Lesson 3 - Word Processing
Lesson 3 - Word Processing
Lesson Overview
Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software used today. A word
processor is essentially a computerized version of the standard typewriter. However, the computer
adds features like spell check, the ability to save and store documents, copy and paste functions,
the ability to add images and shapes to documents, and many more.
Lesson Proper
Microsoft Word (often called Word) is a graphical word processing program that users can
type with. It is made by the computer company Microsoft. The purpose of the MS Word is to allow
the users to type and save documents.
Features of MS Word:
While you are creating a document, it is often important to save it for future use. The
saved document now becomes a file. A file is a complete, named collection of
information, such as a user-created document. It is the basic unit of storage that enables
a computer to distinguish one set of information from another. It is a collection of data
that a user can retrieve, change, delete, save, or send to an output device, such as a
printer or e-mail program.
From the foregoing explanation, you realize that a saved document can be retrieved,
viewed and reused. Here are the steps involved in opening/retrieving a saved
document/file in Word environment.
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1. On the Menu bar, click File, and then click Open. The Open dialog box appears.
2. In the Look in list, click the drive or folder that contains the file you want to open.
3. Click the file.
4. You'll see a preview of the selected file in the Preview box.
5. Click Open.
In addition to working with existing documents, you will want to be able to create new
documents. Each time you open Word, a new blank document appears; however, you
will also need to know how to create new documents while an existing document is open.
As you create a document, you will need to store it for future reference or use.
In Word, you can save your documents in various ways. You can save all open documents
at the same time. You can also save a copy of the active document with a different
name or in a different location.
To save a document:
1. Open the File menu and click Save. The Save As dialog box
appears.
2. In the File name box, enter a desired name for the document.
3. Click Save.
Line spacing is the space between each line in a paragraph. Microsoft Word allows you to
customize the line spacing to be single spaced (one line high), double spaced (two lines
high), or any other amount you want. The default spacing is 1.08 lines, which is slightly
larger than single spaced.
Paragraph spacing
By default, when you press the Enter key, MS Word moves the insertion point down a little
farther than one line on the page. This automatically creates space between paragraphs.
Just as you can format spacing between lines in your document, you can adjust spacing
before and after paragraphs. This is useful for separating paragraphs, headings, and
subheadings.
After you close the header or footer, it will still be visible, but it will be locked. To edit it
again, just double-click anywhere on the header or footer, and it will become
unlocked.
Word can automatically label each page with a page number and place it in a header,
footer, or side margin. You can add page numbers to an existing header or footer, or you
can insert page numbers into a new header or footer.
To make your document appear professional, you'll want to make sure it is free from
spelling and grammar errors. Word has several options for checking your spelling. You can
run a spelling and grammar check, or you can allow Word to check your spelling
automatically as you type.
4. If no suggestions are given, you can manually type the correct spelling.
Ignoring "errors"
The spelling and grammar check is not always correct. Particularly with grammar, there
are many errors Word will not notice. There are also times when the spelling and grammar
check will say something's an error when it's actually not. This often happens with people's
names, which may not be in the dictionary.
If Word says something is an error, you can choose not to change it. Depending on
whether it's a spelling or grammar error, you can choose from several options:
Ignore Once: This will skip the word without changing it.
Ignore All: This will skip the word without changing it, and it will also skip all other
instances of this word in the document.
Add to Dictionary: This adds the word to the dictionary so it will never come up as an
error. Make sure the word is spelled correctly before choosing this option.
Ignore Once: This will skip the "error" without changing it.
Ignore Rule: This will skip this "error" and all other instances that relate to this grammar
rule.
Next Sentence: This skips the sentence without changing it and leaves it marked as an
error. This means it will still show up if you do another spelling and grammar check later
on.
By default, Word automatically checks your document for spelling and grammar errors, so
you may not even need to run a separate spelling and grammar check. These errors are
indicated by colored wavy lines.
Superscripts are numbers, letters, or symbols that appear slightly above the surrounding
text. Subscripts are letters, numbers, words, or phrases that appear slightly below the
surrounding text.
The superscript and subscript buttons can be used on any number, letter, or symbol in your
document.
If you ever need to insert a special symbol or character into your document, such as a
copyright symbol or a paragraph mark, you can open the Symbol dialog box. This dialog
box offers a library of special symbols and characters ranging from mathematical symbols
to special quote marks.
Adding clip art and pictures to your document can be a great way to illustrate important
information or add decorative accents to existing text. You can insert images from your
computer or search Microsoft's extensive selection of clip art to find the image you need.
Once an image has been inserted, you can format text to wrap around the image.
3. The clip art options appear in the task pane to the right of the document.
4. Enter keywords in the Search for: field that are related to the image you want to insert.
1. Place your insertion point where you want the image to appear.
2. Select the Insert tab.
3. Click the Picture command in the Illustrations group. The Insert Picture dialog box
appears.
4. Select the desired image file, and then click Insert to add it to your document.
Word offers a variety of page layout and formatting options that affect how content
appears on the page. You can customize the page orientation, paper size, and page
margins depending on how you want your document to appear.
Landscape format means the page is oriented horizontally, while portrait format
means it is oriented vertically.
When you want to organize lists in Word, you can format them as either bulleted or
numbered lists. Word offers a variety of bullet options that allow you to customize your lists
to suit your needs.
To create a list:
To enhance the appearance of the text in a paragraph, you can quickly add a border
and shading to selected text. When you add a border, you can specify what sides you
want to include or exclude. For example, you can add a border on just the top and the
bottom and leave the sides open. Shading colors the background behind the selected
text or paragraph. If you want to customize borders and shading by changing line style,
color, and width preferences, you can make changes in the Borders and Shading dialog
box.
In Word, tables are useful for organizing and presenting data. You can create a blank
table, convert text to a table, and apply a variety of styles and formats to existing tables.
1. Place your insertion point in the document where you want the table to appear.
2. Select the Insert tab.
3. Click the Table command.
4. Hover your mouse over the diagram squares to select the number of columns and
rows in the table.
References
1. http://infobitt.blogspot.com/2010/06/open-save-save-document-automatically.html
2. https://www.mediacollege.com/microsoft/word/editing.html
3. https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/word2010
4. https://erinwrightwriting.com/superscripts-and-subscripts-in-microsoft-word/
5. https://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1617537&seqNum=14