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University of ReadingIT ServicesDocumentsTrainingWord > Word 2003 Intermediate

Microsoft Word 2003 - An Intermediate Guide


Contents

  • Introduction
  • Starting up Microsoft Word
  • Safety at Work
  • Creating a Title
  • Using Styles
  • The Body (Normal) Text
  • Changing Fonts
  • Changing the Font Size
  • Typing the Body Text
  • Aligning Text on the Page
  • Altering Line Spacing
  • Working with Selected Text
  • Selecting the Text
  • Cut, Copy and Paste
  • Making Multiple Copies
  • Drag and Drop
  • Undo and Redo
  • Further Formatting
  • Numbered and Bulleted Lists
  • Indented Text
  • Creating and Modifying a Style
  • Modifying Normal
  • Tabular Information
  • Using the Tab Key
  • Inserting a Table
  • Borders and Shading
  • Correcting Spelling and Grammar
  • Inserting Things
  • Special Characters
  • Page Breaks
  • Page Numbers
  • Graphics and Pictures
  • Printing and Page Setup
  • Finishing Off
See Document Conventions for information on the meaning of the text formatting used below.

Introduction

The aim of this document is to teach you how to get the most out of Microsoft Word for everyday tasks. In particular, it shows you the best way to write something like an essay. It should bring undergraduates up to a level sufficient for their studies.
This document assumes that you are familiar with the layout of Word and understand such concepts as pull-down menus, toolbars and buttons, which are covered in the document Microsoft Word - A Beginners' Guide. It also assumes you know about saving and printing your work. These topics are covered in A Quick Guide to Saving Filesand A Quick Guide to Printing, respectively.
Starting up Microsoft Word
To start Microsoft Word:
  1. Open the Windows Start menu, choose All Programs then Microsoft Office and finally Microsoft Office Word 2003
Tip: You can place a copy of the Microsoft Word icon on the Desktop, giving you easy access in future. To do this, simply drag Word from the Microsoft Office menu onto the Desktop.
A new document will open, ready for you to begin typing your work. You could now open an existing file but, for this course, work on the empty document.
WARNING: Avoid opening files directly from a floppy disk, USB pen or similar media - copy them to My Documents first and open them from there. Copy back to your media after editing.
Safety at Work
Zoom -
When working at a computer you should always sit comfortably - adjust the chair for height and, if necessary, alter the screen display for brightness and contrast. The monitor should rotate and tilt; try to position it to avoid reflections on the screen. You shouldn't sit too close to the screen/keyboard, neither should you have to stretch.
You can also magnify the size of the text on the screen. On the IT Services lab PCs, this option is already set on but it may not be on your own personal PC. Click on the list arrow attached to the [Zoom] button and choose Page Width (in Normal View or Text Width in Print Layout View). Note that this does not affect the size of your printed output.
The Task Pane is also shown on the right, occupying valuable space. When it is not needed (you don’t need it showing now):
  1. Hide the Task Pane by clicking on its [Close] button (the little x in the top right corner)

Creating a Title

When starting a new document, the first thing you usually do is to type in a title. Titles need to stand out from the rest of the text. To achieve this, most people turn on bold and select a larger font size (and then reset them after typing the title) but Word provides a facility to do this automatically.
Using Styles
Style -
Turning on bold/italic/underline and changing fonts or font size explicitly is not the best way to create a title. In Microsoft Word you have different heading styles already set up for you:
  1. On the lower Formatting toolbar, click on the list arrow attached to the [Style] button
You will be presented with a list of different styles already set up by Microsoft:

  1. Select Heading 1 to create a title which is automatically bold and in larger letters
  2. Type the title of your work - eg My Main Title
  3. Press <Enter> and the style automatically reverts back to Normal
  4. Press <Enter> again to separate your title from the rest of your work
Styles are simply different types of formatted text. It is better to use them rather than setting up a particular format manually for several reasons:
  • You don't have to keep clicking on the toolbar buttons to activate and de-activate the settings
  • You don't have to remember how different heading and sub-heading levels have been set up
  • If you alter a style, text defined in that style changes throughout the whole document
  • You can create your own styles
  • Most importantly, heading styles are used to generate a Table of Contents automatically– this is very important when you have to write a thesis or dissertation
You will learn a little more about styles later in these notes.

