ICT 132
Microsoft Word
What is Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word is word processing software.
It is developed by Microsoft and is part of Microsoft Office Suite.
It enables you to create, edit and save professional documents like
letters and reports.
Microsoft Office Button
Microsoft Office Button is located on the top left corner of
the window. For other versions of Microsoft office, you will
not get the windows button, instead you have just the word
“File”
When you click the button it offers a list of commands to perform
different tasks which are New, Open, Save, Save As, Print, Prepare,
Send, Publish and Close. These commands are
described below the following image.
New: This command enables you to create a new file, i.e. Word
document.
Open: This command allows you to open an existing file on the
computer.
Save: This command is used to save a file after completing the
work. You can also save the changes made to the currently open
file.
Save As: This command helps you save a new file with a desired
file name to a desired location on the hard drive.
Print: This command is used to print a hard copy of the currently
open document.
Prepare: This command allows you to prepare the document for
distribution, i.e. you can view and edit the document properties
and inspect the hidden metadata.
Send: This command allows you to share the document with
other users, i.e. you can send a document through e-mail or by
posting to a blog.
Publish: This command allows you to distribute the document to
other people, i.e. you can create a blog with the content of the
document.
Close: This command is used to close the currently open file.
Quick Access Toolbar
Quick Access Toolbar lies next to the Microsoft Office Button. It is
a customizable toolbar that comes with a set of independent
commands. It gives you quick access to commonly used
commands such as Save, Undo, Redo, etc.
When you click the drop-down arrow next to toolbar it offers
more commands.
With a left click you can add any of these commands to
Quick Access Toolbar.
You can also remove the commands added to the tool bar.
The indent, spacing values, individual styles and other
features that appear on the ribbon cannot be added to
quick access toolbar. The following image is showing the
menu of quick access toolbar.
Title Bar
It lies next to the Quick Access Toolbar. It displays the title of the
currently open document or application. It is present on almost all
windows displayed on your computer. So, if there are several windows
across the screen, you can identify each window by looking at the title
bar. In many graphical user interfaces, you can also move a window by
dragging the title bar.
Ribbon and Tabs
The Ribbon is a user interface element which was
introduced by Microsoft in Microsoft Office 2007. It is
located below the Quick Access Toolbar and the Title Bar. It
comprises seven tabs; Home, Insert, Page layout,
References, Mailing, Review and View. Each tab has
specific groups of related commands. It gives you quick
access to the commonly used commands that you need to
complete a task.
Home tab:
The Home tab is the default tab in Microsoft Word. It has five groups of
related commands; Clipboard, Font, Paragraph, Styles and Editing. It helps
you change document settings like font size, adding bullets, adjusting styles
and many other common features. It also helps you to return to the home
section of the document.
Insert tab:
Insert Tab is the second tab in the Ribbon. As the name
suggests, it is used to insert or add extra features in your
document. It is commonly used to add tables, pictures, clip art,
shapes, page number, etc. The Insert tab has seven groups of
related commands; Pages, Tables, Illustrations, Links, Header &
Footer, Text and Symbols.
Page Layout tab:
It is the third tab in the Ribbon. This tab allows you to control
the look and feel of your document, i.e. you can change the
page size, margins, line spacing, indentation, documentation
orientation, etc. The Page Layout tab has five groups of related
commands; Themes, Page Setup, Page Background, Paragraph
and Arrange.
References tab:
It is the fourth tab in the Ribbon. It allows you to enter document
sources, citations, bibliography commands, etc. It also offers
commands to create a table of contents, an index, table of
contents and table of authorities. The References tab has six
groups of related commands; Table of Contents, Footnotes,
Citations & Bibliography, Captions, Index and Table of
Authorities.
Mailings tab:
It is the fifth tab in the ribbon. It is the least-often used tab of all
the tabs available in the Ribbon. It allows you merge emails,
writing and inserting different fields, preview results and
convert a file into a PDF format. The Mailings tab has five
groups of related commands; Create, Start Mail Merge, Write &
Insert Fields, Preview Results and Finish.
Review tab:
It is the sixth tab in the Ribbon. This tab offers you some
important commands to modify your document. It helps you
proofread your content, to add or remove comments, track
changes, etc. The Review tab has six groups of related
commands; Proofing, Comments, Tracking, Changes,
Compare and Protect.
View tab:
The View tab is located next to the Review tab. This tab allows
you to switch between Single Page and Two Page views. It
also enables you to control various layout tools like
boundaries, guides, rulers. Its primary purpose is to offers
you different ways to view your document. The View tab has
five groups of related commands; Document Views,
Show/Hide, Zoom, Window and Macros.
