KEYBOARDING

KEYBOARD
A computer keyboard is one of the
primary input devices used with a
computer that looks similar to those
found on typewriters, but with some
additional keys. Keyboards allow the
user to input letters, numbers, and other
symbols into a computer that often
function as commands.
History of KEYBOARD
 QWERTY
Christopher Latham Sholes (February
14, 1819 – February 17, 1890) was an
American inventor who invented the first
practical typewriter and the QWERTY
keyboard in 1968 that is still in use today
 Contrary to popular belief, QWERTY
was not the first keyboard layout, even
for typewriters. Prior to it, there was a
simpler double-row keyboard that
resembled a set of piano keys:
Unfortunately, this design was prone to
jamming and proved less than ideal,
prompting its creator to adapt and
improve.
Over several years the keyboard evolved
into the QWERTY layout, which began
picking up popularity in 1878 with the
debut of the Remington No. 2 typewriter.
But what was the logic behind it? In what
possible world does a QWERTY layout
make sense? How did they get there?

What is a Remington No. 2 typewriter?

The Remington 2 (the name Remington 1 was
used for the latest Sholes & Glidden model)
was fitted with a number of improvements to
the original S&G design that would last a
century. The qwerty keyboard had been
designed by Sholes himself, but new to the
keyboard was the 'shift' key, that literally
shifted the carriage to the front in order to type
capitals. And a 'shift' key is what we still call it
on our computer keyboards today.
 In 1868, the double-row keyboard was
split into four rows. Numeral digits were
brought to the top, vowels were brought
to the second row, and the alphabet was
dissected with B-M on the third row and
N-Z on the fourth:
 In 1873, after Remington purchased rights to
the typewriter, several refinements were made
to the layout. These refinements helped to
minimize jamming by splitting apart commonly
paired letters and pushing them to opposite
ends of the keyboard, but also added in a few
extra symbols for typists:
A few more refinements and we arrive at the
modern QWERTY layout, which has been in
use for over a century by now:
 Starting with the era of computer terminals,
there have been localized variations to
QWERTY, including QWERTZ (common in
Central Europe), AZERTY (common in
France), and QZERTY (mostly used in Italy).
These variations are ultimately minor.
 Dvorak
In 1936, decades after QWERTY had become
the standard, a professor of education
patented a new keyboard layout that he
named after himself: Dvorak. It isn’t spelled
DVORAK; it’s not an acronym. If you want to
shorten it, DSK is proper (which stands for
Dvorak Simplified Keyboard).
 Dvorak
The goal of the Dvorak keyboard was to
identify all of QWERTY’s shortcomings in
relation to typing error frequency, suboptimal
typing speed, and finger fatigue for typists.
After at least 18 years of study and research,
the Dvorak layout was born:
 Dvorak
Dvorak typists require approximately 60%
less finger motion when compared against
QWERTY typists. Not only is it faster, but
Dvorak typists are less prone to repetitive
stress injuries caused by typing.

