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Learning how to copy, cut and paste material with your PC is by far
the most important skill you can learn to do with your PC. First, it's important to understand the terms.
To "Copy", in PC talk, means to copy "selected" material into what is called the "clipboard" but leave the original material where it is. To "Cut", in PC talk, means to "remove" "selected" material from where it is presently and place it into the "clipboard". To "Paste", in PC talk, means to paste "selected" material that is in the clipboard to a desired location. Notice the use of the word "selected" in all the terms above. That's because you must first "select" material before you can do "anything" with it. Selecting is done by highlighting material and is explained in the topics that follow. Notice the repeated use of the word "material" in all the terms above. That's because the things you can copy, cut or paste vary from a single letter of the alphabet, to an entire thesis or an entire file. So I use the general term material. The "clipboard" is a place in PC memory where material can be temporarily placed for later use. The clipboard only holds "one" set of material at a time. That means each time something is copied or cut, it replaces what is already in the clipboard. Also, the clipboard is completely erased when the PC is shut down. |
Pay special attention to the word "remove" in the cut term. When you "cut" material, you remove it from where it is and place it in the clipboard. Finally, it is important to realize that pictures, and other forms of graphic material can also be copied, cut and pasted. Yes, when you receive a picture in an e-mail, it can be copied from the message and pasted into an electronic album or onto photo paper or into another message or letter or whatever you wish. Anything you read on the internet can be selected and copied into a document you create on your word processor or other type of program. It can then be used or edited by you in your document as you wish. The basic concept you must understand about copy, cut and paste is that material must "first be selected" before it can be copied or cut and thus be placed into the clipboard. The general procedure is the same for all material. It is: 1. Select material by dragging the mouse or by using the Shift key and arrow keys 2. Copy material using Ctrl+C key strokes or Cut material using Ctrl+X keystrokes. 3. Paste material using Ctrl+V key strokes.
Selecting, copying and pasting will be explained in more detail in the tutorial topics that follow. |