Microsoft Word

3.3 Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word is a word processing software application developed by Microsoft. It was first released in 1983 and is one of the most widely used applications in the Microsoft Office suite. MS Word is designed to help users create, edit, format, store, and print text-based documents efficiently.

File Extensions Used

• .doc – Older Word document format
• .docx – Modern XML-based document format

Functions of Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word allows users to:

• Insert and edit text
• Add pictures, tables, charts, drawings, and symbols
• Format documents using fonts, styles, and layouts
• Create rich, professional, and interactive documents
• Save, print, and share documents easily

MS Word is extensively used in education, offices, research, administration, and publishing.

Features of MS Word

1. WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get)

• Ensures that the document appears exactly the same on the screen as it will appear when printed.
• Helps users visualize the final output while editing.
• Makes document formatting simple and accurate.

2. Spell Check

• MS Word includes a built-in dictionary to check spelling.
• Incorrectly spelled words are highlighted with a red wavy underline.
• Provides suggestions for correction.
• Automatically corrects some common typing and spelling mistakes.
• Helps improve accuracy and quality of documents.

3. Text-Level Features

These features are used to format individual characters or words.

• Bold – Makes text darker and prominent
• Italic – Slants the text
• Underline – Draws a line under the text
• Strikethrough – Draws a line through the text

Used to emphasize important words or phrases.

4. Page-Level Features

These features control the overall appearance of paragraphs and pages.

• Indentation – Controls space from margins
• Paragraphing – Organizes text into readable blocks
• Text justification – Aligns text (left, right, center, justified)

Improves readability and professional appearance of documents.

5. Editing Features

Editing tools help modify document content efficiently.

• Cut – Removes selected text
• Copy – Duplicates selected text
• Paste – Inserts cut or copied text
• Find – Searches for words or phrases
• Replace – Replaces one word or phrase with another

Saves time and improves editing accuracy.

6. Page Formatting Tools

These tools enhance document layout and presentation.

• Headers and footers – Appear at the top and bottom of pages
• Page numbering – Automatically numbers pages
• Watermarking – Adds background text or images (e.g., “Draft”)
• Insertion of pictures, tables, and shapes – Improves visual appeal

Useful for official, academic, and professional documents.

Layout Tools of MS Word

The layout tools of MS Word help users create, edit, format, and navigate documents efficiently. These tools together form the working interface of Microsoft Word.

1. Title Bar

• Displays the name of the document currently open and the application name (Microsoft Word).
• Helps users identify which document they are working on.
• Located at the top of the Word window.

2. Menu Bar

• Contains main menus such as File, Edit, View, Insert, Format, Tools, Table, Window, and Help.
• Each menu provides a list of commands related to document creation, editing, and formatting.
• Acts as the control center of MS Word.

3. Standard Toolbar

• Provides shortcut buttons for frequently used commands.
• Common icons include: New, Open, Save, Print, Cut, Copy, Paste, Undo, Redo
• Saves time by reducing the need to access commands through menus.

4. Formatting Toolbar

• Used for text and paragraph formatting.
• Contains options such as:
  • Font type and font size
  • Bold, Italic, Underline
  • Text colour and highlighting
  • Paragraph alignment (left, centre, right, justified)
• Helps improve the appearance and readability of documents.

5. Rulers

• Includes horizontal and vertical rulers.
• Used to set: Margins, Indents, Tab stops
• Default unit of measurement is inches.
• Helps in precise document layout and alignment.

6. White Page Area

• The main working area of MS Word.
• Text, images, tables, and other elements are typed and edited here.
• Represents how the document will look when printed.

7. Insertion Point

• A blinking vertical line showing the exact position where text or graphics will be inserted.
• Moves as the user types or clicks in different locations.
• Indicates the current editing position.

8. Task Pane

• A small window usually displayed on the side of the document.
• Provides quick access to common tasks such as formatting, search, clipboard, and styles.
• Improves efficiency by offering task-specific tools.

9. Scroll Bars

• Located on the right and bottom sides of the window.
• Used to move:
  • Up and down (vertical scroll bar)
  • Left and right (horizontal scroll bar)
• Helps navigate through large documents easily.

10. Status Bar

• Located at the bottom of the Word window.
• Displays important document information such as: Page number, Section number, Line number, Column number
• Helps users track document progress and layout details.

Features of EDIT Menu (ALT + E)

The Edit menu contains commands used for modifying and managing document content.

• Undo (Ctrl + Z) Reverses the last performed action. Useful for correcting mistakes.
• Redo (Ctrl + Y) Repeats an action that was undone. Helps restore changes.
• Cut (Ctrl + X) Removes selected text or object and places it on the clipboard.
• Copy (Ctrl + C) Copies selected text or object without removing it.
• Paste (Ctrl + V) Inserts cut or copied content from the clipboard.
• Delete Removes selected text or object permanently.
• Find (Ctrl + F) Searches for specific words or characters in a document.
• Find Next (F3) Locates the next occurrence of the searched word.
• Replace (Ctrl + H) Replaces a word or phrase with another throughout the document.
• Paste Special Pastes content in a special format (e.g., as an object or non-editable text).
• Go To (Ctrl + G) Moves the cursor directly to a specific page, line, paragraph, or section. Useful for navigating large documents.

MS Word – Editing Text

Editing text in Microsoft Word refers to the process of creating, modifying, correcting, rearranging, and improving document content. MS Word provides powerful tools to make text editing easy, fast, and accurate.

1. Typing and Inserting Text

• To type text, place the insertion point (blinking cursor) at the desired location and start typing.
• MS Word automatically wraps text to the next line when the current line is full.
• Press Enter to start a new paragraph.
• Press Ctrl + Enter to insert a page break, which starts text on a new page.
• MS Word supports two typing modes:
  • Insert Mode – New text is inserted without removing existing text (default mode).
  • Overwrite Mode – New text replaces the existing text.
• The Insert key on the keyboard is used to toggle between Insert and Overwrite modes.

These features help users enter text accurately and control document layout.

2. Selecting Text

Selecting text is necessary before performing operations like formatting, copying, or deleting.

• Single word – Double-click the word.
• Paragraph – Triple-click anywhere inside the paragraph.
• Sentence – Hold Ctrl and click on the sentence.
• Entire document – Press Ctrl + A.

Proper text selection improves editing efficiency and accuracy.

3. Deleting Text

• Backspace key deletes characters to the left of the cursor.
• Delete key deletes characters to the right of the cursor.
• To delete a large portion of text: Select the text. Press the Delete key
• Deleting tools help remove unwanted text quickly and cleanly.

4. Moving, Copying, and Pasting Text

These operations help rearrange and reuse text efficiently.

a) Cut

• Removes selected text and stores it temporarily in the clipboard.
• Methods:
  • Edit → Cut
  • Toolbar → Cut button
  • Shortcut key: Ctrl + X

b) Copy

• Copies selected text without removing it.
• Methods:
  • Edit → Copy
  • Toolbar → Copy button
  • Shortcut key: Ctrl + C

c) Paste

• Inserts cut or copied text at the cursor position.
• Methods:
  • Edit → Paste
  • Toolbar → Paste button
  • Shortcut key: Ctrl + V

These features save time and avoid repetitive typing.

Spell Check Feature

• MS Word has a built-in spell checking tool.
• Misspelled words are highlighted with red wavy underlines.
• Right-click on the underlined word to view correction suggestions.
• To check spelling and grammar for the entire document:
  1. Click the Review tab
  2. Click Spelling & Grammar
  3. Correct errors shown in the dialog box

Spell check improves accuracy, professionalism, and quality of documents.