The most notable downside to Dvorak is that

it’s too different from QWERTY, making it too
much of a hassle to learn for most everyday
computer users.
 Colemak
In 2006, a programmer named Shai Coleman
released an alternative keyboard layout called
Colemak (a portmanteau of Coleman and
Dvorak). Despite the name, it isn’t a direct
descendant of the Dvorak layout. In fact,
Colemak can be thought of as a compromise
between the two.
 Colemak
Just as Dvorak was a response to QWERTY’s
shortcomings, Colemak addresses the failures
of Dvorak but does so in a way that doesn’t
alienate current QWERTY users. The intended
result is a layout that aims for speed,
efficiency, minimal repetitive stress injuries,
and an easy learning curve for QWERTY
typists.
 Colemak
The beauty of Colemak is that there are only
17 differences in key placement between it
and QWERTY, yet those 17 differences are
more than enough to create a radically
improved typing environment. All other keys
remain the same. As such, QWERTY users
should not be afraid to learn Colemak
Other Layouts
QWERTY, Dvorak, and Colemak are the “Big
Three” keyboard layouts, but they aren’t the
only ones. Three other notable but less-
recognized layouts are Workman, Qwpr, and
Minimak, though these are more proofs-of-
concept than actual layouts intended for
everyday use
QWERTY, Dvorak, and Colemak are the “Big
Three” keyboard layouts, but they aren’t the
only ones. Three other notable but less-
recognized layouts are Workman, Qwpr, and
Minimak, though these are more proofs-of-
concept than actual layouts intended for
everyday use
Interesting Facts/Trivia
About KEYBOARD
 Most modern keyboards use the "qwerty"
layout. This name comes from the first five
letters on the top row.
The qwerty layout was designed for manual
typewriters initially by Christopher Sholes all
the way back in 1872.
 He purposely selected a physical layout that
was difficult to type, so that typing speeds
would be reduced! This was needed to
reduce the jamming of "hammers" used to
create individual letters on manual typewriters.
 The QWERTY layout was never changed
when computers started hitting the market.
Secretaries and people using typewriters were
used to the old layout and even when other,
more efficient layouts, have been proven
effective, the old layout has remained with us,
and will for many years.
The longest common English word that can be
typed using only the left hand is
stewardesses
 The longest English word that can be typed
with the right hand only is johnny-jump-up (a
type of flower).
 The word typewriter can be typed entirely
using the top row of keys. It has been
speculated that this may have been a factor in
the choice of keys for ease of demonstration.
Long English words that can be typed with the
keys of one row only include typewriter and
rupturewort (a type of grass).
What are the top 3 popular key on a computer
keyboard?
According to Suneel Goud, Microsoft’s Senior
Product Marketing Manger for Hardware
Suneel, the third most used key is the
“backspace”, seconded by the letter “e” and
the top most used is the “space bar.”
According to Suneel Goud, Microsoft’s Senior
Product Marketing Manger for Hardware
Suneel, the third most used key is the
“backspace”, seconded by the letter “e” and
the top most used is the “space bar.”
 Overview of each
section of the keyboard
 Alphanumeric
The alphanumeric part is the primary portion
of the keyboard that contains letters, numbers,
punctuation and some of the symbol keys.
Today most users utilize QWERTY style
keyboards, as shown in the below graphic
illustration.
A listing of Keyboard
keys and their
explanation
Windows Alternatively referred to as the

Key winkey or WK, the Windows key is

a key found on IBM compatible
keyboards used with the Microsoft
Windows operating system. The
Windows key has the Microsoft logo
on it and is found between the left
CTRL and ALT keys on the
keyboard.
 Using the Windows key in combination with
another key allows you to perform common
tasks more quickly. For example, pressing the
Windows key + E opens Windows Explorer.
Windows keyboard key
shortcuts
 WINKEY
Pressing the Windows key alone opens or hides the Windows Start
menu. In Windows 8, this opens or hides the Start screen.
WINKEY + F1
Open the Microsoft Windows help and support center.
WINKEY + Pause / Break key
Open the System Properties window.
WINKEY + D
Opens the Desktop to the top of all other windows.
WINKEY + E
Open Microsoft Windows Explorer.
WINKEY + F
Display the Windows Search or Find feature.
 WINKEY + Ctrl + F
Display the search for computers window.
WINKEY + L
Lock the computer and switch users if needed (Windows XP
and above only).
WINKEY + M
Minimizes all windows.
WINKEY + Shift + M
Undo the minimize done by WINKEY + M and WINKEY + D.
WINKEY + R
Open the run window.
Esc

Short for Escape, Esc is a key

located on the top-left of a computer
keyboard that allows a user to
cancel or abort operations
Function • Commonly known as function

Keys keys on a computer keyboard, F1

through F12 may have a variety of
different uses or no use at all.
• The operating system installed on
the computer and the software
program currently open can
change how each of these keys
operate.
• A program is capable of not only
using each of the function keys,
but also combining the function
keys with the ALT or CTRL key.
 For example, Microsoft Windows users can
press ALT + F4 to close the program currently
active.
 F1

Windows Key + F1 would open the Microsoft

Windows help and support center.
 F2
In Windows renames a highlighted icon, file, or folder
in all versions of Windows.

Ctrl + F2 displays the print preview window in

Microsoft Word.

Quickly rename a selected file or folder.

 F3

Often opens a search feature for many programs including

Microsoft Windows when at the Windows Desktop.

Shift + F3 will change the text in Microsoft Word from upper to

lower case or a capital letter at the beginning of every word.

