words per minute
11
PhilipLorca
00:00
Speed
In my opinion, typing practice becomes more useful when the words appear inside a coherent story instead of sitting in a strange list like frightened little nouns waiting for rescue. Last Saturday, Kelly Clarkson was playing in the background while I read an article about psychology, philosophy, biology, and the history of World War I and World War II. The article mentioned biologists, biological research, polio, and the importance of scientific inclusion. It also asked whether a future World War III could ever be avoided through better education, diplomacy, and a more hopeful view of the world.
I kept reading, although my attention occasionally wandered. I looked up, then farther up north, where dark clouds were gathering above an upscale area near New York City. A squirrel ran across a square garden, squeezed behind a thick brick wall, and disappeared near a raspberry bush. The scene felt unusually mysterious, almost like a Spider-Man movie with no explosions, no robbery, and no edgy villain. For some reason, funk music started playing next, and I thought, “Zack, Zetta, this playlist makes no sense.”
Later, I practised sentences about Mexico City, Sicily, the Pilbara Region, and an island near an isle. I wrote about irrigation, how farmers irrigate irregular ground, and how unresolved problems can become awkward if people keep making excuses. I also typed verbs such as improve, improved, improving, improvising, maximize, opine, hope, hoping, and hopeful. Completely and definitely became my most annoying pair: "He completely thought he had finished it, and he definitely said he had finished for now." I fought the temptation to delete the whole sentence.
For number practice, I typed a 161-year-old building, a one-year-old child, a 20-year-old student, and a 4-year-old pumpkin costume. I reminded myself that we normally write hundreds of people and thousands of books, not "hundred of" or "thousand of." I also practised the 1500s, forty years, miles per hour, and 60 mph.
Before stopping, I did one extra exercise for the upper keyboard row and practised the words ear, area, practice, practicing, excitement, extreme, and upper. Then I added some deliberately odd combinations: ink, ping pong, microwave, headspace, Potter, Wii U, YouTube, mischief, thief, whilst, while, thick bridge, trick with a trick, Ismael, Typical Pilbara, and "Si, Ci, Pie." Finally, I typed THIS & THAT, %&, %%&&, and % & simply to make my fingers deal with symbols too. The goal was not perfect speed. The goal was improvement: fewer mistakes, stronger habits, and a little more confidence every time I practise.