Computer Terminology

People working on computers use these terms frequently. It is important that you be familiar with them. To look up more, go to Education World Internet Glossary or to Webopedia

Alignment – the position of content on a page. For text the choices are Left, Right, Center, or Justify. Justify stretches text to touch both margins. Graphics are aligned by top, bottom, side, or middle. Some applications allow for content to be aligned to the top, middle or bottom of a page.

Attachment – a file that is included with an email. This might be a picture, an office document or any other type of file. It is important that Macintosh users include file extensions when sending attachments since the receiving computer may be a PC, which won’t recognize the file type with it.

Book mark – to store the URL of a website on your browser for future reference. Bookmarks are also known as Favorites on Internet Explorer and you may see Add to Favorites on the menu.

Clip-Art – illustrations, including icons, symbols, decoration that can be inserted into a document. Some is general and others specialized for a particular field. Some clip-art is included with computer applications but more extensive clip-art packages are available on CD. Clip-art. It can also be downloaded for free or for a small fee from the Internet. Illustrations come in several file formats so that you can insert them into various word-processing systems.

Clipboard – a temporary, unseen storage area where cut or copied text or graphics are stored.

Close – to quit or shut down an application, a current document or a window. In Windows this is done by clicking the X in the upper right corner, or by choosing File and Exit from the menu or by using the keyboard shortcut Alt-F4. On a Macintosh, click the X in the upper left corner, choose File or Apple (depending on the operating system) and then Exit, or use the shortcut Command-Q.

Copying – placing an existing piece of text or a graphic on the clipboard without disturbing the original. Choose Edit then Copy from the menu, or right click the mouse and choose Copy, or use the shortcut Ctrl-C

Cutting - placing an existing piece of text or a graphic on the clipboard by removing the original. Choose Edit then Cut from the menu, or right click the mouse and choose Cut, or use the shortcut Ctrl-X.

Crashes – an unexpected and sudden shutting down of an application or of the whole computer. Save your work at least every 10 minutes to guard against a major loss in case of a crash.

Download – to transfer a file (image, document, song, etc.) from the Internet to your computer, especially with the intent on saving that file to your computer. Webpages are downloaded.

File format – Each program (Word, PowerPoint, Photoshop, etc.) is designed to work with a certain type or types of computer files. These are indicated by the extension (.doc, .ppt, .pdf, .gif, .jpg, etc.)

Highlight – to select text for editing. Do this by placing the cursor before or after the text to be selected, holding down the left mouse button, and dragging the mouse over the text.

Icons – small images often used to represent a program, a webpage, a folder, or other entities. Clicking on an icon will open that item.

Margins – the white space left around the edges of a page or document.

Menus – a list of choices offered by a computer program or a webpage. Program menus offer various functions and are usually placed across the top of the page (File, Edit, View, etc.). Webpage menus usually contain links to other webpages. They may have several different types of menus that may be place anywhere on the page.

Page setup – to adjust the parameters of a document. In Word, this involves adjusting the margins, paper size and layout.

Pasting – to place what has been cut or copied into a page or document.

Search – to use a search engine such as Google to look for information on the Internet. Also, to use your computer’s Search or Find functions to locate a file or folder on your computer.

Size box – a box used in Word and other programs to hold text or images that can be drawn out and then resized.

Tab – a set number spaces on a line of text in a document that can be adjusted for convenience and formatting.

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