Windows Key + F3 opens the Advanced find window in Microsoft

Outlook.

Open Mission Control on an Apple computer running Mac OS X

 F4

Alt + F4 closes the program window currently active in Microsoft

Windows.

Ctrl + F4 closes the open window within the current active

window in Microsoft Windows.
 F5

In all modern Internet browsers, pressing F5 will refresh or reload

the page or document window.

Open the find, replace, and go to window in Microsoft Word.

Starts a slideshow in PowerPoint.
 F6

Move the cursor to the address bar in Internet Explorer, Mozilla

Firefox, and most other Internet browsers.

Reduce laptop speaker volume (on some laptops).

 F7

Commonly used to spell check and grammar check a document

in Microsoft programs such as Microsoft Word, Outlook, etc.

Shift + F7 runs a Thesaurus check on the word highlighted.

Increase laptop speaker volume (on some laptops).

 F8
Function key used to enter the Windows startup menu,
commonly used to access Windows Safe Mode.

Used by some computers to access the Windows recovery

system, but may require a Windows installation CD.

Displays a thumbnail image for all workspaces in Mac OS.

 F9
Refresh document in Microsoft Word.

Send and receive e-mail in Microsoft Outlook.

Reduce laptop screen brightness (on some laptops).

With Mac OS 10.3 or later, displays a thumbnail for each window

in a single workspace.

Using the Fn key and F9 at the same time opens Mission Control
on an Apple computer running Mac OS X.
 F10

Shift + F10 is the same as right-clicking on a highlighted icon,

file, or Internet link.

Access the hidden recovery partition on HP and Sony

computers.

Increase laptop screen brightness (on some laptops)

With Mac OS 10.3 or later, shows all open Windows for the
active program.
 F11
Enter and exit full screen mode in all modern Internet browsers.

With Mac OS 10.4 or later, hides all open windows and shows
the Desktop.
 F12
Open the Save as window in Microsoft Word.

Ctrl + F12 opens a document In Word.

Shift + F12 saves the Microsoft Word document (like Ctrl + S).

Ctrl + Shift + F12 prints a document in Microsoft Word.

Preview a page in Microsoft Expression Web.

Open Firebug or browser debug tool.

With an Apple running Mac OS 10.4 or later, F12 shows or hides the Dashboard.

Access the list of bootable devices on a computer at startup, allowing you to select a
different device to boot from (hard drive, CD or DVD drive, floppy drive, USB drive, and
network)
Tab Key
A tab is a keyboard key that inserts
a tab character or advances the
cursor to other tab settings on a line.
This key can also move between
selectable items in a dialog box. The
picture shows an example of the
Tab key.
 Computer keyboard togglekey that

Caps lock enables or disables all the letters from

being typed in uppercase. When the
caps lock key is enabled, the keyboard
types "LIKE THIS" and when it is
disabled, the keyboard types "like this."
The picture shows an example of the
keyboard LED's that indicate if
keyboard togglekeys are enabled or
disabled. In this example, the num lock
key is currently the only enabled key,
indicated by the blue LED. When caps
lock is enabled the caps lock indicator
will illuminate.
Caps lock
The picture shows an example of
the keyboard LED's that indicate if
keyboard toggle keys are enabled or
disabled. In this example, the num
lock key is currently the only
enabled key, indicated by the blue
LED. When caps lock is enabled the
caps lock indicator will illuminate.
 • A keyboard key that allows a

Shift user to type a single capital letter.

For example, pressing and
holding the Shift key while
pressing the letter a key would
generate a capital A.
• Shift key is also used with
shortcut keys. For example,
holding down the Shift key and
pressing your arrow keys will
highlight text in the direction of
the arrow key you press.
Ctrl keyboard shortcuts
 Ctrl + A
These two keys will select all text or
other objects

Select all: A term used to describe the process of

select all text, files, or other objects currently being
listed. In most programs, pressing Ctrl + A will
select everything in the current window.
 Ctrl + B
Bold highlighted text

 Bold: Bold, bold face, or bold font is any text

that is darkened to help emphasize a remark
or comment.
 Ctrl + C
Copy any selected text or other object

 Alternatively referred to as Control C and C-c,

Ctrl C is a shortcut key that will copy
highlighted text while in a graphical user
environment such as Microsoft Windows
 Ctrl + D
Bookmark an open web page or open
font window in Microsoft Word
 Ctrl + E
Center text

