Controlling keyboard settings

Your keyboard is one of the most important ways you interact with iPad, so it's helpful if you have all the onscreen keyboard settings just the way you want them. You can access these under the Keyboard option in the General settings and they include the following:

• Auto-Capitalization and Auto-Correction: Allows iPad to help you avoid mistakes by automatically suggesting corrections to what it perceives as spelling errors, based on a built-in dictionary, or correcting capitalization mistakes you make after you finish entering a sentence.
• Check Spelling: If you want iPad to automatically check spelling, turning this feature on causes two things to happen: A jagged red line appears under text in apps such as Notes and Mail; and as you type a word with a misspelling, a suggested correct spelling appears in a little bubble. If you also have Auto-Correction turned on, the word will automatically be corrected when you finish typing it and add a space or punctuation mark such as a period. Note that you can use the Undo key on the onscreen keyboard with numbers displayed to undo automatic changes.
• Enable Caps Lock: Activates a feature that lets you double-tap the Shift key to activate Caps Lock. Note that when Caps Lock is activated, the Shift key on the onscreen keyboard is blue. This setting is turned off by default.
• "." Shortcut: Turning this on activates a shortcut that allows you to enter a period and a space by double-tapping the spacebar.
• International Keyboards: Gives you access to the choice of two built-in keyboards: French and English. If you tap Add New Keyboard in this dialog, you are offered nine more language options, including German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, and my personal favorite, Flemish.