One of the most powerful features of a graphic user interface (Windows or Macintosh) is the ability to cut or copy material from one place and then paste it into another place. You can cut a paragraph from one place in a document and then paste it into another location in the same document--effectively moving it from one place to another. Or you can copy a paragraph, word, or story from one document and then paste it into an entirely different document. This can be particularly convenient in copying information that you find on the Internet into a word processor. Here is a six-step process to try:

1. Highlight the text that you want to move or cut (this is done by "dragging" with your mouse. You hold the mouse button down as you drag from one end of the desired text block to the other).
2. Click on the "edit" item on the menu bar to drop the edit menu down.
3. Select "cut" or "copy" from the menu by clicking on it. If you select "cut" the highlighted text is deleted from the document and placed on the "clipboard." Selecting "copy" places a copy of the text on the clipboard and leaves the highlighted text unchanged.
4. Now open another application if necessary and go to the location where you would like to paste the text. You will usually need to position your mouse pointer at the location you would like the text inserted. Then, click the mouse button to set the "insertion point" at that location.
5. Click on the "edit" item on the menu bar to drop the edit menu down.
6. Select the "paste" item from the menu by clicking on it. Your text is now inserted precisely at the insertion point.

That is the whole process. Now there is a much easier way to do it using "shortcut keys."

1. As above, highlight the text that you want to move, or cut.
2. Type the shortcut key combination ctrl + x for cut (hold the control (ctrl) key down as you type the "x" key) or ctrl + c for copy (hold the control (ctrl) key down as you type the "c" key.
3. Now move to where you want to insert the text (this may be another location in the same document, or it could be another document in another application) and set the insertion point where you want the text inserted.
4. Type the combination ctrl + v to insert the text.

For you Macintosh users, use the "command" key instead of the control key for the shortcut keys.

Tips:

• You can move paragraphs around in a word processor, or copy them into another page and modify them.
• You cannot "cut" anything from a received email message, a web page, or a usenet newsgroup message. You can, however, "copy" from any of the three.
• You can copy any or all of the text from a word processor to an email message that you are sending. And you can copy from a received email into another email or into a word processor.
• You can copy selected text from a web page and paste it into a word processor and either save it as a file, or print it.
• The shortcut key combination using the "c" and the control key is usually abbreviated "ctrl+c" but may be represented by "^c". In either case, you hold the control or ctrl key down as you type the "c" key.