Ruler
The Ruler is located below the Ribbon around the edge of the
document. It is used to change the format of the document, i.e.
it helps you align the text, tables, graphics and other elements
of your document. It uses inches or centimeters as the
measurements unit and gives you an idea about the size of the
document.
THESAURUS AND TYPING ERRORS
Microsoft Office takes note of errors when ever a document
is being edited. The following are the most common errors:
A. SPELLING ERRORS; In Microsoft Office, any word not
installed in the computer’s dictionary is considered to be a
wrong spelling. All the spelling in Microsoft Office are
indicated by a red zigzag underline.
For example Mumba though being a correct spelling in
another language, it is considered wrongly spelt since it is
not in the computer’s dictionary .
The zigzag underline does not appear on a print out if
made.
Spelling Errors can be handled in one of the following
ways:
IGNORE: This makes the zigzag underline to disappear while making
no change to the word.
ADD TO DICTIONARY: If you are truly sure that the word you have
typed exists, say it is a name in another language, you can add it to the
dictionary. That will add the word to the dictionary only on the computer
you are using.
SELECT SUGGESTED OPTION: When a spelling is identified the
computer will suggest words which resemble the word with an error.
How to Correct Errors in Ms Word
When you type text in a document, by default the Word informs
you if there is any contextual, spelling or grammatical error. Word
informs you in different ways for different errors;
If there is any contextual error in the document, it will underline
the text with blue line.
If there is any spelling error in the document, it will underline the
text with red line.
If there is any grammar error in the document, it will underline the
text with green line.
How to Insert Text in MS Word
The basic steps to insert text or to create a new document in Word are listed
below;
Go to the start menu and look for Microsoft Word icon
Click the icon to open the Microsoft Word
You will see a blinking cursor or insertion point in the text area below the
ribbon
Now, as you start typing, the words will appear on the screen in the text area
To change the location of insertion point press spacebar, Enter or Tab keys
How to Delete Text in MS Word
You can easily delete the text in Word including characters, paragraphs
or all of the content of your document. Word offers you different
methods to delete the text; some of the commonly used methods are
given below;
Place the cursor next to the text then press Backspace key
Place the cursor to the left of the text then press Delete key
Select the text and press the Backspace or Delete key
Select the text and type over it the new text.
How to Select Text in MS Word
Place the cursor next to the text then left click the mouse and holding it down
move it over the text then release it. The text will be selected.
Some shortcuts for selecting text are:
To select a single word double click within the word
To select the entire paragraph triple click within the paragraph
To select entire document, in Home tab, in Editing group click Select then
choose Select All option or press CTRL+A
or Shift + Arrow; hold down the shift key then press the arrow key, the word
will select the text in the direction of the arrow key. There are arrow keys, so
you can select the text in different directions.
How to Copy and Paste Text in MS Word
Word offers different methods to copy and paste text. Some of the
popular methods are given below;
Method 1;
Select the text you want to copy
Select the Home tab and click the Copy command
Place the cursor where you want to paste the text
Click the Paste command in Home tab
Method 2;
Select the text
Place the cursor over the text and right click the mouse
A menu will appear; with a left click select the "Copy" option
Now, move the cursor to a desired location and right click the mouse
A menu will appear; with a left click select the 'Paste" option.
How to Save the Document in MS Word
When you create a document it is important to save the document so that it
can be viewed or reused later. The basic steps to save a document are listed
below;
Click the Microsoft Office Button
A list of different commands appears
Click the 'Save As' command
it displays 'Save As' Dialogue Box
Save the document to desired location with a desired name
You can also choose 'Save' command from the list to save the document to its
current location with same title. If you are saving a fresh document it displays
'Save As' dialogue box.
The shortcut method to save a document is to press "Ctrl+S" keys. It
opens the 'Save As' dialogue box where you can name you document and
save it to a desired location.
How to Check Word Count in Ms Word
When you start typing, the Word automatically counts the number of
words and number of pages and displays the information on the status
bar. If the word count is not available on the status bar, you can right
click the status bar and select the Word Count option from the menu.
Basic steps to check the word count are listed below;
Open the document
Look at left bottom corner of the document
You will see the total word count and the number of pages
To know the word count of a specific line or paragraph you have to select it
then Word will display its word count along with the total word count, e.g.
15/40. In this example, the selection has 15 words out of the total number of
words (40).