The Body (Normal) Text

You next need to decide how you want the rest of your text to appear. It's easiest to set this up before you start typing - the settings will then be carried forward from one paragraph to the next.
Changing Fonts
Font -
You may have noticed that Heading 1 is a different font (Arial) to Normal text (Times New Roman). You might want to use a different style of lettering (font) to personalise your work. Several fonts are available in Word. To change the current font (from Times New Roman):
  1. Click on the list arrow attached to the [Font] button on the Formatting toolbar
  2. Click on the font you require, eg Bookman Old Style
Tip: It's best to stick to true-type fonts (those labelled TT) to maintain your document's portability.
Some fonts (eg Symbol and Wingdings) produce non-Roman letters or iconic symbols. Courier New gives a 'typewriter' font. Sans-serif fonts, such as Ariel, give clear headings.
Changing the Font Size
Font Size -
Generally a point size of 10, 11 or 12 is used for the body of the text while point sizes of 12 to 16 are used for headings. The current size (12) is shown in the font size box. To alter this:
  1. Click on the list arrow attached to the [Font Size] button on the toolbar
  2. Click on the size you require - for example, 11
Tip: You can also type the number directly into the font size box (press <Enter> to set it). This allows you to select a font size not in the list - for example if you want very large characters.
Typing the Body Text
  1. Type in a paragraph. If you are not very fast at typing, just type some rubbish similar to below (remember to leave spaces between your made-up words and let the computer put the words onto the different lines - ie don't press the <Enter> key just yet):

A jagged red (or occasionally green) line may appear beneath your text. Don't worry about this - Word is telling you that what you typed is not recognised (not in the dictionary) or that the grammar may be incorrect. You learn more about this later.
  1. If you have already pressed <Enter> press <Backspace> to move back into your paragraph
Before typing any more text, you may want to change the layout of your paragraphs. For example, you might need them justified or double spaced. You could have set these characteristics before you started typing, but it's easier to see what's happening now that you have some words on the screen.
Aligning Text on the Page
Align Left - Center - Align Right - Justify - Distributed -
When typing a document you normally want text to align on the left-hand side of the page. Some people prefer text to be fully justified, this is where text aligns both left and right. You can also align text to the right (eg for an address) or to the centre (eg for a title or heading). You can use the buttons shown above to control how text is aligned on the page.
  1. Check that the insertion point (current typing position) is at the end of your first paragraph and that you haven't any blank lines afterwards (if you have, press <Delete>)
  2. Try out all five justification buttons - click on [Justify] if you want your text fully justified
Note how only the current paragraph is affected; each paragraph has its own justification setting.
Tip: If you like justified text, consider turning on hyphenation. This automatically splits a long word at the end of a line in two, improving the layout considerably. To turn this on, open the Tools menu, choose Language then Hyphenation... and turn on Automatically hyphenate document.
Altering Line Spacing
Line Spacing-
Sometimes you might be asked to double space your work (or use some other spacing). You might even choose to have a quotation (for example) single spaced, with the rest of your text one-and-a-half spaced.
  1. Click on the list arrow attached to the [Line Spacing] button
  2. Select 2.0 for double spacing
Tip: Word also lets you alter paragraph spacing using control key combinations. Use <Ctrl 2> (hold down <Ctrl> and press <2>) for double, <Ctrl 1> for single and <Ctrl 5> for one-and-a-half spacing. <Ctrl 0> adds a blank line before a paragraph.
If you need a line spacing which is not in the list then you can use the menu system or More... from the [Line Spacing] button. In the Paragraph window you can also change various other settings:
  1. Open the Format menu and select Paragraph... - the Paragraph window appears:

  1. On the Indents and Spacing tab, use the list arrow under Line spacing: to see what's possible
Tip: Note the option Exactly. This is useful if something doesn't quite fit neatly on a page (where text overflows by one line onto a new page, for example). Instead of 2.0, you could set a line spacing of exactly 1.9 for that page, for example.
Another useful option is Spacing, which allows you to set up extra space around each paragraph (this saves you pressing <Enter> twice between paragraphs). While the Paragraph window is still open, have a look at the options on the Line and Page Breaks tab:
  1. Click on the Line and Page Breaks tab
Currently, Widow/Orphan control is set on. This ensures you don't have a single line of a paragraph isolated from the rest when printing (at least two lines will be shown on the top or bottom of the page). Note also Keep with next, which keeps two paragraphs together. This is automatically turned on for you when you use a heading style. There's no need to change any of the settings here, so:
  1. Click on [Cancel] or press <Esc> to close the Paragraph window
Now continue typing some more text:
  1. Press <Enter> to end your first paragraph, then press it again to give yourself a blank line
  2. Type in another paragraph or two so you have a more realistic document. Include full stops, question marks or exclamation marks to create imaginary sentences
  3. [Save] your work - there's no need to change the filename here, unless you want to
Tip: It is a good idea to save your work regularly (eg every 10 minutes or so). The easiest way to do this is to press <Ctrl s> periodically.

Working with Selected Text

Selecting text is very important as it identifies which section of text you want Word to modify. Selected text can also be moved round within a document or between documents, copied or deleted.
Selecting the Text
Selecting can be done in several different ways, depending on how much text is involved. Any selected text can be de-selected by clicking on the mouse button once.
  1. Try out the following - the last method is particularly useful:
  • A single word - point to it using the mouse then double click on the mouse button - your selected word should be highlighted. Click once on the mouse to de-select it
  • A single line - position the mouse pointer in the left-hand margin (where its shape changes to an arrow pointing inwards) and click once
  • A whole paragraph - either double click in the left margin or click three times within the text
  • The whole document - either click three times in the left margin or use <Ctrl a>
  • A sentence - hold down <Ctrl> and click anywhere within the sentence
  • A short piece of text - drag through the text to be selected
  • A long piece of text - click at the start of the text to be selected then move down, using the scroll bars, and hold down <Shift> as you click at the end of the selection
  • To modify an existing selection - hold down <Shift> and use the arrow keys (this method can also be used to make a selection, starting from the insertion point)
Now you know how to select some of your document, you can change its current appearance:
  1. Select a single word (double click on it)
  2. Make the text bold by clicking on the [Bold] button
Tip: You can use <Ctrl b> to issue a bold command - <Ctrl i> gives italic; <Ctrl u> underline.
  1. Change the font by clicking on the [Font]list arrow and choose Symbol
  2. Click on the mouse button to release the selection
Cut, Copy and Paste
Cut - Copy - Paste - Format Painter -
Moving text around a document is done by:
  • Selecting it
  • Cutting or copying it from its present position
  • Pasting it back to its new one
You can copy information within the same document, from one document to another, or from one program to another (for example, text on a web page can be copied into your Word document).
  1. Move to the top of your document (press <Ctrl Home>) and select the first paragraph of text (click three times within the paragraph ordouble click at the left)
  2. Click on the [Cut] button (or right click and choose Cut) and the paragraph will disappear - do not be alarmed, it has not been lost, but has been copied onto the clipboard
  3. Move the insertion point down to the end of your text (<Ctrl End>)
  4. Click on the [Paste] button (or right click and choose Paste) - your original paragraph will be pasted into its new position
Tip: You can use <Ctrl x> to issue a cut command - <Ctrl c> gives copy; <Ctrl v> paste.
Note also the [Format Painter] button. This is used to copy the format (font and/or paragraph settings) from one piece of text to another. First select the text (or paragraph) then paint its format:
  1. Select the text (or paragraph) whose format you wish to copy - here double click on the word in Symbol font
  2. Click on the [Format Painter] button (the pointer becomes a paintbrush)
  3. Drag through another piece of text - release the mouse button and it too becomes Greek
Making Multiple Copies
When making multiple copies of text, you normally Copy rather than Cut it to the clipboard:
  1. Select some text (a few words will do) and click on the [Copy] button (or right click and choose Copy, or press <Ctrl c>)
  2. Your original text will remain where it is, but a copy of it has been placed on the clipboard
  3. Move the insertion point to where you want to paste the text
  4. Click on the [Paste] button (or right click and choose Paste, or press <Ctrl v>)
  5. Repeat step 4 and a second copy of the text will appear
Up to 24 items can be stored on the clipboard, which is hidden by default. To display it:
  1. Open the Edit menu and select Office Clipboard... - it appears in the Task Pane on the right
  2. Select another part of your text and [Copy] it - watch it appear on the clipboard
  3. Move the insertion point then click on the new clipboard entry to paste it into your text
  4. Repeat step 8 but click on the original clipboard entry
You won't need to paste any of the text again, so it's a good idea to empty the clipboard:
  1. Click on the [Clear All] button in the Clipboard pane
  2. Close the Task Pane by clicking on its [Close] button (the little x in the top right corner)
Tip: You can also display the clipboard by pressing <Ctrl cc> (ie press the c key twicewhile holding down <Ctrl>).
Drag and Drop
If you wish to move text a short way then you can use the drag and drop technique:
  1. Select some text - a few words is sufficient
  2. Move the mouse pointer into the highlighted area and hold the mouse button down (the pointer becomes an arrow with a box attached and the Status Bar says Move to where?)
  3. Keeping the mouse button held down, drag the text to a new place in your document (as you move the cursor a faint dotted line appears - this is where the selected text will be dropped)
  4. Release the button - the text will be moved to its new position
  5. Practice moving selected text to other positions
Undo and Redo
Undo - - Redo
Don't worry about making mistakes when using Word. If you do make an error, press the [Undo] button on the Standard toolbar (or press <Ctrl z>). This will undo the last thing you did. If you get yourself into a muddle, keep pressing [Undo] until your work appears in a format you recognise!
  1. Click on [Undo] - the text you have just moved should return to its previous position
  2. Click on [Undo] again and more of your changes will be lost
  3. Now use [Redo] (or press <Ctrl y>) until the text is restored

