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    Optimized typing exercises?

    • Started by simonh
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    • Registered: 27-Apr-2008
    • Posts: 166

    As I don't get to type much for my job anymore, I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on the most efficient way to practice?

    I was thinking of typing a load of pangrams (sentences that use every letter of the alphabet). Or would the time be better spent typing common digraphs and trigraphs? Thirdly, would typing normal text be the best course?

    Cheers for any help.

    "It is an undoubted truth, that the less one has to do, the less time one finds to do it in." - Earl of Chesterfield

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    • Registered: 20-Oct-2006
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    Here's something that I made for my own practice: a list of the most common words in the English language. Once you know where all the letters are, it's good to practice with whole words, so that you can memorize the "motion" of them as one stream instead of as a collection of single letters.

    the be of and a to in he have it that for they I with as not on she at by this we you do but from or which one would all will there say who make when can more if no man out other so what time up go about than into could state only new year some take come these know see use get like then first any work now may such give over think most even find day also after way many must look before great back through long where much should well people down own just because good each those feel seem how high too place little world very still nation hand old life tell write become here show house both between need mean call develop under last right move thing general school never same another begin while number part turn real leave might want point form off child few small since against ask late home interest large person end open public follow during present without again hold govern around possible head consider word program problem  however lead system set order eye plan run keep face fact group play stand increase early course change help line city put close case force meet once water upon war build hear light unite live every country bring centre let side try provide continue name certain power pay result question study woman member until far night always service away report something company week church toward start social room figure nature though young less enough almost read include president nothing yet better big boy cost business value second why clear expect family complete act sense mind experience art next near direct car law industry important girl god several matter usual rather per often kind among white reason action return foot care simple within love human along appear doctor believe speak active student month drive concern best door hope example inform body ever least probable understand reach effect different idea whole control condition field pass fall note special talk particular today measure walk teach low hour type carry rate remain full street easy although record sit determine level local sure receive thus moment spirit train college religion perhaps music grow free cause serve age book board recent sound office cut step class true history position above strong friend necessary add court deal tax support party whether either land material happen education death agree arm mother across quite anything town past view society manage answer break organize half fire lose money stop actual already effort wait department able political learn voice air together shall cover common subject draw short wife treat limit road letter colour behind produce send term total university rise century success minute remember purpose test fight watch situation south ago difference stage father table rest bear entire market prepare explain offer plant charge ground west picture hard front lie modern dark surface rule regard dance peace observe future wall farm claim firm operation further pressure property morning amount top outside

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    • From: Houston, Texas
    • Registered: 03-Jan-2007
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    I practice most common words too.   I think a program that kept switching the order of these might be a good idea.

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    Thanks Korivak. Practising them right now.

    "It is an undoubted truth, that the less one has to do, the less time one finds to do it in." - Earl of Chesterfield

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    • Registered: 08-Mar-2008
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    Recently, somebody on this forum posted a list of common letters organized by length. It's nice, I use it with TypeTrainerForMac.

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    • From: Houston, Texas
    • Registered: 03-Jan-2007
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    Here is an idea to get you typing more and at the same time know that you are performing a productive community service.  I find it mildly addictive. 

    http://recaptcha.net/learnmore.html

    do a hundred a day!

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    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
    • Posts: 5,345

    Thanks for that link! Interesting concept. Looks like it'll gain a place next to FreeRice in my bookmark list.

    *** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
    *** Check out my Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks for Win/Linux/TMK... ***

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    • Registered: 07-Aug-2007
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    One of the ways to improve your comfort and speed is to optimise what you choose to type.  It is kvite easy to avoid using non-home-row pinkies at all, as there are reasonable replacements for the letters q, z, ;: and /? in casual English writing.

    Using s for z is the easiest.  Indeed, "UK" spellings like organise and euthanise hardly raise an eyebrow elsewhere.  Cognates of words that are spelled with -ize, -ization in US English are spelled with -s- in Germanic languages anyway.  It is but a short step therefrom to sise, sissle, etc.  Prise for prize is not too bad, since it is Preis in German.  (Of course it wouldn't do to replace z by s in _German_ text, but the German z is not the English z -- it is more like the English t, etymologically.  This post addresses only English text.)

    Using kv for qu and k for q (when not followed by u) may seem slightly more exotic, but there is a strong precedent for it in the Scandinavian languages.  Indeed, Irak for Iraq was once common in English too.  Why not ku or kw for qu,.  Well, ku looks illiterate, and kw is best retained for commercial nomenclature (Kwality Kleening Solutions), where it is already alarmingly rampant.  Besides, kv is easier to type than either ku or kw.

    Semicolon, colon -- well, they are on the way out from modern usage, so we're told -- so we may not need to worry about them.  Usually an emdash or just plain comma fills in adekvately.

    The forward slash -- Avoid it and-or make do with hyphen.

    The kvestion mark -- This is the biggie!  Often, a sentence is identifiable as a kvery without having to tack on a kvestion mark.  In Japanese, the kvestion mark is not used for kvestion-sentences that end in the particle ka, since it is considered redundant.  The kvestions that don't end in ka are very few.  Nevertheless they exist.

    So how could we signal a kvestion without using a kvestion mark p. Lisp users are known to use the letter p (for predicate).  Unlike them, we would just use the letter but not pronounce it.  Since the letter p kva word doesn't have a competing meaning, using it as a sentence-ending punctuation is not ambiguous.  If this is still considered too outlandish, one could use the digraph ,. (comma followed by period).  This is not ambiguous either, and even looks somewhat like a ? with the two parts laid down side by side.  Actually, p looks like ? too, if you skvint a bit.

    (I'm only half kidding.  For all but the most official and-or officious text, these replacements are usable, will go a long way toward preserving your poor little fingers, and would not impede understanding.)

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    • From: Houston, Texas
    • Registered: 03-Jan-2007
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    That's interesting idea, but in the U.S. anyways, I think it would raise some eyebrows if I used that in my daily business correspondence.  :-)

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    Maybe that helps your typing, but it makes it hard to read in shorter words. When you said "kvite" near the beginning, it took me a minute to realize what that meant. I got "kvestion" and "adekvately" immediately, presumably because it's longer.

    I think a better solution would be to replace Q with C. That looks more readable IMO. "cuite", "cuestion", "adecuately"

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    SpeedMorph said:

    Maybe that helps your typing, but it makes it hard to read in shorter words. When you said "kvite" near the beginning, it took me a minute to realize what that meant. I got "kvestion" and "adekvately" immediately, presumably because it's longer.

    I think a better solution would be to replace Q with C. That looks more readable IMO. "cuite", "cuestion", "adecuately"

    I agree.   I picked kv- because languages that are closely related to English use it, but on looking around, there are respectable precedents for the kw- and cu- spellings too.   Dutch uses kw- and Spanish uses cu-.    cu- also has the advantage of looking most like qu-, missing only the vertical downstroke.   cu- it is.   However, q not followed by u is best replaced by k, to avoid infelicities like Iraci or cibla.

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