WORD PROCESSING I

Introduction

Word processing is a very important skill for you if you are aiming at becoming computer literate. Once you have learnt how to word process, you will be in position to use word processing software (e.g. MS Word) appropriately to create, edit and print documents.

There are specialized programs which you can use to word process. Such programs are called word processors. A word processor has numerous features whose uses you need to understand if you are to use it appropriately.

Microsoft Office Word is one of the most commonly used word processing software. Different versions of Microsoft Office Word include MS Word 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2016.

In this book we are going to demonstrate using Microsoft Office Word 2007 Platform.

The image above shows a window of a word processor with some features that enable a user to manipulate a document.

Activity 4.1: Understanding the features of a word processor

In groups:
1. open a word processor.
2. identify the groups of the word processing features.
3. type the sentence “I love my school”.
4. select (highlight) the sentence in 3 above and click on any three features.
5. observe the changes which occur in the text.
6. state the function of each of the features identified.

Copy and complete the table shown below about the features of a word processor

7. Share your findings on the word processing features and the group they belong to.
Hint: To open a Word Processor, go to Start →All Programs → MS Office → Word Processing program

Customizing Word Processing Working Environment

Before you begin creating documents, ensure that you have set up your Word environment and become familiar with a few key tasks such as minimizing and maximizing the ribbon, configuring the Quick Access toolbar, using the ruler, word counting and zooming tools.

Activity 4.2: Setting a word processing environment

Customizing the Quick Access Toolbar
1. Click the arrow to the right of the Quick Access toolbar.
2. Select the command you want to add from the drop-down list. It will appear in the Quick Access toolbar.

Minimizing and Maximizing the Ribbon

3. Right-click anywhere in the main menu.
4. Select Minimize the Ribbon in the menu that appears.

This will toggle the Ribbon on and off.

Customizing the task bar
5. Right-click anywhere on the task bar.
6. Select the items you would like to appear on your task bar as you work from the popup menu.

Saving an MS Word Document File

Saving is the process of storing a document in a certain location or creating a file. This can be done on a newly created document or on an already existing document. Saving is normally in two categories; Save and Save As.

When saving for the very first time, Save and Save As behave the same way. They both prompt for file name and location. Click on the Office button>Save As>Type File Name>Choose Location>Save Otherwise, Save and Save As behave differently on an existing document.

Save

This is a command used when saving changes made on an existing document without changing the file name and location.

Save As

This is a command used when making a copy of the file in a different folder or making a copy with a different name.
Click on the Office button>Save As>Type File Name>Choose Location>Save

Activity 4.3: Saving a file

Saving a document with file name Yaaka in My Documents location:
1. Open MS Word program.
2. Select Office Button > Save or Save As.
3. Select Desktop as the location to save in.
4. Give the file a name, Yaaka.

Tip: Save your file immediately after creating it to prevent the possibility of losing it later due to power failure.

Activity 4.4: Working with text

1. Type some text in your text area of about four paragraphs to help you practice word processing skills. Press Enter key on your keyboard to get to the next line.

Selecting text

2. Move your insertion point next to the text you want to select.
3. Left-click and while holding down, drag the mouse over the text you want to select.
4. Release the mouse button. You will have selected the text. A highlighted box will appear over the selected text.

Inserting text anywhere in your text

5. Move your mouse to the location where you want text to appear in the document.
6. Left-click the mouse. The insertion point appears.
7. Type the text you want to appear.

Deleting text

8. Place your cursor next to the text you want to delete.
9. Press the Backspace key on your keyboard to delete text to the left of the cursor.
10. Press the Delete key on your keyboard to delete text to the right of the cursor.

Copying and Pasting Text

11. Select the text you want to copy.
12. Click the Copy command on the Home tab.

13. Place the cursor where you want text to appear.
14. Click the Paste command on the Home tab.

Tip: Highlight text before applying any formatting on it.

Page Layout

All along you have been using the default settings of your word processor. You are now going to learn how to change these settings to suit your document requirements. In the next set of activities you will learn how to change the margins, document orientation, use columns in your document as well as adjust the line spacing of text.

Activity 4.5: Changing page orientation

Open a page with text on it.

1. Select the Page Layout tab.
2. Click the Orientation command
in the Page Setup group.
3. Left-click either Portrait or Landscape to change the page orientation.

Activity 4.6: Setting the margins

The margins of the document determine the amount of text area for your document. To change your margins:
1. Select the Page Layout tab.
2. Click the Margins command. A menu of options appears. Normal is selected by default.
3. Left-click the predefined margin size you want.

You can also change the page margins by clicking on the custom margins from the menu. The page set up dialogue box appears from which you use the arrows or directly type in the desired margin sizes.

Using Columns

Most newspapers, magazines, academic journals, newsletters’ texts are laid out in columns. In the default settings your word processor has one column.

