R  T  Y  U  I  O  P  [  ]  \
      A  S  D  F  G  H  J  K  L  ;  '  Enter
       Z  X  C  V  B  N  M  ,  .  /     Shift
                [   Space Bar   ]
                

The Most Important Position: The Home Row

The most important place on the keyboard is the Home Row⁴. This is where your fingers should always rest and return to. Look closely at the 'F' and 'J' keys. You will feel a small bump on them.

• Place your left hand fingers on the keys A, S, D, and F.
• Place your right hand fingers on the keys J, K, L, and ; (semicolon).
• Your thumbs should rest on the Space Bar.

⌨️ Key Tips for Typing

• Fingers on Home Row: Always start and end with your fingers on the Home Row (ASDF JKL;).
• Sit Correctly: Sit up straight with your feet flat on the floor. Keep your wrists straight.
• Use the Bumps: Use the bumps on the 'F' and 'J' keys to find the home row without looking.
• Be Patient: Typing takes practice. Your goal is accuracy, not speed.

🎯 Drill 1: The Home Row

Open a text editor (like Notepad) on a computer and type the following lines. Focus on using the correct fingers.

asdf jkl;

asdf jkl;

a s d f j k l ;

fjdksla; fjdksla;

sad lad ask fall;

🎯 Drill 2: Home Row + Top Row (QWERTY)

Now, let's practice reaching up to the top row and returning to the home row.

asdf qwerty jkl; uiop

fr ju de ki sw lo

eat try oil ask sad

old ride true quiet

🎯 Drill 3: All Rows & Simple Words

Let's add the bottom row and practice some simple words from our area.

az sx dc fv jm kn l.

kampot bokor food river

hello water good thank you

my name is dara

📝 Homework: Practice Typing Sentences

Your homework is to practice what you learned. Open a text editor and slowly type the sentences below. Use the Shift Key⁵ to make the first letter uppercase.

Hello my name is ___________.

I live in Kampot.

Cambodia is a beautiful country.

I want to learn English typing.

Vocabulary Glossary

1. Keyboard: (Noun) - ក្តារចុច - The board with keys that you use to put letters and numbers into a computer. ↩
2. Typing: (Noun) - ការវាយអក្សរ - The action of writing on a keyboard. ↩
3. QWERTY: (Noun) - គ្វើធី - The most common type of English keyboard layout, named for the first six letters. ↩
4. Home Row: (Noun) - ជួរដើម - The main row of keys (ASDF JKL;) where your fingers rest. ↩
5. Shift Key: (Noun) - ប៊ូតុងប្ដូរ - The key you press to make an uppercase (capital) letter. ↩