Why type literature?
Word lists train your fingers; real books train everything else. A passage from a classic has full sentences, commas, capitals, dialogue and the occasional long word: the same things you meet when you write for real. Great authors also have a rhythm, and once you follow it, your typing flows from one phrase to the next. On the way, you meet a richer vocabulary than in any list of common words.
How the test works
You type one passage from a classic of English literature, by authors such as Jane Austen or Charles Dickens. The author and the work are shown under the text, so you know what you are typing.
- The test ends when you reach the end of the passage. You then get your speed in WPM and your accuracy.
- Press Next passage to draw another one at random.
- There are about ten passages, each with its real punctuation and capitals.
That makes this test harder than the plain word test. Your speed will probably be a little lower here, so compare your results on passages with each other rather than with your word test score.
Tips for typing literary passages
- Read a few words ahead. Look at the next word while your fingers finish the current one, especially in long sentences.
- Keep the rhythm on punctuation. A comma or a full stop belongs to the word before it: type it without pausing, then carry on.
- Use the right Shift key. Capitals come often: press Shift with the little finger of the other hand.
- Slow down on unusual words. Typing an old-fashioned word carefully is faster than making three mistakes on it.
- Mind the dialogue. Quotation marks, question marks and exclamation marks often come in clusters.
Why public domain texts?
All the passages come from works in the public domain. In many countries, a work enters the public domain 70 years after its author's death: from then on, anyone may copy, share and publish it. That is how Typocto can offer these texts to everyone, for free. They are also books that many people read at school, so you may recognise a few lines.