FoundationsLesson 21 of 30 · Shift and punctuation
Apostrophe and quotation marks
The right little finger reaches sideways for the apostrophe. With Shift, the same key gives double quotes.
- New keys
- '
- To pass
- Done when the check reaches 92% accuracy and 17 words a minute.
Lesson 21 is locked
It opens when you pass the check in lesson 20 (Left Shift: capitals on the right hand). Lessons open one at a time, in order.
The apostrophe sits on the home row, just to the right of the semicolon, and belongs to the right little finger. It is the only home-row key that is reached sideways rather than rested on: the little finger slides one key to the right, presses, and slides back to the semicolon, the same way the index finger reaches inward for H. It is a short reach, but a little finger reaching outward is awkward at first, and the key is easy to overshoot into the Enter key beside it.
The apostrophe does two jobs in English. It marks contractions, where a letter has been dropped: it's, don't, can't, we're, you'll. And it marks possession: the lad's flask, the world's end. In both cases there is no space on either side. The drills use contractions heavily, because they are common in ordinary writing and because an apostrophe in the middle of a word is a good test of the little finger returning home before the next letter.
Hold Shift with the left hand and the same key gives a double quotation mark. Quotation marks come in pairs, one before and one after the quoted words, and the usual style puts a comma or full stop inside the closing mark. The drills follow that style so that the punctuation you practise is the punctuation you will actually type.
it's don't can't we're you'll isn't "Yes," she said.