How to Change Font Size in MS Word
You can easily change the font size of your text in the document. The
basic steps to change the Font size are listed below;
Select the text that you want to modify
In Home tab locate the Font group
In Font group click the drop-down arrow next to font size box
Font size menu appears
Select the desired font size with a left click
Select the text and click the increase or decrease font size buttons
How to Change Font Style in MS Word
The basic steps to change the font of a text in a document are given
below;
Select the text you want to modify
Select the Home tab and locate the Font group
Click the drop-down arrow next to font style box
Font style menu appears
With a left click select the desired font style
If you want to change the font to bold or italic, click the 'B' or 'I' icons on
the format bar.
How to Format Font Color in MS Word
MS Word allows you to change the Font color of your text. If you want to
emphasize a particular word or phrase, you can change its font color.
The basic steps to change the Font color are given below;
Select the text you want to modify
In Home tab locate the Font group
Click the drop-down arrow next to Font color button
Font color menu appears
Select the desired font color with a left click
Word will change the Font color of the selected text.
How to Change Text Case in MS Word
You can easily change the text case in your document by following the steps
given below;
Select the text you want to change
In Home tab ,locate the Font group
Click the drop-down arrow in 'Change Case' button
It displays text case menu
Select the desired case with a left click
The case menu offers four options;
Sentence case: It capitalizes the first letter of each sentence.
Lowercase: It changes the text from uppercase to lowercase.
Uppercase: It capitalizes all the all letters of your text.
Capitalize Each Word: It capitalizes the first letter of each word.
Toggle Case: It allows you to shift between two case views, e.g. to shift
between Capitalize Each Word and cAPITALIZE eACH wORD .
See the image:
How to Change Text Alignment in MS
Word
You can change the text alignment in your document to make it more
presentable and readable. The basic steps to change the text alignment are
given below;
Select the content you want to modify
In Home tab locate the Paragraph group
It has four alignment options ;
Align Text Left: Aligns the text towards left margin
Center: Brings the text at centre
Align Text Right: Aligns the text towards right margin
Justify: Aligns the text to both left and right margins
Select the desired alignment option with a left click
How to Insert a Text Box in MS Word
Text box allows you to control the position of a block of text in your
document. You can also format them with borders and shading. The two
commonly used methods to insert Text Boxes are given below:
Method 1:
Select the Insert tab
Locate the Text group
Click the Text Box button
It displays Built-In text box menu and an option to draw table
With a left click select the desired text box format from the menu
Method 2:
Select 'Draw Text Box' option
A cross shaped cursor appears
Left click the mouse and holding it down drag it to draw the box of desired
dimensions
Bold, Italic and Underline Commands in MS
Word
These commands are given in the Font group in the Home tab. Their functions
are given below;
Bold: It allows you to Bold the text of your document
Italic: It allows you to Italicize the text of your document
Underline: It allows you to underline the text of your document
How to Create First Line Indent in MS Word
You can create indent within your paragraph by following these steps;
Select the paragraph or place the cursor anywhere within the paragraph
Select the Home tab
Locate the Paragraph group and click the arrow at right bottom corner
'Paragraph' dialog box appears
In 'Indents and Spacing' section click the drop down arrow in 'Special' field
Select the 'First Line' option
Enter desired indent in 'By' field and click Ok
How to Apply Style in MS Word
You can create professional and presentable documents in MS Word by
applying different styles. The basic steps to apply a style in a document are
listed below;
Select the text to which you want to apply the style
Select the Home tab
In Styles group you will see different styles;
To view more styles click the drop-down arrow
It displays style menu
Select the desired style with a left-click
How to Customize Style in MS Word
If you are looking for formatting options that are not given in the built-in
styles, you can modify or customize an existing style to fulfill your needs. The
steps to customize a style are as follows;
Select the style that you want to modify
Right click the mouse
It displays a list of different commands
Select the 'Modify' option;
'Modify Style' dialogue box appears
• Make the desired changes to formatting
• Click OK to apply the changes to style
How to Create New Style in MS Word
You can add new styles to your list of styles, i.e. Word allows you to set the
styles for font, figure, paragraph, etc. It helps you to keep consistency in all
the documents of a topic or subject. The steps to create new styles are given
below;
Select the Home tab
In Styles group click the arrow at the right bottom corner of the group
It displays the 'Styles' task pane;
In 'Styles' task pane click the 'New Style' button
It displays 'Create New Style from Formatting' dialogue box;
• Enter the name for new style and make all the desired changes
• Click OK, the new style will be added to the list of styles
How to Change Page Orientation in MS Word
Page Orientation refers to the direction in which a document is displayed. It is
of two types; portrait (vertical) and landscape (horizontal). The default
orientation is portrait; it can be changed to landscape by following these
steps;
Select the Page Layout tab
Locate the Page Setup group
In Page Setup group click the Orientation command
It displays two options, Portrait and Landscape
Select the desired page orientation
How to Change Page Size in MS Word
The default paper size in Word is 8.5 x 11 inches which easily fits in printers.