Activity 4.7: Using columns in text

You can change the number of columns by following these steps:
1. Create a paragraph of text or Copy and paste some text onto your page.
2. Select the text you want to format.
3. Select the Page Layout tab.
4. Left-click the Columns command.

5. Select the number of columns you want to insert.

Note: More columns can be got by selecting the more Columns menu.

Navigating through a Document

Navigation means moving around a document. This can be done using arrow keys shown below or Keyboard shortcuts.

Activity 4.8: Using arrow keys

1. Open a word document with text.
2. Press the arrow keys on your keyboard and observe how the cursor moves around the screen. You can also click your mouse within the document to place the insertion point where you want to type next.

Locating Specific text in a word document

When a document comprises many pages, locating a specific text might be cumbersome. Word processors have a mechanism of locating specific texts.

Activity 4.9: Locating specific text

1. Load a file with text on at least two pages.
2. Click the Home ribbon’s Find button to display the Find and Replace dialog box OR Press Ctrl+F to display the Find and Replace dialog box.
3. Enter Search Text
4. Type the text you want to find in the Search for text box.
5. Start the Search
6. Click the Find Next button.

Note: Word searches from the current text cursor’s position in the document to the end of the file. If Word finds the text, it highlights it.

Activity 4.10: Replacing Text

1. Select the text you want to replace.
2. Click the Home ribbon’s Replace button instead of the Find button to display the Find and Replace dialog box. OR Press Ctrl+H to display the Find and Replace dialog box.
3. Type the new text into the “Replace with” text box.
4. Replace the Text.

5. Click the Replace button to replace the next occurrence of the found text with your replacement text.

Grammar and spell check

When you are typing, sometimes a wavy red or green line appears beneath your text. Red and Green wavy lines indicate spelling and grammatical errors respectively. Missing space after a comma or a period, or doubling of a word (the the), is also detected as a mistake. Below is an example of a spell checker in action.

Activity 4.11: Text proofreading
1. Open a new document.
2. Mistype a word so that the wavy red line appears. For instance tyiping.
3. Right click on the underlined word. A context-sensitive menu will open up.

4. Click on the correct suggestion, the mistyped word will automatically be replaced.

In case Word does not make any suggestions, then check whether maybe you left out a space after a period or comma. Please note that there are many proper nouns and specialist terms that Word does not recognize.
Tip: A wavy red line does not always mean that you have made a mistake!

Character formatting

Formatting is the art of making your documents effective and attractive. Good formatting distinguishes different parts of your text and helps your readers take in your message.

Word processors provide a wide range of tools that can help you create professional looking documents.

Characteristics that affect the appearance of one or more characters are called character formats. You can apply formatting to just about every element of your document, from a single character to entire paragraphs.

The formatting ribbon below contains functions which can format characters, sections, and paragraphs.

Changing the font

Use the Font dialog box (Alt+H, FN) to format characters. Letters, numbers, and punctuation marks are all printable characters and, as such, you can format them.

Once you select a character or a group of characters, you can apply any of the formatting commands on the Home tab’s Font group (Alt+H).

You can choose a font and a size for any character in your document. You can make characters bold, underlined, superscript, or change them to just about any colour of the rainbow.

Activity 4.12: Character formatting

1. Select the text you want to format.
2. Find the Font field on the Home ribbon.

3. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Font field.
4. A list with countless font choices appears as shown below.

5. Select the font you want by clicking its name. You can also change the font size to your preference.
6. First select the relevant text.
7. Find the Font Size field on the Home ribbon, and click the drop-down arrow next to it.

8. On the list, find the font size that suits you and click it.
You can also format your text to be bold, italic or underlined.

Tip: You can also specify your own font size by clicking in the Font Size field and typing in the size that you want and then press ENTER.

Activity 4.13: Bolding, italicizing and underlining

1. Select the relevant portion of your text.
2. Click the appropriate character formatting button on the Home ribbon.
– Bold
– Italic
– Underline
3. The drop down arrow next to the underline button offers you a choice of underlining styles.
4. To turn a character format off, select the text and click the same button again.

Alignment of Text

By default, paragraphs are usually left-aligned: the left margin is straight, but the right margin is jagged. Word provides you with a number of other options though.

Just position your cursor anywhere in the paragraph, and click on one of the text alignment buttons on the Home ribbon.

Align left: text is aligned at the left margin but jagged on the right.
Centre: text is centred within each line, with jagged margins on both left and right.

Align right: Text is aligned at the right margin but jagged on the left.
Justify: text is aligned at both the left and right margins (Word does this by adjusting the amount of space between words).

How to Create a Bulleted and Number List

Using bullets
• First, type the points that you want to bullet, one under another. Make sure you create them as individual paragraphs by pressing [ENTER] after typing each point.
• Select the paragraphs that you would like to bullet.
• Click the Bullets button in the Paragraph section of the Home ribbon.

Tip: The drop-down arrow on the right of the Bullets button allows you to choose from different bullet styles.

