CompEd1 : Word Processing

Lesson 1: Introduction

Microsoft Word is a program called a WORD PROCESSOR

WORD PROCESSOR refers to a program in which the user inputs text which is formatted to create
a readable document. Other word processors include Notepad, Corel Word Perfect, and Apple
Pages.

The key advantage of a word processor is its ability to make changes easily, such as correcting
spelling, adding, deleting, formatting and relocating text. Once created, the document can be printed
quickly and accurately saved for later modifications.

Microsoft Word is the most common word processor at present.

Before you get started with Microsoft Word (commonly referred to as MS Word), you will need to
locate and open it from the computer. It may be on your desktop.

From the computer desktop:

1. Double-click on the MS Word icon

Go to the Start menu if the MS Word icon is not on the desktop:

1. Click ►Start ►Programs ►Microsoft Word*
*Occasionally, Microsoft Word will be in a folder called “Microsoft Office” or similar – this will make one more step between
“Programs” and “Microsoft Word” in the diagram above.

MS Word will open a blank page called “Document 1.”

This is an image of the upper-left corner of MS Word. This

box features two important bits of information: which file
you are currently working on (in this case, “Document 1”
since we have not yet renamed it) and which program you
are using (in this case, “Microsoft Word.”)

This box shows a blinking cursor, ready for your

commands.

NAVIGATING THE TOOLBAR:

There are four main sections of the toolbar: Clipboard, Font, Paragraph, and Styles.

CLIPBOARD:

The MW Clipboard is a tool that allows you to virtually copy or cut text, images, or other content,
and paste them elsewhere in the document.

There are four tools in the clipboard section of the toolbar: Cut, Copy, Paste, and Format painter

 Cut: This action becomes available when content is selected/highlighted. Choose this option
to remove the content.
 Copy: This action becomes available when content is selected/highlighted. Choose this
option to duplicate the content. Note: after you click ‘copy’ the content does not appear in
the document; MW holds the copy virtually until you indicate where you would like to place
the copied content in the document.
  Paste: This action becomes available when you have cut or copied content from your
document or another application. Choose the default paste option to maintain the original
formatting of the content. If you want to paste content with formatting that is different than
the source, choose the drop-down menu, select paste special, and choose the option that
suits your need.
 Format Painter: This action allows you to copy formatting from one part of your document
and replicate it elsewhere in the document. To use, select the text with the formatting you
would like to copy, select the format painter icon, and then highlight the text that you would
like to format.

Font:

The font section contains tools that format your text, including changing font and text size,
bold/italicize/underline text, strikethrough, sub- or superscript, highlighting or changing text color,
adding text effects, and changing case.

To Change the Font Text and size:

 Click the left-hand drop-down menu to change the font. Scroll to view all available fonts and
click to select your choice. To change the font of existing text, highlight the text first, then
click the drop-down menu and select the desired font.

 Click the right-hand drop-down menu to change the text size. Select the desired size, or click
in the text box to manually type a specific size. You can also use the icons to the right of the
text box to either increase text size (A^ ) or decrease text size (A ). To edit existing text,

select the text before changing the size

 Bold, italicize, and underline text:

 Bold: select the B to type bolded text. To bold existing text, select the text first, then
select the B

 Italicize: select the I to type italicized text. To italicize existing text, select the text
first, then select the I

 Underline: select the U to underline text as you type. To underline existing text, select
the text, then select the U. To change the style or color of the underline, select the
drop-down menu and choose the desired style.
Other font tools:

 Strikethrough: Select the ab to strikethrough text as you type. To strikethrough existing

text, select the text first, then select the ab.

 Subscript example: Select the x2 to type a subscript. To change existing text to a subscript,
select the text first, then select the x2

 Superscript example: Select the x2 to type a superscript. To change existing text to a

superscript, select the text first, then select the x2

 Highlighting: Select the existing text that you wish to highlight and click the highlighter icon.
To change the color of the highlighter, click the drop-down menu and select the desired
color

 Changing text color: Select the drop-down menu by the text color icon and choose a theme
color, standard color, or customize the shade by clicking more colors. To change the color
of existing text, select the text first, then choose the color.
  Adding text effects: Select the drop-down menu by the and choose the desired effect. To
add effects on existing text, select the text first, then select the desired effect.

 Changing Text Case: To change text case, select the drop-down menu by the Aa icon and
choose from Sentence case, lowercase, UPPERCASE, Capitalize Each Word, or tOGGLE cASE.
To change the case of existing text, select the text first and then choose the desired case.

Paragraph:

The paragraph section contains tools for formatting the basic layout of your document, including
bulleted and numbered lists, indenting, alignment and spacing, and shading and borders.

1. Bulleted and numbered lists:

To start a bulleted or numbered list, click the corresponding icon. Use the drop down menu
to change the shape of the bullet or the style of numbering. To indent underneath one of
the points in the list, hit ‘enter’ to create a new bullet and then hit ‘tab’. To create a list out
of existing content, select all of the content and then click the icon of the list you want to

create.

2. Alignment and spacing

 - There are four alignment options in MW: left, center, right, and justify. Left- and right-
align will align content with their respective margins. The center alignment will center
content on the page. The justify alignment evenly distributes the text between the
margins. To set alignment, click the corresponding icon. To change alignment of
existing
content,
select the
content
first, then
click the
icon

-To change text spacing, select the drop-down menu by the spacing icon. Then, choose the
preset spacing you want, or select ‘Line Spacing Options…’ to customize the spacing. There
is also the option to ‘add/remove space after paragraph’. Selecting this option will change
how much space is automatically added when pressing the enter button to create a new line

3. Shading and borders

 Shading: Shading is similar to highlighting, but offers a wider range of colors. To shade
your content, select the drop-down menu by the paint bucket icon and choose a color. To
shade pre-existing content, select the content first, then choose a color.

 Borders: Use the border feature to add an outline to your content. Select the drop down
menu by the grid icon and choose which borders you want to apply to your content. To add
borders on pre-existing content, select the content first, then choose the border you want.
Select ‘Borders and Shading…’ from the drop-down menu to change the style , color, or
weight of the borders
Styles:

The styles section contains preset formatting options that can be applied to your document overall.
Open the drop-down menu to view all available presets, or select ‘Create a Style’ to save your current
formatting to the Styles library.

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