Creating a Document

  • Parts of the Word Window:
  • There is the formatting toolbar, menu bar, standard toolbar, and task pane. All of which we discussed in our last lecture (WD 6).
  • The insertion point is where characters will actually appear when you start typing. (WD 6). An insertion point is shown on Figure 1-2 (WD 5).
  • Nonprinting characters are symbols that can appear on the screen but are not visible on the printed page. The paragraph mark shows the end of a paragraph. Dots are used to mark the spaces between words (WD 6, WD 9).
  • The horizontal ruler is used to adjust margins and align parts of a document (WD 8).
  • The Zoom setting controls the document’s on-screen magnification. 100% is the same size in which it will appear when it is printed. Please note that this applies only to its on-screen appearance (WD 8). The Zoom list box is shown on Figure 1-5 (WD 8).
  • On the formatting toolbar, there are a pair of drop-down menus that affect the text on your page. The font drop down menu changes the style of the text and the font size drop down menu changes its size (WD 8).
  • Microsoft Word has default settings for the above settings. These settings can be easily changed and customized (WD 6).
  • Working on a Document:
  • As you enter text, you do not have to press the Enter key at the end of each line. As you type a word that extends past the right edge of the screen, the insertion point as well as the word you are currently typing move to the next line. This feature is known as word wrap (WD 16).
  • As you add text at the end of the document past the bottom of the screen, the text you entered earlier will scroll (or shift up) and disappear from the top of the screen (WD 17).
  • You may also use the vertical scroll bar to move about the document (WD 19).
  • Correcting Errors:
  • Press the Backspace key to delete characters and spaces to the left of the insertion point one space at a time. Press the Delete key to delete characters and spaces to the right of the insertion point (WD 20).
  • Word’s AutoCorrect feature automatically corrects common typing errors, such as typing “adn” instead of “and”. Another example would be automatically correcting an un-capitalized letter at the beginning of a sentence (WD 20).
  • Word’s Spelling and Grammar checker continually checks your document against Word’s built-in dictionary and grammar rules. A wavy red line appears beneath misspelled words. A wavy green line appears beneath grammatical words (WD 20).
  • Word’s AutoComplete can automatically insert dates and other regularly used items for you. For example, you can type “Febr” and it will insert the remainder of the word “February” (WD 24).
  • Word has Undo and Redo buttons on the Standard toolbar to reverse and restore changes made to the document. Be aware that you can undo or redo more than just your last change (WD 27).