How to Format Characters in Word 2010

The built-in Word feature that you can adjust or disable to automatically correct what Word (or you) considers an error.

Allowing an application to automatically correct what it considers errors, such as spelling and capitalization.

Common line art shapes (such as squares, pointing arrows, and speech bubbles) that are available to be inserted into a Word document for decoration or illustration.

A portion of text that is selected in a document; this can range from a single character to the entire document. By marking off text as a block, you can perform certain actions, or use various Word commands, that affect only the text in that block. You can also copy or move the block of text.

A line that is added above, below, or to either side of a paragraph. A border is useful for setting a block of text apart from surrounding text.

Images, both line art and pictures, available in Microsoft Word for a user to place in documents.

A collection of clip art images, both line art and pictures, that a user is free to use in Microsoft Word documents.

A formatting command that ends one column of text and continues that text in another column.

The Word tool that allows you to embed, hide, and read Comments as a reviewing tool.

The window that appears on the left side of the screen where you review Comments.

The feature in Word 2007 with which you can compare changes in one document against another document.

To make an image smaller by eliminating some of the content, much like cutting an image with a pair of scissors.

The part of a fraction that appears after or below the line. For example, in the fraction, 3/64, 64 is the denominator.

One of the five views in Word 2007. This is the most simple and streamlined view.

A specially formatted letter that appears at the beginning of a paragraph. Word offers two styles of drop caps. The first, and most common, begins the paragraph with a large letter that spills down into the text, displacing the first few lines of the paragraph. The second style places the large first letter in the margin adjacent to the paragraph.

In Mail Merge, an individual piece of information in a record, such as first name, last name, date, address, and phone number. Fields are what make a mail-merged document appear customized.

A placeholder in a Word document that holds variable data (such as a date, or an index tag). Field codes show in gray; toggle their view by pressing Alt+F9.

Text that appears at the bottom of a document page. A footer has its own special area and contains special text, such as the page number, document title, author’s name, and date.

The white space between columns of text in a document. Word sets the default width of gutters at ½ inch, although you can change this amount.

Pressing Enter (PC) or Return (Mac) to insert a paragraph symbol and create a new paragraph.

Text that appears at the top of a document page. A header has its own special area and contains special text, such as the document title, author’s name, date, and page number.

An embedded and active link that, when clicked, takes you from a document to a Web site or URL.

To adjust horizontal spacing so that text is aligned evenly along both the left and right margins. Justifying text creates a smooth edge on both sides.

Two or more text boxes containing text that flows from one text box to the next. If two text boxes are linked, the text they contain starts in the first box and ends in the second.

Creating a special hyphen in Word that will not allow hyphenated words (such as disability-only services) to break at the end of a line (dis-ability-only services).

A special template file where Word stores all the settings for any new document you create. In Word, all documents are based on the Normal document template.

The part of a fraction that appears before or above the line. For example, in the fraction, 3/64, 3 is the numerator.

The built-in feature of Word where you can search for help about Word.

A number that indicates a position in a series, such as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and so on. Ordinals are one of the main reasons for using superscripts.

One of the five views in Word 2007. In this view, you can see how the document will print according to its page breaks.

The feature in Word that you can open to see how your document will look after printing.

Checking a document for errors, especially spelling, grammar, and layout.

The feature in Word 2007 with which you can assign or restrict editing rights to a document.

A text box that highlights a quote from the document in which it appears.

A collection of thumbnail presets that you can apply to text. You can use these styles to quickly format your document.

1. (noun) In Mail Merge, a collection of information about a person, organization, or event. A record consists of fields, which are individual pieces of information, such as first name, last name, date, address, and phone number. 2. (verb) To set down in permanent form, such as through writing.

The search pane that opens on the right side of the screen when you right-click a word with a wavy red or green underline and then choose Look Up from the menu that appears.

A panel of tabs representing different functional areas in Word. Each tab contains command buttons and icons, organized into related groups. A new feature of Word 2007, the Ribbon replaces the menus and toolbars from earlier versions of Word.

Typically, a block of supplementary material placed in a text box in a document.

A Microsoft Word feature that lets you add several different types of useful diagrams to your document. The idea behind SmartArt diagrams is to represent a bullet list as a diagram of interconnected shapes.

Manually inserting a new line without creating a new paragraph. On a PC keyboard, the shortcut is Shift+Enter.

A feature in many applications that checks spelling (and often grammar) against a built-in dictionary.

1. (noun) A collection of formatting commands that can be applied to text to make a document look more consistent and attractive. 2. (verb) To make consistent with a formatting convention by applying a certain style.

Words that have similar meanings, such as pink and rosy.

A special type of document file used as the basis for formatting new documents.

A special type of shape designed to place text on your Microsoft Word document without regard to the normal page margins.

The way text is arranged in relation to a picture or image in a document.

An option for arranging text around an image in a document, such as In Line with Text, Behind Text, In Front of Text, or Tight.

The built-in Word feature that offers synonyms and antonyms.

The feature in Word with which you can monitor who adds and deletes what from a document. You can “hide” Track Changes but still have them enabled.

Abbreviation for Uniform Resource Locator. Used in common speech to mean a Web address, such as www.dummies.com.

Faint or faded words or images that appear in a document behind the text. One common example is a “Confidential” watermark placed diagonally across the page.

A collection of preformatted watermark options in Word.

A Microsoft Word feature that takes ordinary text and transforms it into a preformatted (and often rather artistic) design.

A collection displaying Microsoft Word’s many WordArt options.