 Alternatively referred to as middle or centre,

the center refers to a position that is
horizontally or vertically aligned with an object,
as the middle of the screen or line in a
paragraph.
 Ctrl + F
Open find window

 Find is a term used to describe a process of

locating a specified text, file, document, or
other object on a computer or the Internet. For
example, you can press the keyboard shortcut
Ctrl + F now to open a find window and search
for any text on this page.
 Ctrl + G
Open Find in browser and word
processors.
 Ctrl + H
Open the Find and Replace in
Notepad, Microsoft Word and WordPad

 Find and Replace: Alternatively referred to as

Search and Replace, Find and Replace or
Replace is the act of finding text and replacing
the found text with an alternative. Many
software programs support the ability to find or
search and replace text within a document from
the Edit file menu. In the picture below is an
example of what the Find and Replace dialog
box may look like in Microsoft Word.
 Ctrl + I
Italicize text

 Italic is a style of font that slants the letters

evenly to the right. This text should be in
italics.
 Ctrl + J
View Downloads in Browsers and set
Justify in Microsoft Word

 Alternatively referred to as a web browser, a

browser is a software program created as a
simplified means to present and explore
content on the World Wide Web. These pieces
of content, including pictures, videos, and web
pages, are connected using hyperlinks and
classified with Uniform Recourse Identifiers
(URLs).
 Ctrl + K
Create a hyperlink for the highlighted
text in Microsoft Word.

 Alternatively referred to as a link, a hyperlink is

an icon, graphic, or text in a document that
links to another file or object. The World Wide
Web is comprised of hyperlinks linking trillions
of pages and files to one another.
 Ctrl + L
Left align text in MS Word

 Alternatively referred to as align or alignment,

justify is a term used to describe how text is
aligned. For example, text that is justified to
the left creates a straight line of text on the left-
hand side of the page (like this paragraph).
 Ctrl + M
Indent selected text in word
processors and in other programs

 When referring to text, indent or indentation is

the increase or decrease of space between the
left and right margin of a paragraph.
 Ctrl + N
Create a new page or document
 Ctrl + O
Open a file in most programs

 When referring to computer software, open

commonly refers to the process of executing or
running a program or accessing or reading a
file.
 Ctrl + P
Open print window to print page you’re
viewing

 To print is the process of a computer

transferring data to a computer printer and
generating a hard copy of the electronic data
being printed.
 Ctrl + R
Reload page in browser or right align
text in word processor

 Reload: When referring to the software on a

computer, reload is synonymous with reinstall.
 Internet browser feature also known as
refresh, reload loads the latest version of the
web page. See our browser definition for
further information about the reload button and
other browser buttons.
 Ctrl + S
Save the document or file

 Save: The process of writing data to a storage

medium such as a floppy diskette or hard
drive. The save option is found in almost all
programs commonly under the "File" drop-
down-menu. When clicking the Save option,
the file will be saved as its previous name.
However, if the file is new, the program will ask
the user to name it. In the picture below is an
example of the typical File menu with the Save
option.
 Ctrl + T
Create a new tab in an Internet
browser or adjust tabs in word
browsers
 Ctrl + U
Underline selected text.

 Underline: An underline is a section of text in a

document where the words have a line running
beneath them. For example, this text should
be underlined. Underlined text is commonly
used to help draw attention to text. Today,
underlines are commonly used to represent a
hyperlink on a web page.
 Ctrl + V
Paste any text or other object that has
been copied

 Paste: Paste is an operating systems and

programs action that allows a user to copy or
cut an object or text from one location and
move it into another location
 Ctrl + W
Close open tab in a browser or close a
document in Word.
 Close: In general, close is the action performed to
terminate a portion of a program or the complete
program. If a file has changed since it was opened,
and the program is closed, any changes done to
the open file may be lost. If the program closes
without performing the close action, this is usually
referred to as a crash.
 Tip: Press the keyboard shortcut key Alt + F4 in
Windows to close an open program. If the program
has any open windows or tabs press Ctrl + F4 or
Ctrl + W to close the window or tab, but keep the
program open.
 Ctrl + X
Cut selected text or other object