Creating a Numbered List

Instead of clicking the Bullets button, click the Numbering button just next to it.

The best thing about Word numbering is that the numbers adjust themselves automatically when you edit the text.

Tip: To end a bulleted or numbered list, just press [ENTER] twice.

Changing the Bullet/Number Style

Go to the drop down list bullet or number (figure below) and select an option.

Note: Adding a Numbered List follows similar steps

Adjusting Line spacing

When words are close together or sentences are compact, they can be difficult to read for some people.

Depending on the font type used, it may not look nice to read.

Therefore, word processors have line spacing provision to allow space adjustments between the lines.

Activity 4.14: Working with line spacing

1. Select the text you want to format.
2. Click the Line spacing command in the Paragraph group on the Home tab.
3. Select a spacing option.

If you select Line Spacing Options, the Paragraph dialog box appears.
4. Use the Line spacing drop-down menu to select a spacing option.
5. Modify the before and after points to adjust line spacing as needed.
6. Click OK.

Working with Objects

In the previous activities, you have been working with text only. In this section, you will add information to your text in form of objects. You will learn how to add images/pictures, tables, charts smart arts, screenshots and illustrations.

Making use of Clip Art Objects

You might be asking yourself “what is clip art?” Clip art is a collection of pictures or images that can be imported into a document or another program. They are already part of your word processing software.

Activity 4.15: Working with Clip Art

1. Select the Insert tab.
2. Click the Clip Art command in the Illustrations group.
3. The Clip Art options appear in the task pane on the right.
4. Enter keywords in the Search for field that are related to the image you want to
insert.
5. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Search in field.

6. Select Everywhere to ensure Word searches your computer and its online resources for an image that meets your criteria.
7. Click the drop-down arrow in the Results should be field.
8. Deselect any media types you do not want to see. In this case we only wanted Clip Arts.

9. Click Go to see a list of images depending on your search.
10. Try to insert other object types (tables, pictures, charts, header/footer).

Formatting Images/Pictures

Most times, images inserted may need some adjustments to fit properly into spaces where they are inserted. This can be done in various ways including cropping and compressing the images. When you crop an image, part of it is removed.

Cropping may be helpful when a picture has a lot of content and you want to focus on only part of it.

Activity 4.16: Cropping images

1. Select the image you want to crop. The Format tab appears.

2. On the Format tab, click the Crop command.
3. Cropping handles will appear around the image. Click, hold, and drag a handle to crop the image.
4. Click the Crop command to deselect the crop tool.

Note: The mouse pointer appearance may vary from MS Word version to version.

Compressing Images

If you use large pictures in a document, its file size increases rapidly. As a result it may be difficult to share such a file via the Internet. You can reduce this problem by telling a word processor to compress the pictures inserted in a document.

Activity 4.17: Compressing images

1. Select the picture.
2. Select the Format tab.

3. Click the Compress Pictures command in the Adjust group; a dialog box appears.
4. Click the Options button to access the Compression Setting dialog box.
5. Choose the target output.
6. Change any of the default picture settings you want.
7. Click OK in the Compression Settings dialog box.
8. Click OK in the Compress Pictures dialog box.

Activity 4.18: Comparison of compressing and cropping

In groups, distinguish between cropping and compression in relation to images in a document.

Working with Tables in a Document

A table is made up of rows and columns. Tables are mainly used to organize and present information. You can also use tables to align numbers and create interesting page layouts.

Activity 4.19: Inserting a table
1. Click where you want to insert the table.
2. Click the Insert tab and click on the [Table] button – a table grid and other options appear:

3. Create a 3 x 3
Table. Drag the mouse cursor over the cells and click the mouse button when the table is of the desired size (if you hold down the mouse button, the table is drawn when you release it).

Tip: You do not have to set up the number of rows required when you first create a table as Word will automatically add extra rows for you as you type.
4. To move out of the table, press <Ctrl End> or use the <down arrow> key several times the Table Tools tabs disappear, showing that you are no longer in the table.
5. Press <Enter> for a blank line.

Inserting a Table by Setting the Number of Rows and Columns

1. Position the Insertion Point where the table is required.
2. Click on the [Table] button (on the Insert tab) and choose Insert Table… command.
3. The Insert Table dialog box appears – under Table size, enter the Number of columns: and Number of rows: required (here, set up 4 columns and 2 rows).

The next set of options down, AutoFit behaviour, determine how the column widths are defined.

By default, column widths are set so that the table fills the page horizontally with equally-sized columns (as you saw with the first table). If you require specific widths (of an equal size) change Fixed column width: from Auto to the desired size.

4. Here, change AutoFit behaviour to AutoFit to contents.

5. Press <Enter> or [OK] and a very small skeleton table appears.

Chapter Summary

In this chapter, you have learnt about:
 how to load word processing application software.
 format a Word document (page orientation, margins, size, fonts, paragraphing, etc.).
 insert objects in a Word document (tables, images, shapes, header and footer).
 print documents.