Glossary for Word Processing

GLOSSARY FOR WORD PROCESSING

ASCII:

It stands for American Standard Code for Information Interchange. This is a world wide standard. All computers in the world use this code.

 

A WORD:

A word to a computer is the characters that make up the word and then a space at the end of the word. A word is not a complete computer word until you put the space at its end. This is probably different from what you learned in grade school, where spaces were put between words. Also a word at the end of a sentence is not a word until you put a period and a space.

 

BACKUP:

This is when you make a copy of your master disk to a backup disk, so if something happens to your master disk; you have not lost all the files that are saved on the master disk.

 

COMMANDS:

Commands are operations the computer will perform for you. Examples are Save, Open and Print. With Windows you can select a command by clicking an icon with the mouse on the Tool Bar, or click on File on the menu bar.

• Save: the process of writing the contents of a file or document to a floppy disk or hard drive.
• Save As: Use this command when saving a file for the first time, or changing the name of an exiting document.
• New: the process of starting a new file or document.
• Print: the process of making a paper copy of your document or file.
• Open: the process of reading a file already saved on your floppy or hard drive to your desktop (screen), so you can work on it. Open also means to start a program.
• Cut: The process of removing a part of your text from a document.
• Copy: The process of copying a part of your text from a document.
• Paste: The process of pasting a part of a text that you have either cut or copied from a document to another part of the document.
• Bold: The process of making a word, sentence, or entire document in bold face.
• Underline: The process of making a word, sentence, or entire document underlined.
• Center: The process of centering text on the computer screen.
• Close: The process of closing a document on the computer screen.
• Exit: The process of removing software from the random access memory of the computer.

 

CD/ROM DRIVE:

For holding CD/ROM disks (Compact Disk/Read Only Memory) commonly called the “D” drive. Many computer programs now come on a CD/ROM disk.

 

COMPUTER STORAGE UNITS:

There are several different kinds of computer storage units such as:

• A 31/2 Floppy disk: This refers to the 31/2 inch floppy diskette. A storage device that is portable. The sliding metal part goes in first, with the little round wheel of the disk goes down.
• A folder on the hard disk drive, which is sometimes called the local disk.
• A folder on a Flash drive, which is sometimes called a removable disk.
• A Compact Disk CD/W, CD/R-W, A DVD
• And of course some others like a flash card from a digital camera.

 

CURSOR:

The curser is the little blinking vertical line on your screen. The cursor tells you where the next character (letter) will be inserted when you type it in from the keyboard. The cursor has other names like: insertion point and place marker. Actually the cursor marks the insertion point on the text screen.

 

DESKTOP:

The screen of your monitor that displays some of your applications software icons...and is called the desktop.

 

DOCUMENT:

A document is typed in text to a computer monitor screen using word processing software. This text is temporarily residing in the memory (Random Access Memory-RAM) of the computer. To preserve this document, it must be saved to one of several computer storage units such as:

• A folder on the hard drive (local disk)
• A folder on a flash drive
• A floppy disk: This refers to the 31/2 inch floppy diskette. A storage device that is portable. The sliding metal part goes in first, with the little round wheel of the disk goes down.
• A CD

In the process of being saved, the document is given a proper file name that describes the text on the document. After the document is saved it is referred to as a text file or just file.

 

FILE:

A file is a text or graphics document that has been saved with a file name to a proper folder in a computer storage unit. A file can be plain text, plain graphics or a combination of text and graphics. Note that music can also be saved to a folder on computer storage units.

 

FLOPPY DISK DRIVE:

The floppy disk drive is where you insert the floppy disk. Commonly called the “A” drive.

 

 

FOLDER:

A named space on a computer storage unit used to save files. There is one folder that is created when the computer is assembled. It is called My Documents. Computer users create many different folders on different storage units to accommodate their files in an organized manner.

 

FORMATTING:

Getting a floppy disk ready to have files (documents) saved to it. You can format a disk by right clicking on the 31/2 floppy icon.

 

HARD DRIVE:

A storage device inside your computer for holding and saving software and the files you create. It is usually identified as the “C” drive.

 

I-BEAM:

The I-Beam is the presence of the mouse when it is in the Text area of the word processing screen. Notice when you move the mouse the I-Beam moves around the screen. However if you move the I-Beam up into the top of the word processing screen, notice it turns into an arrow. This is so you can select a command from the many possibilities from the menu or tool bars.

 

ICONS:

Icons are the small-labeled pictures you see on your desktop. The technical name for icons is desktop objects.

 

KEYBOARD

The keyboard is an input device.