 Cut: The process of removing an item and

placing it in a temporary location called the
clipboard. Once placed in the clipboard the
user can paste that item elsewhere.
 Ctrl + Y
These keys will redo any undo action

 Redo: is a function performed on a computer

that does any undo function again. For
example, if you deleted text and perform an
undo, then decide that you wanted that text
deleted again, you could do a redo.
 Ctrl + Z
Pressing these two keys will undo any
action

 Undo: Undo is a function performed to reverse

the action of an earlier action. For example, a
user may mistakenly delete text in a word
processor and use the undo function to undo
that deletion. Some software programs may
have the capability of performing multiple
undo's.
 • Short for Alternate, Alt is a

Alt modifier key located on both

sides of the spacebar key on IBM
compatible computer keyboards.
The picture shows an example of
an alt key. This term may also be
used to describe a key
combination such as the example
below.
Commonly Used Alt
Shortcut Keys On A
Windows Computer.
Alt + F = Pressing these two keys opens the File menu in an
open program.

Alt + F4 = These keys close the open program. To close an

open window in a program press Ctrl+F4.

Alt + Space bar = Open the Window menu of the program

currently open.

Alt + Tab = These keys will switch between open programs left-
to-right. Pressing Alt+Shift+Tab will reverse the order of
switching programs.
 • A long horizontal key on the

Spacebar lower edge of a keyboard that is

always the largest key on the
keyboard. When the spacebar
key is pressed it creates an
empty space, also known as a
space character that helps
separate words and other
characters in a sentences.
 • Alternatively referred to as

Arrow keys cursor keys, the arrow keys are

usually located in between the
standard section and the numeric
pad on computer keyboards. It is
made up of four keys: the left
arrow (back arrow), up arrow,
down arrow, and the right arrow
(forward arrow).
How are arrow keys
used?
1. Move the text cursor on the screen.

2. Use in combination with other keys for shortcut keys. For

example, pressing the Alt key and the left arrow key in all
browsers takes you back one page.

3. Move a character in a computer game.

4. Select text. For example, holding down shift and pressing the
arrow key in the direction you want to highlight text.

5. Move the mouse pointer using the keyboard instead of the

mouse.
Backspace • Sometimes referred to as the

key rubout key, the Backspace key

or Back space key is a keyboard
key that deletes any character
before the cursors current
position. For example, click the
mouse button at the end of the
below text and press backspace
to delete the last character in the
line
 • In general, delete or remove

Delete refers to the act of eliminating a

file, text, or other object from the
computer hard drive or other
media. Files deleted in Microsoft
Windows are sent to the
Recycling Bin;
What is the difference
between the del and
backspace keys?
Both the Del or Delete key and Backspace key
are used to delete text. However, when
dealing with text pressing the del key deletes
text to the right of the cursor and pressing the
backspace key deletes text to the left
(backwards) of the cursor.
 • In general, delete or remove

Delete refers to the act of eliminating a

file, text, or other object from the
computer hard drive or other
media. Files deleted in Microsoft
Windows are sent to the
Recycling Bin;
 • Alternatively referred to as a

Enter Key return key, the enter key when

referring to a keyboard is used to
return a cursor to the next line or
execute a command or operation.
It is common for most standard
keyboards to have two enter or
return keys, one on the keyboard
and another on the numeric
keypad.
Print screen • Sometimes abbreviated as

key PRTSC, Prt Scrn, or Ps/SR, the

print screen key is a keyboard
key found on most computer
keyboards. When pressed, the
key either sends the current
screen image to the computer
clipboard or the computer printer
depending on the operating
system or software program that
is currently active
Scroll Lock • The Scroll Lock key was meant to

key lock all scrolling techniques, and is a

remnant from the original IBM PC
keyboard. In the original design,
Scroll Lock was intended to modify
the behavior of the arrow keys.
• When the Scroll Lock mode was on,
the arrow keys would scroll the
contents of a text window instead of
moving the cursor.[1][2] In this
usage, Scroll Lock is a toggling lock
key like Num Lock or Caps Lock,
which have a state that persists after
the key is released.
 • Located near the top right of most PC

Pause key keyboards and shared with the break

key (as shown in the image), the
pause key can be used to temporarily
halt the actions of the program being
run or the scrolling of text. For
example, the pause key could be
used to momentarily stop a computer
game, like Deus Ex or the Call of
Duty games, while the user steps
away.
 • A computer keyboard key (shown

