USING THE MOUSE & KEYS

in Microsoft Word, Works, Windows, Corel WordPerfect, and many other programs

THE KEYS

Shift = To capitalize a letter, hold this key down and press the letter or character key. You can also use the Shift key to type the special upper characters on some of the keys on the keyboard. For example, to type the @ symbol, hold the Shift key down and press 2.

Enter = To move down one line (actually, to start a new paragraph).

Tab = To move to the right 1/2 inch. Press Tab repeatedly to move across the page.

Backspace = To delete the character to the immediate left of the blinking cursor and move the blinking cursor to the left one space.

Delete = To delete the character to the immediate right of the blinking cursor or to delete anything that is highlighted.

Caps Lock = Press this key once (the light above "A B C" on the keyboard will light up on some keyboards) to type the subsequent letters all in CAPITAL letters. Press the Caps Lock key again to type in lower-case letters again. (Do not use the Shift key when you have Caps Lock on, or the case of the characters will be reversed!)

Ctrl = This key brings up a special window or command depending on what key you press with the Ctrl key. For example, to print the document you are working on, hold the Ctrl key down and press P.

Alt = This key is used with the underlined keys on the Menu Bar at the very top of the screen to bring up those menu pads. For example, to bring up the File menu, hold the Alt key down and press F. This is equivalent to clicking on the word "File" with the mouse. (Some people like to use the keyboard instead of the mouse.)

Esc = The Escape key is used to cancel any command. For example, if you accidentally bring up the File menu by using Alt-F, you can get rid of the File menu by pressing the Esc key. You can also use the Esc key in lieu of clicking on the Cancel button with the mouse, when the Cancel button comes up on the screen.

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THE MOUSE

DOUBLE-CLICKS VS. SINGLE-CLICKS

                    DOUBLE-CLICKS:

1) Use a double-click on the icons on the "desktop,"  which is the screen you see when you first turn on the computer--, i.e., on the icons for the Recycle Bin, My Computer, My Documents, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Word, and so on.

2) To double-click, hold the mouse steady and use your pointing finger to quickly press the left mouse button twice.

Note: You never double-click with the right mouse button, only with the left.

                  SINGLE-CLICKS:

1) You use a single-click for darn near everything else, and especially the buttons. Buttons are usually gray and have a 3-D appearance (i.e., they stick out at you a little bit).

THE RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON

1) The right mouse button is used to bring up a special menu pad with commands that apply to that particular situation (where the pointer is). It saves hunting around on the Button Bar or Menu Bar at the top of the screen for the same commands.

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TO MOVE THE BLINKING CURSOR:

1) To move the blinking cursor to a new place in your document, use the mouse to move the I-beam cursor, which looks like a capital "I", to that place, then click once. If a single-click doesn't work, try a double-click.

TO DELETE A WORD:

1) Highlight the whole word by moving the I-beam cursor with the mouse just to the left of the word, then, while holding down the left mouse button, swipe over the word (i.e., move the mouse to the right). Release the left mouse button when you have finished highlighting the word.

2) Press the Delete key on the keyboard.

TO DELETE A WHOLE SENTENCE:

1) Highlight the sentence in the same way as you would for a word. Click first with the I-beam cursor to move the blinking cursor to the front of the sentence. Then click & drag the mouse horizontally to the right, then down to highlight the rest of the sentence if it goes down to the next line. Notice that if you move the mouse up or down too far even slightly, it will highlight the sentence above or below where you intended to highlight.

2) Press the Delete key.

TO MOVE A LINE OR PARAGRAPH UP:

1) Click just above the line or paragraph with the I-beam cursor to move the blinking cursor there.

2) Press the Delete key. You may have to press it repeatedly to pull the paragraph up to where you want it.

TO MOVE A LINE OR PARAGRAPH DOWN:

1) Click just above the line or paragraph with the I-beam cursor.

2) Press the Enter key. You may have to press it repeatedly to push the paragraph down to where you want it.