This size is not fixed; you can change it if you want a document with different
paper size. The steps to change the paper size are given below;
Click the Page Layout tab
In Page Setup group click the Size command
Paper size menu will appear
With a left click select the desired paper size
To customize page size click the 'More Paper Sizes' option
How to Change Page Margins in MS Word
The margin is the space between the text and border of a document. By
default, it is a one-inch space. Depending on your needs, it can be changed by
following the below-listed steps;
Select the Page Layout tab
In Page Setup group click the Margins command
A list of Margins appears
Select the desired Margin with a left click
To customize Margins select 'Custom Margins'. It displays a 'Page
Setup' dialog box. Enter the desired margin size and click Ok
How to Insert Page Break in MS Word
Word inserts a page break at the end of each page. It also allows you to insert
a page break at some other place in the document. The steps to insert page
break are given below;
Place the cursor where you want to insert the break
Select the Page Layout tab
In Page Setup group click the 'Breaks' command
A list of Page Breaks appears
With a left click select the desired page break from the list
How to Insert Header and Footer in MS
Word
Header and Footer allow you to add additional information like dates, file
names, page numbers at the top or bottom of your document. The basic steps
to set up a header and footer are given below;
Select the Insert tab
Locate the Header & Footer group
It shows Header and Footer commands
As required click either Header or Footer command
It displays a list of built in Header or Footer options
Select the desired option
If you select the Blank option it displays Design tab with header and
footer tools.
Once the Design tab is active you can add Date and Time to Header
or Footer by clicking the Date & Time command. On clicking it
displays 'Date & Time' dialog box. Select the desired date format,
time format or date & time format.
How to Insert Table in MS Word
Table is a versatile tool of MS Word. It allows you to organize your
information, i.e. you can align text, present numerical data and create forms
and calendar. The steps to insert table are given below;
Place the cursor where you want to insert the table
Select the Insert tab
In Tables group click the Table command
It displays different options to insert the table
Select the desired option to insert the table
To Convert Text to Table
Select the text
Select the Insert tab
In Tables group click the Table command
Select the 'Convert Text to Table' option;
It displays a dialog box
In 'Separate text at' section select the desired option
Click OK, the text will convert to a table
How to Add Row in Table
If you want to increase or add a new row in your table, you can follow the
steps given below;
Place the cursor in a row above or below which you want to add row
Right click the mouse
A menu appears
Place the arrow over Insert option
It will display a menu
As required select 'Insert Rows Above' or 'Insert Rows Below'
How to Add Column in Table
If you want to increase or add a new column in your table, you can follow
these steps;
Place the cursor in the column adjacent to which you want to add the column
Right click the mouse
It displays a menu
Place the arrow over Insert option
It shows a list of commands
As required select 'Insert Columns to the Right' or 'Insert Columns to the Left
How to Delete Column or Row in Table
The table command also allows you to delete a column or row in your table.
You can delete the unwanted columns or rows by following these steps;
Select the column or row of the table
Right click the mouse
A menu appears
As required select 'Delete Columns' or 'Delete Rows'
How to Modify Table
Word allows you to customize tables as per your requirement. You can modify
your table in different ways, i.e. you can choose a table style, table design,
draw borders. The steps to modify a table are given below;
Select the table
Two new tabs Design and Layout appear on the Ribbon
On Design tab you will see three groups of commands to modify table; Table
Style Options, Table Styles and Draw Borders;
Layout tab has six groups of commands to format table;
Layout tab has six groups of commands to format table;
How to Split Text to Columns
You can split your text to columns as shown in the image given below. It helps
you make your text more readable and presentable. The steps involved in this
process are given below;
Open the document
Select the Page Layout tab
In Page Setup group click the Columns command
It displays a list of options to split text into columns
Select the desired option
How to Insert Smart Art Graphics
You can insert Smart Art Graphics in your document to effectively
communicate your message. You can insert a process flow, a relationship or an
organization hierarchy. The steps to insert smart art graphics are given below;
Place the cursor in the document where you want to insert graphics
Select the Insert tab
In Illustrations group select the 'Smart Art' command;
On left side, a dialog box appears with list of categories
In the center you will see the illustrations available in a category
Select the desired illustration and click Ok