Computer Basics · Mouse, Touchpad & Keyboard · Lesson 3 of 5

Typing Basics

Type capital letters, fix mistakes and move the blinking cursor.

Letters, Shift and Caps Lock

The keyboard is the board of keys you type on. Each key is one button, like A, B or 7.

Before you type, look for the cursor. The cursor is a blinking line. It shows where your letters will appear.

Press a letter key, and a small letter appears. To make a capital letter, use the Shift key. There is one on each side of the keyboard, often with an up arrow on it.

1. Hold down Shift.
2. Press the letter while you hold it.
3. Let go of both.

Shift also types the top symbol on a key. On most US keyboards, Shift with the 2 key types the @ sign.

Caps Lock makes every letter a capital until you press it again. Many keyboards have a small light that shows it is on. If all your letters come out as capitals, press it once to turn it off.

Passwords care about capitals. If a password won't work, check Caps Lock first.

The long bar at the bottom is the Space bar. It puts a space between words. If you make a mistake, Backspace erases it. More on that next.

On the practice computer, type Meet me at 3 PM on Friday. exactly. Hold Shift for each capital, use Backspace to fix mistakes, and press Enter to send.

Fixing mistakes

Everyone makes typing mistakes. Two keys help you fix them.

• Backspace erases the character to the left of the cursor. It is usually at the top right of the letter keys.
• Delete erases the character to the right of the cursor.

A character is one letter, number, space or symbol. If you hold either key down, it keeps erasing. So tap it gently.

On a Mac, the key marked delete works like Backspace. To erase to the right, hold Fn and press delete.

The Enter key starts a new line. In a chat box or a form, it often sends what you typed. On a Mac, this key is called Return.

To fix a word earlier in your writing, move the cursor there first. You have two ways:

• Click with the mouse right where you want it. The blinking line jumps there.
• Press the arrow keys to move it one character at a time.

Then erase the wrong letters and type the right ones. The words after the cursor slide over to make room.

Take your time. Speed comes later on its own.