“Go to the “Edit” menu and there should be an option to “Select All”.”

English Lesson: Go to the “Edit” menu and there should be an option to “Select All”.

You're showing a coworker how to use a computer program. You want her to select an action that's inside of one of the program's menus.

Go to the “Edit” menu and there should be an option to “Select All”.

Want Video and Sound? Follow us on YouTube

go to (somewhere on a computer)

We talk about our computer systems like they are physical places. When you want to talk about where a file is, for example, you say something like this:

I think it's in my "Documents" folder.

You can also use the phrase "go to ___":

Go to your documents folder, then click "New File".

We use "go to ___" to talk about folders, but also applications and menus:

Go to your email. OK, now go to "Tools".

the (something) menu

On a computer, we call a list of choices a "menu".

What's in your "File" menu?

There are a few related terms that you should know:

  • A "menu bar" is a list of menus that show up at the top of your computer screen.
  • A "drop-down" menu is a menu that only appears after you click on a link or hover over it.

there should be (something)

Say this when you think that something exists somewhere:

There should be a flashlight in the closet next to the bathroom.

This means "I think that there is a flashlight in the closet next to the bathrooom."

Use this phrase when you're not really sure that your memory or your guess is correct. 

an option

An "option" is something that you can choose from a list. Here are some examples of how to use "option":

There are several options to choose from.

I think I'll go with the second option.

Select All

Some computer programs have a function that lets you "Select All". That means that you can select all of the things, like:

all of the files in a folder

all of the words in a document

all of the rows in a spreadsheet