Break right) that usually shares the same

key as Pause. It enables a user to
break the computer from a pause or
other halted state. To use the break
function, you may either press the
break key alone, or press CTRL at
the same time as the break key. For
example, pressing the Pause key
stops the computer as it boots,
pressing it again, breaks out of that
pause.
• Note: This key is not found on the
Apple computer keyboards.
 • Sometimes displayed as Ins, the Insert key is a
located on most computer keyboards by the

Insert key backspace key. It is used to toggle between

insert mode and overtype mode, which change
what happens when you type text in a program.

• For example, if the I-cursor is placed in front of

any text, as you type, text is inserted and
nothing is overwritten. However, if you press
the Insert key and the I-cursor changes to a
block cursor, as you type the text is overwritten.
Not all programs allow you to change the insert
method with the insert key. If the cursor does
not change when you press Insert, text input
mode toggling it is not supported.
 Further explanation
In the example image, you can see the
different cursors. In the top portion, if we
were to type "test " in front of "Computer
Hope example" it would become "test
Computer Hope example." However, if we
pressed the Insert key to change the insert
method, the result would be different.
Typing "test " in this instance (bottom
portion of the image) would make the text
"test ter Hope example" because the first
part of the text would be overwritten.
 • The home key is a key found on the

Home key computer keyboard usually above the

end key. This key returns you to the
beginning of the line, document,
page, cell, or screen of where your
cursor is positioned
Examples of using the home key

Below is a list of all of the different ways the home key can be
used on your keyboard. Keep in mind that not all programs use
the home key the same, so not all of these examples will work
with every program.
1.Home - Go to the beginning of the line, paragraph or
document.
2.Ctrl + Home - Pressing Ctrl and Home at the same time will go
to the very beginning of the text or page.
3.Shift + Home - Pressing Shift and Home at the same time
highlights all text from the current position to the start of the line.
4.Ctrl + Shift + Home - Pressing Ctrl, Shift, and Home all at the
same time highlights all text from the current position to the
beginning of the text or page.
 • The end key is a key found on a

End key computer keyboard that moves the

cursor to the end of the line,
document, page, cell, or screen of
where your cursor is positioned.
 Examples of using the End key

Below is a list of all of the different ways the end key can be used on
your keyboard. Keep in mind that not all programs use the end key
the same, so not all of these examples will work with every program.

1.End - Go to the end of the line, paragraph or document.

2.Ctrl + End - Pressing Ctrl and End at the same time will go to the
very end of the text or page.
3.Shift + End - Pressing Shift and End at the same time highlights
all text from the current position to the end of the line.
4.Ctrl + Shift + End - Pressing Ctrl, Shift, and End all at the same
time highlights all text from the current position to the end of the text
or page.
Tip: While browsing the Internet pressing the end key on your
keyboard will move to the bottom of the page.
 • Short for Page Up key, the PGUP,

Pg Up key PU, PgUp, or Pg Up key is a

computer keyboard key found
between the keyboard and the
numeric pad or on the numeric pad
number 9 key.
• When this key is pressed, if the page
currently being viewed has more than
one page, the page moves up one
page.

• For example, if you scroll down on this web

page or any web page on the Internet and
press the Pg Up key it scrolls the page up.
Pg Down • Short for Page Down key, the PGDN,

key PD, PgDn, or Pg Dn key is a

computer keyboard key found
between the keyboard and the
numeric pad or on the numeric pad
number 3 key.
• When this key is pressed, if the page
currently being viewed has more than
one page, the page view will be
moved down one page.

• For example, on this web page or any web

page on the Internet if you press the Pg Dn key
it scrolls the page down one page or to the end
of the page.
 • Short for numeric lock or number lock, the
Num Lock key is located on the top left
Num Lock corner of the numeric keypad of the
keyboard and enables and disables the
numeric pad. Turning the Num Lock on
allows you to use the numbers on the
keypad and turning the Num Lock off
enables the key's other functions, such as
using the keypad as an arrow pad. The
picture shows what the Num Lock key
with a LED may look like on a keyboard.
• To enable Num Lock, press the Num Lock
button and make sure the Num Lock LED
light is on. To disable Num Lock, press
the Num Lock button and make sure the
Num Lock LED light is off.
Below is a chart with additional information about what each
key does when Num Lock is enabled and disabled.

