Spelling & Grammar

Spelling & Grammar

You can work with spelling and grammar and as you type or you can wait until you are all done and then check the spelling and grammar for the the whole document. Be careful. Always proofread your work even after a spell/grammar check is done. Also be aware of the fact that it is just checking the text in your document. It will not check the text that is a part of any graphic you have.

WordArt is a perfect example of this. It does not check this as it is a graphic and not text based. As you type in Word the default is set up to automatically check your spelling and grammar as you type. Words that are spelled wrong are indicated by a red squiggly line and grammar mistakes are indicated by a green squiggly line. To correct as you type you can right click on the words and choose one of the words that pops up.

These words are words the computer thinks you want to use. If the word you spelled is correct you can choose ignore. If you have other occurrences of that word choose ignore all. There are actually some words that you may type wrong that are automatically corrected as you type them. This is part of the autocorrect feature in Word. If a word always comes up wrong and it is a word that is correct and you use it often you can choose add when you right click on it and it will add it to your dictionary and it won't come up as a spelling error in the future.

If you have grammar errors you right click and it will tell you where it seems to find the error. You can make changes or leave it as you typed it.

To correct spelling and grammar of your whole document follow these steps:

1. Go to Tools on the menu bar and choose Spelling & Grammar.

OR

2. Click on the Spelling and Grammar button from the Formatting toolbar.

OR

3. Click on the F7 Key.

4. It will go through each of your spelling and grammar errors. Make your changes and then your spelling and grammar check will be complete.

Fill Color

Fill Color

You can quickly change the fill color and images, both images from the Clip Gallery and images that you draw with the drawing tools.

To add a fill color follow these steps:

1. Right click on your image and choose Format ( AutoShape, picture, etc.)

2. The format dialog box will open.

3. Click on the down arrow next to Fill color and choose a color.

4. Click on more colors or fill effects for other choices for fill.

5. If you click on the semitransparent box the image color will be lightened.

6. Click on OK.

Line Color

Line Color

You can quickly change the line color and thickness of your images.

To add a border or line color follow these steps:

1. Right click on your image and choose Format ( AutoShape, picture, etc.)
2. The format dialog box will open.
3. Click on the down arrow next to Line color and choose a color.
4. Click on the up or down arrow next to weight to change the thickness of the line.
5. Click on OK.

Shadows & 3-D

Shadows & 3-D

You can add shadows and 3-D effects to objects you add to your documents. Many times people forget about this feature and it can be quite effective.

To create a shadow effect follow these steps:

1. Click on the any shape that you added with the drawing toolbar.
2. Click on the shadow button from the Draw toolbar.
3. Choose the type of shadow that you want by clicking on it.
4. The shadow will be added.

To add 3-D effects follow these steps:

1. Click on the any shape that you added with the drawing toolbar.
2. Click on the 3-D button from the Draw toolbar.
3. Choose the type of 3-D that you want by clicking on it.
4. The effect will be added.

Word Art

WordArt

WordArt is a neat feature in Microsoft Word. It allows you to make creative looking text. The text is actually a graphic image. You can use WordArt to embellish any of your documents. They make great titles, sidebars, and attention grabbers.

To create WordArt follow these steps:

1. Click on the WordArt icon from the Draw toolbar.

2. The WordArt Gallery will open.

3. Double click on the WordArt design you want to use.

4. Type in the text for your WordArt design and you can also choose the size and font as well.

5. Click on OK.

6. Your WordArt will be inserted onto your page.

Text Boxes

Text Boxes


In word you can add text boxes. In this way you are actually adding a graphic. Text can seem to float or you can show the fill and lines for the box. You can also use text boxes to create text on an image.

To create a text box follow the steps below.

See some samples below.

1. Click on the text box icon from the Draw toolbar.

2. Click on your document and hold down your mouse button while you draw your text box.

3. Start typing your text for the box.

4. If you want to work with the fill and line colors then right click on the border of the text box and choose format text box.

You can then work with the colors and lines tab to get your text box looking like you want.

Autoshape

AutoShapes


The drawing toolbar has some wonderful AutoShapes that you can use. They are wonderful for drawing shapes and lines and even call outs to add to your documents.

The AutoShapes are made up of the following categories:

è Lines
è Basic Shapes
è Block Arrows
è Flowchart
è Stars and Banners
è Callouts

To use AutoShapes follow these steps:


1. Click on the down arrow next to AutoShape on the Draw toolbar. Choose a category then click on the type of AutoShape you want to use.


2. Move your mouse to the location on your document where you want to add the shape and click and hold down the mouse button while you draw it to the size you want.


3. Release the mouse button and you shape will be drawn.


4. You can then add line or fill colors.

Drawing Tools - Lines & Arrows

Drawing Tools


Lines & Arrows


You can use lines and arrows in your documents. The drawing toolbar provides you with these tools.

To draw lines and/or arrows follow these steps.

1. Click on the line or arrow tool from the Draw toolbar and move your mouse onto your document. Your cursor will turn to a crosshair.

2. Click and drag your line/arrow to the desired length then release the mouse button. ( If you want your arrow or line to be perfectly straight hold the control key down while you draw.

3. If you want to draw multiple lines or arrows double click the line or arrow icon from the Draw toolbar and you can draw repeated times.

