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Keyboard inputs and typing practice

This section describes the keyboard layout for a standard Windows-compatible keyboard. If you are using a different type of keyboard, your layout may be different.

There is a single row of keys across the top of the keyboard. From left to right, the keys are laid out in this order: Escape, F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6, F7, F8, F9, F10, F11, F12, Print Screen, Scroll Lock, Pause. These keys are in five blocks: first block contains only one key which is escape. Second, third and fourth blocks are of 4 keys each. These blocks contain the 12 function keys. Fifth block has remaining three keys.

Immediately below this row of keys, there is a large bank of keys, with 15 keys across the top and five keys down the left side. This bank contains the alphanumeric and editing keys. Across the top row, this bank contains:

• Left single quote, shift for tilde.
• Number 1, shift for exclamation point. Number 2, shift for at the rate sign.
• Number 3, shift for number sign.
• Number 4, shift for dollar sign.
• Number 5, shift for percent sign.
• Number 6, shift for caret.
• Number 7, shift for ampersand.
• Number 8, shift for asterisk or star.
• Number 9, shift for open parenthesis.
• Number 0, shift for close parenthesis.
• Dash, shift for underscore.
• Equal sign, shift for plus sign.
• Back slash, shift for vertical bar.
• Backspace.

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Across the second row, this bank contains:

• Tab,
• Q, W, E, R, T, Y, U, I, O, P,
• Open bracket, shift for open curly brace,
• Close bracket, shift for close curly brace.

Across the third row, the bank contains:

• Caps Lock,
• A, S, D, F, G, H, J, K, L,
• Semicolon, shift for colon,
• Right single quote, shift for double quote,
• Enter key.

Across the fourth row, this bank contains:

• Shift,
• Z, X, C, V, B, N, M,
• comma, shift for less than sign,
• period, shift for greater than sign,
• slash, shift for question mark),
• Shift.

Across the fifth row, this bank contains:

• Control,
• Start menu,
• Alt,
• space bar,
• Alt,
• Start menu,
• context menu,
• Control.

To the right of this large bank of keys, there are two smaller sets of keys. The top set consists of six keys arranged in two rows and three columns:

• First column from left contains insert and delete keys
• The middle column contains home and end keys
• The right most column contains page up and page down keys.

Below this set of keys is a group of four keys. The top key is the up arrow; beneath it are the left, down, and right arrows.

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The number keypad has five rows of keys

• The top row has four small keys, namely NUM lock on/off key, slash, asterisk and dash from left to right.
• The second row has three small keys namely number 7, 8, 9.
• The third row again has three small keys namely number 4, 5, 6.
• The forth row has three small keys namely number 1, 2, 3.
• And the bottom row has one long horizontal key and one small key; namely number 0 and decimal.
• The right side of the keypad has two long vertical keys. They are plus and enter key below the dash key.

When Num Lock is off:

• The 5 key becomes the centre key
• 8 becomes up arrow
• 2 becomes down arrow
• 4 becomes left arrow
• 6 becomes right arrow
• 9 becomes page up
• 3 becomes page down
• 7 becomes home
• 1 becomes end
• 0 becomes insert
• Dot becomes delete
• Slash becomes left mouse click
• Star becomes right mouse click
• Dash becomes a key to activate the jaws cursor
• Plus becomes a key to activate the PC cursor

Contact details: National association for the blind Technology & Training Center
Sec-5, R.K. Puram
New Delhi 110022
Phone: +91-11 26102944, 26176379
E-mail: nab@vsnl.com
Website: www.nabdelhi.org

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