Further Formatting

Most of your essay will be in the same Normal style. However, sometimes you will need to change the layout for other special sections (eg for a list or quotation).
Numbered and Bulleted Lists
Numbering - Bullets -
It is often useful to number a list - the [Numbering] button does this automatically for you:
  1. Move to the end of the text (press <Ctrl End>) and make sure you are on a blank line
  2. Click on the [Numbering] button - a number 1. appears
  3. Type in two short paragraphs (one a couple of lines long), pressing <Enter> after each one
Note that each paragraph is numbered and that the first line of text is indented slightly to allow for the number. The second line of text is also indented, to line up with the words of the first line.
  1. Move to the end of line number 1 and press <Enter> - a new number will be inserted in the correct sequence with later lines re-numbered
  2. Press <Tab> and the numbering changes to a and is indented further – type a few characters
  3. Press <Enter> (the letter b appears) then <Shift Tab> (the letter changes to the number 2)
  4. Press <Delete> and the extra line will disappear
Bullets are applied in a similar fashion using the [Bullets] button:
  1. Move down to the end of your document (<Ctrl End>)
  2. Click on the [Bullets] button - the numbering will be replaced by a bullet
  3. Repeat step 3 - just type a couple of words against each bullet point
  4. Press <Enter> twice at the end to turn the bullets off (or press once and click on the [Bullets] button)- you can turn off numbering in the same way
Tip: Sometimes you might want more than one paragraph under a numbered or bulleted point. To achieve this, hold down <Shift> as you press <Enter> to end a paragraph. Press just <Enter> when you need the next number or bullet.
Indented Text
Underneath the toolbars is the Ruler, which is marked up in centimetres.

The Ruler is used to set the layout of the text across the page, including margins, tab positions and indents. First line, hanging, left and right indents are shown by symbols at each end of the white part of the ruler. Tabs are shown by various symbols depending on their type; the default tabs are denoted by small lines just below the white ruler, set at 1.27cm (half inch) intervals.
Sometimes you may wish to move a whole paragraph in a bit - to emphasise a quotation, for example. This can be done using the [Increase Indent] button on the Formatting toolbar:
Decrease Indent - Increase Indent -
  1. Type in a new paragraph (a couple of lines) but do not press <Enter> yet
  2. Click on the [Increase Indent] button - your text will move in one tab stop (the left margin indicator alters to reflect the new settings)
  3. Click on [Increase Indent]twice more and your text will move in by two further tab stops
  4. To move the left margin back a little click on the [Decrease Indent] button once
Note that only the left margin changes. To move the right indent you have to drag the small triangle on the right hand side of the ruler.
  1. Drag the right indent marker back to the 13.3cm mark
Tip: You may have noticed that the marker jumped along the ruler rather than move smoothly. If you need to set the indent precisely, hold down <Alt> as you move the marker - the actual size of the margin is displayed.

Creating and Modifying a Style