The shift keys make a capital, and the space bar makes the gaps.
The big ideaA sentence starts with a capital, has spaces between words and ends with a full stop.
How it works
A sentence has three parts: a capital letter to start it, spaces between the words, and a full stop to end it.
To make a capital, hold shift with one little finger and tap the letter with your other hand.
Tap the space bar once after each word. Tap the full stop right after the last letter.
For a second sentence, tap the space bar once after the full stop, then begin again with a capital.
The parts of a sentence, in order.
Example 1: Type The cat sat.
Hold shift with a little finger and tap t to make a capital T.
Type he, then tap the space bar once.
Type cat, then tap the space bar once.
Type sat, then tap the full stop right after the t.
Example 2: Two sentences
Type the first sentence, ending with a full stop.
Tap the space bar once.
Hold shift and type the capital that starts the next sentence.
Type the rest, and end with a full stop.
Example 3: Read it back as a path
The capital is the start flag.
The spaces are the stepping stones.
The full stop is the finish line.
Words to know
capital letter
A big letter that starts a sentence.
shift
The key you hold to make the next letter a capital.
full stop
The dot that ends a sentence.
space bar
The long key that makes a gap between words.
Watch out
Forgetting the space bar makes all the letters run together in one long line.
Two taps of the space bar make a gap that is too wide. One tap is enough.
A capital letter starts a sentence, and a full stop ends it. They do not swap.
A sentence that starts with a small letter or has no full stop is not ready to send.
Try it
What starts a sentence?
What ends a sentence?
Which key do you hold to make a capital?
How many taps of the space bar go between words?
Answers: 1. A capital letter · 2. A full stop · 3. Shift · 4. One
Try at homeType one short note to someone you love: a capital letter at the start, a space after every word and a full stop at the end. Then read it to a grown-up.
For grown-upsHave your child type a short note to someone they love with a capital, spaces and a full stop, then read it aloud to you; if they forget the space bar, ask where one word ends.
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