Keyboard Keys of Special Importance

• Enter Key: A key that is on the right side of the main keyboard and on the right side of the number pad. It is used frequently to make the computer go to the next operation. I call it the Go key.
• Backspace Key: A key that is in the upper right corner of the main keyboard that is used to erase the character to the left of the cursor. It has an arrow on the top like so ←
• Delete Key: A key that is in between the main keyboard and the number pad. It is used to erase the character to the right of the cursor.
• Ctrl Key (Control Key): A key that is in the lower left corner of the main keyboard that is used to do special operations.
• Esc Key (Escape Key): A key that is in the upper left corner of the keyboard that is used to do special operations as follows. Hold the Ctrl key down and without releasing it peck the Esc key. This will display the Start menu. This key will also clear the screen of any menus.
• Arrow Keys: There are four keys located on the lower right side of the keyboard that is used to move the cursor.
• The Microsoft flag key: There are two Microsoft flag keys, one on each side to the space key. They open the main menu.
• Shift Key: Used to capitalize letters and to get the symbols on the number keys and other keys that have a symbol.
• Caps Lock Key: Used to make all the letters in a capital format.
• Tab Key: Used to jump 5 spaces in your word processing document, or jump to the next field when filling out a form.
• Alt Key: Used in combination with another key to perform some operation. Not used much anymore.
• Space Bar Key: This is the long key at the bottom of the mail key board. It is used to make a space in your document between words.
• Insert Key: In some word processors, pecking the Insert Key can put you in “overtype” mode. Pecking the Insert Key will return you to the “insert” mode. You will normally want the insert mode. When in overtype mode, what you type will wipe out any existing text that gets in the way.
• The function keys: These keys at the top of the keyboard are used mostly to initiate powerful commands. Not used much any more.

 

MOUSE:

The mouse is an input device. It appears on the screen as either an arrow or a beam depending on what part of the screen it is located. If it is out of a text area it appears as an arrow. If it is in a text area it appears as a beam. On browser software the mouse may appear as a pointing hand. Also the mouse has two buttons on the top. When the instructions say click it means click with the left button. Right clicking with the mouse usually brings up a new menu so you can make a selection. The selection is then made by clicking with the left button.

 

MOUSE ACTIVITIES:

• Point: Pointing is sliding the mouse arrow over an icon or other kind of a button on the screen that you might want to select or choose.
• Point and Click: Placing the mouse arrow over an icon or button and pecking the left mouse button.
• Single Click: One peck on either the left or right mouse button with either your index or middle finger respectively. Left clicking is usually done to select something like a menu to be used later. However as you may already know there are exceptions to this.
• Right Clicking: The response to right clicking always produces a menu. The response to right clicking is sometimes slow.
• Double Click: Two pecks with your index finger on the left mouse button on an Icon on the screen (desktop). This is usually done to open application software. The response is almost immediate.
• Drag: Means to put the mouse arrow on a scroll bar or icon. Then press and hold the left button down, and while holding the button down, move the mouse. The scroll or icon on the screen will move to a new location. You can also drag across text to highlight the text.
• Drag and Drop: Means to put the mouse arrow on a scroll bar or icon. Then press and hold the left button down, and while holding the button down, move the mouse. The scroll bar or icon on the screen will move to a new location. When you get to the location desired left up you finger from the mouse button. That will drop the scroll bar or icon where have you put it.

 

PARTS OF AN APPLICATION PROGRAM

All applications software have a main screen. On this main screen are normally a Title Bar, a Menu Bar, a Tool Bar and a Task bar, and a text area where you prepare your document. Each of these are described below.

• Title Bar: Located at the very top of the main screen and contains the title of the software and document.
• Menu Bar: Located at the top of the main screen. A series of commands that can be started with a click.
• Tool Bar: A series of icons located below the menu bar. The icons can be clicked to start commands.
• Task Bar: A bar at the bottom of your main screen listing the programs that are active on of your desktop. The Task Bar also contains the Quick Launch Toolbar.
• Text Area: This is where you type in your document.
• Ruler: Shows the right and left margins of the screen
• Vertical Scroll Bar: Makes the screen go up and down when there is more than one screen full.
• Horizontal Scroll Bar: Makes the screen go back and forth if the text is wider than the screen.

 

RAM (Random Access Memory)

This is temporary storage on a computer. When doing word processing, it stores your file (document). When you turn off the computer all that is in RAM is lost. RAM also stores your applications software (like Microsoft Word) until you turn off the computer. The main permanent storage unit for you all your applications software is on the hard drive.

 

READING:

The contents of what you have typed into a computer applications program and/or saved on a storage device such as a floppy disk or hard drive.

 

WRITING:

The process of posting a file to a floppy disk or hard disk.