4. You can change the color and thickness of your lines/arrows by using the Line Style, Arrow Style, and Line Color icons from the draw toolbar.

Alignment

Alignment


You can align your graphics quickly with the alignment buttons.

To align your graphics follow these steps:

1. Select the graphic you want to align.

2. Click on the alignment button from the formatting toolbar. You can choose left aligned, center, right aligned or justified.

Text Wrapping

Text Wrapping


Once feature of Word that I find many people have problems with is the text wrapping feature. When you insert an image onto your page , by default the text wrapping is set for inline. This is fine if you want your image in the exact location that it appears in and you don't want text next to it.

Most of the time this is not the case. You want to be able to move it to a particular location and be able to type text next to it. In that case you need to change the text wrapping on the images.

To do that follow these steps:

1. Click on the image to select it.

2. Your picture toolbar should open. If it doesn't then go to View on the menu bar and down to Toolbar and click on picture.

3. Click on the text wrapping icon. It looks like a Scottie Dog.

4. Choose the type of wrapping that is best for your document. If you want text to wrap around your images then tight or square works well.

Deleting Images

Deleting Images


You can quickly delete images that you no longer want to use in your documents.

To delete images follow these steps:

1. Click on the image to select it. Handles will surround the image.

2. Hit either the backspace or the delete key and the image will delete.

Moving Images

Moving Images


Once you insert your images into your document you can move them around easily as long as you have worked with the text wrapping.

To move your images on your page follow these directions:

1. Move your mouse over the center of your image and you will get a four-way arrow.

2. Click and hold the mouse button down while you drag your image to the desired location.

3. Release the mouse button and your picture will be in the new location.

Inserting Images From File

Inserting Images From File

You don't always have to use Microsoft's Clip Gallery. There are many other sources for your images. You can get them from clip art and photo programs, images that you take yourself with a digital camera, images that are scanned, or images that you obtain from the Internet. ( make sure you have permission for their use).

To insert images from a file follow these steps:

1. Go to Insert on the menu bar and choose Picture then click on From File.

2. The Insert Picture dialog box will open.

3. Click on the drop down arrow and choose the browse to your file's location.

4. Double click on your file or click on it and click on insert. Your image will be inserted on your

Inserting Images From ClipArt Gallery

Inserting Images From ClipArt Gallery

Microsoft Office comes with its own clip gallery of images, sounds, and animations. It is very easy to use and you can often find the image that fits your need quickly. The clip gallery has a searchable component where you can type in keywords and quickly view images that match.

To use the clip gallery follow these steps:

1. Go to Insert on the menu bar and choose Picture then click on Clip Art.

2. The Insert ClipArt dialog box will open.

3. Click on the category that best matches what you are looking for and then click choose and image. You can also type in a keyword in the searchable area at the top and hit the enter key.

4. When you find the image that you want to use click on it and click on the top icon which inserts the image onto your page. You can insert multiple image.

5. When you are done click on the x in the top right hand corner to close the Insert ClipArt dialog box.

6. Your image will be inserted on your page.

Margin

Margins


By default your new documents are set with the margins you see below. You can change this at any time . This is especially helpful if you want to fit more on the page by decreasing the margins.

Top: 1"

Bottom: 1"

Left: 1.25"

Right: 1.25"


To change your margins follow these steps:

1. With your document open go to File then Page Setup.

2. Click on the Margins tab.

3. Type in the numbers you want for your margins or use the up and down arrows.

4. Click on OK.

Layout

Layout


You can change your page orientation quickly in Word. Some documents you may want your paper to be in a landscape (horizontal) mode while others you would like to use portrait.

Portrait is the default for new documents.

To change your layout follow these steps:

1. With your new document open go to File on the menu bar and choose Page Setup.

2. Click on the paper size tab and choose either landscape or portrait.

3. Click on OK.

Different Views In Word

Different Views In Word


There are four different types of view that you can use in Word. Below is a table listing each type and what they are best used for.


Normal
Best used when working with text only. Graphic images do not show in this view.


Web Layout
This view is best used when creating a page for the web. In this view you can see the background, text is wrapped to fit the window, and images appear as they would online.


Print Layout
This view is best used when your document will contain things like images, headers, and footers, columns, etc. Each of these components will be visible.


Outline
Outline view displays your document as an outline. This is useful if you are moving sections of your document, or creating an outline.


To change your view follow these steps:

1. Go to View on the menu bar and choose the view you want to use by clicking on it.

OR
2. Click on the view icons on the bottom left hand side of the Word screen.

Opening Up An Existing File

Opening Up An Existing File

After you have begun creating Word documents you will need to open them to continue working on them. These would be examples of existing files that you want to work on.

To open up an existing file follow these steps:

1. Go to File on the menu bar and choose Open or click on the Open icon on teh standard toolbar, or click on Control +O.

2. The Open dialog box will display.

3. Click on the down arrow where it says look in and browse to the file you want to open.

4. Double click on it or click on it once and choose open.

Your existing file will open.

Opening A New File

Opening A New File


Opening a new file in Word is very easy to do. There are a few different methods for this task. follow any of the methods listed below:

1. Open up Word and go to File and choose New. Then double click on blank document.
2. Click on the new document icon found on the standard toolbar.
3. Click on the start button and then click on New Office Document.
4. Double click on blank document.


Any of these methods will open up a new document for you to work on.