Computer Applications – Basic Formatting in MS Word
Read the complete lesson in an organized slide-by-slide format. This topic contains 23 learning sections from the source presentation.
LESSON CONTENTS — 23 SECTIONS
Basic Formatting in MS Word
Session 5: Basic Formatting in Microsoft Word 2003
Information and Communication Technology — CMT/CDT NTA Level 4
Kolandoto College of Health Sciences Mwanza
Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, students are expected to be able to:
- Format characters in a Microsoft Word document.
- Align and space paragraphs in a Microsoft Word document.
- Apply bullets and numbering to a list.
- Set indents and tabs using the ruler and the dialog box.
- Apply borders and shading to text and paragraphs.
- Set up the page and print a Microsoft Word document.
Introduction
In the previous session you learned to create, save and edit a document.
Formatting is the process of changing the appearance of the text and the page so that the document is clear, attractive and professional.
Formatting in Word is applied at three levels
Character formatting — affects selected letters and words.
Paragraph formatting — affects whole paragraphs.
Page formatting — affects the whole document or a section.
The golden rule: select the text first, then apply the format.
Character formatting
Font, size and style
Font — the design of the characters, e.g. Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri.
Font size — measured in points; 10 to 12 point is normal for body text.
Font style — Bold (Ctrl + B), Italic (Ctrl + I), Underline (Ctrl + U).
Font colour — changes the colour of the selected characters.
Highlight — places a coloured background behind the selected text.
To format characters
Using the Format menu
Select the text you want to format.
Click Format on the Menu Bar.
Select Font. The ‘Font’ dialog box appears.
Choose the font, font style, size, colour and underline style.
Preview the result in the Preview box at the bottom.
Click OK to apply.
The Formatting Toolbar
The Formatting Toolbar gives quicker access to the most common character formats.
It contains, from left to right
Style box, Font box and Font Size box.
Bold, Italic and Underline buttons.
Alignment buttons — Left, Centre, Right, Justify.
Numbering and Bullets buttons.
Decrease Indent and Increase Indent buttons.
Borders, Highlight and Font Colour buttons.
If the toolbar is not visible: click View → Toolbars → Formatting.
Other character effects
Superscript
Raises text above the line, e.g. m². Shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + =
Subscript
Lowers text below the line, e.g. H₂O. Shortcut: Ctrl + =
Strikethrough
Draws a line through the text, used to show deleted matter.
Change Case
Format → Change Case. Converts to UPPERCASE, lowercase, Sentence case or Title Case.
Character spacing
Format → Font → Character Spacing tab. Expands or condenses the space between letters.
Format Painter
Copies formatting from one piece of text to another. Double-click to apply repeatedly.
Paragraph formatting
Paragraph alignment
Alignment controls how the lines of a paragraph line up against the margins.
Align Left (Ctrl + L) — even left margin, ragged right. The default.
Centre (Ctrl + E) — used for titles and headings.
Align Right (Ctrl + R) — used for dates and addresses in letters.
Justify (Ctrl + J) — even on both margins; used in reports and newspapers.
To apply: place the insertion point anywhere in the paragraph, then click the alignment button.
Line and paragraph spacing
Line spacing is the space between the lines within a paragraph.
Single, 1.5 lines, Double, At least, Exactly and Multiple.
Shortcuts: Ctrl + 1 single, Ctrl + 5 for 1.5 lines, Ctrl + 2 double.
Paragraph spacing is the space before and after a whole paragraph, measured in points.
To set both: Format → Paragraph → Indents and Spacing tab.
Use paragraph spacing rather than pressing Enter twice — it keeps spacing consistent throughout the document.
Indents
An indent is the distance between the text and the margin.
Left indent — moves the whole paragraph in from the left margin.
Right indent — moves the whole paragraph in from the right margin.
First line indent — indents only the first line of the paragraph.
Hanging indent — indents every line except the first; used for references and lists.
Indents can be set by dragging the markers on the Ruler, or precisely through Format → Paragraph.
The Increase Indent and Decrease Indent buttons move the text by one default tab stop.
To set a tab stop
Tabs let you align text in columns without using the space bar
Click the Tab Selector box at the far left of the Ruler until the tab type you want appears.
Left tab, Centre tab, Right tab, Decimal tab or Bar tab.
Click on the Ruler at the position where the tab stop should be placed.
Press the Tab key while typing to jump to that position.
To move a tab stop, drag it along the Ruler; to remove it, drag it off the Ruler.
For precise settings and dot leaders, use Format → Tabs.
Lists, borders and shading
To create a bulleted or numbered list
Select the lines of text that are to become a list.
Click the Bullets button or the Numbering button on the Formatting Toolbar.
To choose a different bullet character or number style, click Format → Bullets and Numbering.
Choose from the Bulleted, Numbered or Outline Numbered tab.
Click Customize to change the character, font, size and indent position.
Click OK.
Working with lists
Pressing Enter at the end of a list item creates the next item automatically.
Pressing Enter twice, or clicking the Bullets/Numbering button again, ends the list.
Press Tab at the start of an item to demote it to a lower level; Shift + Tab to promote it.
Numbered lists renumber themselves automatically when items are added or deleted.
Use bullets when the order does not matter, and numbers when it does — for example the steps of a clinical procedure.
To apply borders and shading
Select the text or paragraph to be enclosed.
Click Format on the Menu Bar and select Borders and Shading.
On the Borders tab, choose the setting (Box, Shadow, 3-D or Custom).
Choose the line style, colour and width.
Use the ‘Apply to’ box to apply the border to the text or to the whole paragraph.
On the Shading tab, choose a fill colour or pattern for the background.
On the Page Border tab, apply a border around the whole page.
Click OK.
Page setup and printing
Page setup
Page setup controls the appearance of the printed page. Click File → Page Setup.
Margins tab — set the top, bottom, left and right margins, and the gutter for binding.
Orientation — Portrait (tall) or Landscape (wide).
Paper tab — select the paper size, normally A4 in Tanzania.
Layout tab — set section starts, and headers and footers options.
Click Default if the settings should apply to all new documents.
Page breaks and page numbers
A page break moves the following text to the top of the next page.
Insert → Break → Page break, or press Ctrl + Enter.
Never create a new page by pressing Enter repeatedly — editing the text above will spoil the layout.
To number the pages: Insert → Page Numbers, then choose the position and alignment.
Un-tick ‘Show number on first page’ when the first page is a cover page.
To preview and print a document
Click File → Print Preview, or click the Print Preview button, to see the page as it will print.
Use the Magnifier, Multiple Pages and Shrink to Fit tools to check the layout.
Click Close to return to the document and correct any problems.
Click File → Print (Ctrl + P). The ‘Print’ dialog box appears.
Select the printer, the page range (All, Current page, or specific pages such as 1-3, 5).
Enter the number of copies required.
Click OK to print.
Key points
Always select the text before applying a format.
Character formatting affects letters and words; paragraph formatting affects whole paragraphs; page formatting affects the whole document.
Use paragraph spacing instead of blank lines, and page breaks instead of repeated Enter keys.
Use tabs, not the space bar, to align text in columns.
Always use Print Preview before printing, to avoid wasting paper and toner.
Evaluation
Differentiate between character formatting and paragraph formatting.
List the four (4) types of paragraph alignment and state where each is used.
Explain the difference between a first line indent and a hanging indent.
Describe the steps for creating a numbered list in Microsoft Word.
Why should tabs be used instead of the space bar to align text in columns?
Describe the steps for printing pages 2 to 5 of a document.
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