For example, pressing the "2" key when Num Lock is enabled
enters the number "2" and when Num Lock is off, it will arrow
down one line.
 • Alternatively referred to as the

Tilde squiggly or twiddle, the tilde is a

character ( ~ ) on keyboards
below the escape or ESC key
and on the same key as the back
quote that resembles a squiggly
line. The graphic gives an
representation of how the tilde
may appear.
 • Alternatively referred to as an

Back quote acute, grave, grave accent, left

quote, open quote, or a push, the
back quote or backquote is a
punctuation mark (`). It can be
found on the same U.S.
computer keyboard key as the
tilde.
 • Slang used to describe the

Bang exclamation mark. The

exclamation mark (!) is a
punctuation mark found on the 1
key on a standard United States
QWERTY keyboard. To create
an exclamation mark hold down
the Shift key and press the 1 key.
 • Ampersat, arobase, asperand, AT,

AT @ AT sign, or AT symbol is the name of

the " @ " symbol found above the
two on a standard U.S. keyboard.
When describing an e-mail address,
it may be described as "support - at -
computerhope - dot - com", which is
the same as
[email protected].

• To create this symbol hold down the

shift key and press the number 2 at
the top of the keyboard.
 • Alternatively referred to as a

Octothorpe hash, hash-mark, number,

number key, number sign, or a
pound (not the pounds sterling
"£"), the octothorpe is a symbol
on the number 3 on a US qwerty
keyboard.
• Some examples of how this
symbol may be used include
using it before a number (e.g.
#1), in hashtags (e.g. #computer)
 • Dollar sign ($) is the symbol

Dollar sign found on the same key as the

number four on United States
qwerty keyboard. It is used to
represent a US currency value,
e.g. $10.00 for ten dollars.
 • The percent (%) symbol is most

Percent often used in mathematics and in

programs like Microsoft Excel as
a different way to represent a
fraction of a whole number
 • Alternatively referred to as the

Caret circumflex, the caret is the

symbol ( ^ ) above the 6 key on a
standard United States qwerty
keyboard. In mathematics, the
caret represents an exponent,
square, cube, or other power. For
example, 6^3, which may also be
represented as 63 or 6 * 6 * 6 (in
using MS Excel)
 • The Ampersand ( & ) symbol,

Ampersand also referred to as the

"epershand" or "and" symbol, is
found above the number 7 key on
a US QWERTY keyboard. In
literature or English text, the
ampersand is used as shorthand
to mean "and", as in "John & Rob
went to the baseball game".
 • Sometimes referred to as the star

Asterisk or big dot, the asterisk is a

symbol ( * ) commonly found
above the "8" key on standard
United States keyboards.
 • Alternatively referred to as the a

Parenthesis curved mark, open parenthesis

and close parenthesis.
Parenthesis are an outward "(" or
inward ")" curved line found on
the "9" and "0" keys on a U.S.
keyboard. To create either of
these marks, hold down the Shift
key and then press either "9" or
"0" depending on the mark you
need.
 • Alternatively referred to as a

Hyphen dash, subtract, negative, or

minus sign, the hyphen ( - ) is a
punctuation mark found on the
underscore key next to the "0"
key on US keyboards.
 • Alternatively referred to as a low

Underscore line, low dash, and understrike,

the underscore ( _ ) is a symbol
found on the same computer
keyboard key as the hyphen. The
underscore is commonly used as
an alternative to the space key
when the space is not allowed.
 • When referring to a keyboard or

Plus symbol, the plus ( + ) is a symbol

found on the same key as the
equal sign. The plus key is most
often used in programming and
mathematics to add two or more
numbers or as a programming
operator.
 • When referring to a keyboard or

Plus/ Equal symbol, the plus ( + ) is a symbol

found on the same key as the

+=
equal sign. The plus key is most
often used in mathematics to add
two or more numbers or as a
programming operator and equal
sign is used to compare two
character(if both has the same
value)
Curly • Alternatively referred to as an

bracket open brace, close brace, and

squiggly brackets, curly brackets
are found on the same keys as
the open bracket ( [ ) and close
bracket ( ] ) on US keyboards.
 • Sometimes referred to as square

