What stock phrase do you type when testing a keyboard? by Cheryle Williams

Now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of their party. Did you ever type that phrase in typing class in school? I did many a time and we always used it as the first words we'd type to test the feel of a typewriter. Ever since that time, if I have to try out a new computer keyboard and especially when someone is looking over my shoulder, I always type the 'Now is the time' phrase. It's safe, it's inoffensive, and all in all, it's a tradition to belt out those words.

Nowadays they call typing classes 'keyboarding'. In my school days, it was Personal Typing, and we used an electric typewriter with cartridge ribbons. Remember those babies? We also had to change those cartridges. Which meant that before class started, somebody had to go around and hit a few keys on each machine to make sure they were ready for the students to begin class. If it wasn't the teacher doing it, it was a student helper, and I remember performing that task on occasion.

Back then we were not politically correct and we did not pay attention to making language gender inclusive, so we typed that stock phrase as: 'Now is the time for all good MEN to come to the aid of their party.' Any phrase would work just as well, but you want something that's mindless and timeless and just flies off your fingers. "Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are" requires a little more concentration. Besides, it has too many commas.

When you're in the big box store and you're checking out laptops, testing the keyboard to see if it sticks, you want a phrase that comes out zippety-doo-dah. The 'Now is the Time' phrase can be typed over and over as you test the reach of your fingers on the keys. You don't want a salesperson to come by and look over your shoulder and see that you've typed something stupid or personal. 'I love my dog Spot' is probably true in your case but you may not want to reveal your heart on a monitor screen...

by Cheryle Williams, a regular contributor for The Unofficial 'Brit Writers and Writers Everywhere' blog