Bracket brackets, a bracket is a

punctuation mark typically found
pairs. There are two types of
brackets: the open bracket ( [ )
and close bracket ( ] ). The open
bracket has an open end towards
the right, and the close bracket
has an open end towards the left.
Brackets are the two keys found
to the right of the P key on a US
QWERTY keyboard.
Pipe • Alternatively referred to as a
vertical bar, the pipe is a
computer keyboard key "|" that is
two vertical lines above one
another and commonly looks like
a full vertical line. This symbol is
commonly found on the same
United States qwerty keyboard
key as the backslash key and
may also be shown with a small
gap between the line as shown in
the picture.
 • Alternatively referred to as a

Backslash backward slash and reverse

solidus, the backslash is a
character "\" first introduced by
Bob Bemer in 1960. A backslash
can be used to represent a file
path in MS-DOS and Windows,
for example, c:\windows is an
example of the backslash being
used.
Forward • Alternatively referred to as a

slash solidus, virgule, or whack, the

forward slash is the name of the
"/" character on the computer
keyboard.
 • A symbol that looks like two

Colon periods above each other ( : )

that is found on the same key as
the semicolon on standard United
States keyboards. Below are
some different examples of
where a colon is used today
 • A symbol found on the computer

Semicolon keyboard that looks like a period

above a comma ( ; ), which is on
the same key as the colon on the
standard United States QWERTY
keyboard.
 • Alternatively referred to as a

Quote double quote, quotation mark, or

inverted commas, a quote is a
symbol ( " ) on a keyboard. It is
located next to the Backslash key
key on a US QWERTY keyboard.
 • Sometimes referred to as an

Single quote apostrophe, a single quote is a

punctuation symbol that is found
on the United States QWERTY

‘
keyboard next to the backslash
key.
 • A punctuation mark ( , ) found on

Comma the same keyboard key as the

Less than ( < ) key on United

,
States keyboards
 • Alternatively referred to as an

Less than angle bracket, the less than (LT)

is a symbol ( < ) that is found on
all computer keyboards,
commonly the same key as the
comma. The less than symbol
resembles an arrow pointing to
the left.
 • Alternatively referred to as an

Greater than angle bracket or more than, the

greater than is a symbol ( > ) that
is found on all computer
keyboards, commonly on the
same key as the period on U.S.
keyboards. The greater than
symbol resembles an arrow
pointing to the right
 • Alternatively referred to as a full

Period stop or dot, a period ( . ) is a

punctuation mark commonly
found on the same US QWERTY
keyboard key as the greater than
(>)
Question • The question mark ( ? ) is found

mark on the same key as the forward

slash on US keyboards and is
used in written language to
denote a question or a request
for an answer to something.
The Typing Keys
TOP ROW KEYS
HOME ROW KEYS
BOTTOM ROW
KEYS
The FINGER Keys
Knowing the location on
the and assigned finger
to each key is very much
necessary when typing
Two types of Typist
Hunt and • A person who looks for the key

Peck Typing everytime he types on the

keyboard is a hunt and peck
typist.
• Hunt and peck typing is a slow
way of typing on the keyboard.
 In Hunt and Peck Typing:

 The typist is not familiar with the location of the

keys on the keyboard.
 He does not know which finger is assigned to each
key
 More time is used in typing yet more mistakes are
committed
Touch • A person who uses all the typing

Typing fingers and does not look at the

keyboard when typing yet he
types all the keys correctly is a
touch typist
• Touch typing is the fastest way
on the keyboard
 In Touch Typing:

 The typist does not look at the keyboard as he

types
 He is familiar with the location of the keys as well as
the correct finger assigned to each key
 Less time is used in typing yet almost all typed text
is correct
 Did You Know That:

 Once develop a keyboarding proficiency, it

becomes an aid to the improvement of your writing
skills.
Typing Comfortably
 When typing, sit up straight and use chair with back
support to prevent strain on the back.
 Place your feet in front of you or use plank support
so as not to strain your feet while working on the
computer
 Keep your monitor at eye level and sit a hand span
away from the keyboard
 Place the keyboard at an appropriate height and
slightly curve your fingers as you position them on
the keyboard

 Be conscious of the fingers you are using and the

keys you are striking