FORMATTING PARAGRAPHS

Paragraph Formatting in Word Documents


The formatting toolbar is a toolbar that contains icons on it as shown below. Each of the icons has a specific purpose that can change the outlook of your document text when you apply to it.

            Word is a predominantly paragraph-oriented program.  This means that much of the formatting you do will affect only the paragraph where the insertion point is located-or a section of text you have selected.  Some of the basic paragraphs formatting features are the following:

o   Aligning a paragraph (this includes centering a heading).

o   Indenting a paragraph.

o   Setting line spacing.

o   Setting tabs.

All these settings can be modified by clicking Format on the Menu Bar, selecting Paragraph, then making changes in the Paragraph dialog box, most can also be set using buttons on the Formatting Toolbar.

To apply the paragraph formatting

Select the paragraph you want to apply the format.

From the Format menu, click Paragraph.

From the Paragraph dialog box displayed, do the appropriate changes and click the OKbutton. 

Setting the Line Spacing

            Line spacing – sets the amount of vertical space between lines of text.  If you click At least, Exactly, or Multiple you will need to enter a value on the At box.  By default, any document you create will be single-spaced.

            To change the line spacing, so the following:

1.    Position the insertion point or select a section of text-where you want the change in line spacing to occur.

·         To change the line spacing for single paragraph, click somewhere within a paragraph to be changed.

·         To change the line spacing for several existing paragraphs, elect the paragraphs.

·         To change the line spacing for anew paragraph, click at the beginning of anew, blank line.  The new line spacing will continue to each new paragraph when you tap the ENTER key.

2.    Click Format on the Menu bar; select Paragraph to display the Paragraph Dialog Box.

3.    If necessary, click the Indents and Spacing tab to bring it to the front.

4.    Click the arrow to the right of the “Line Spacing:” text box to reveal the pull-down menu choices.

5.    Make your choice.  For example, to change to double spacing, click Double; to change to some specified number of limes, choose Multiple and type in the number of lines in the “At” dialog box.

6.    Click the OK button to make the changes selected and return to the document window.

Indenting Paragraphs

            Indent Formatting Buttons

                        Four buttons on the Formatting Toolbar provide quick access to the following paragraph indent formats:

            Increase or Decrease Indent

            New Paragraph

1.    Click the Increase Indent button once before typing the paragraph.

2.    Type your paragraph.

3.    Tap the ENTER key to end the paragraph and start a new one.

4.    If you want to indent the next paragraph, continue typing. If you want to return to the left margin, click the Decrease Indent button once before continuing.

Existing Paragraph

1.    Click anywhere in the paragraph to be indented.

2.    Click the Increase indent button.  Only the text in the paragraph where the insertion point is located will be indented.

Selected Paragraphs

1.    Click and drag the I-beam mouse pointer across a series of paragraphs to select them.

2.    Release the mouse button, then click the appropriate button for the alignment desired. Only the text in the selected paragraphs will be affected by the change in alignment.

3.    Click anywhere on the editing screen to deselect the highlighted paragraphs.              

Indenting Paragraphs

Indent Formatting Buttons

      Four buttons on the Formatting Toolbar provide quick access to the following paragraph indent formats:

             Increase or Decrease Indent

      The instructions in this section are for indenting paragraphs (from the left margin only) without including number or bullets. By default the in dent will be ½ inch.

New Paragraph

1.    Click the Increase Indent button once before typing the paragraph.

2.    Type your paragraph.

3.    Tap the ENTER key to the end the paragraph and start a new one.

4.    If you want to indent the next paragraph, continue typing. If you want to return to the left margin, click the Decrease Indent button once before continuing.

Existing Paragraph

1.    Click anywhere in the paragraph to be indented.

2.    Click the Increase Indent button. Only the text in the paragraph where the insertion point is located will be indented.

Selected Paragraphs

1.    Click and drag the I-beam mouse pointer across a series of paragraphs to select them.

2.     Release the mouse button, and click the Increase Indent button. Only the text in the selected paragraphs will be indented.

3.    Click anywhere on the editing screen to deselect the highlighted paragraphs.

First-Line and Hanging Indents

                 Besides the standard left and right Indentations. Word also lets you create two types                of special Indentations: first line Indentations and hanging Indentations. A first line                  Indentation lets you indent the first line of a paragraph independently of the other lines.

To indent the first line of a single paragraph one-half inch, you can simply tap the TAB key. If you’d like to indent the first line of every paragraph in your document automatically, but you can also format the paragraph so that the first line is automatically indented a half-inch by using the Paragraph Dialog box feature to set the indent. This feature can also be used to set a hanging indent (where the second and subsequent lines of a paragraph are indented, as in a bibliography). By default the indent distance for either a first-line or hanging indent will be .5”, but you can set the distance to any amount you want.

When you make a paragraph-oriented format setting, that setting affects the paragraph where the insertion point is located and any subsequent paragraphs that are

            Created by tapping the ENTER key.

           

            To set a first-line or hanging, do the following:

1.    Position the insertion point – or select a section of text- where you want the indent to occur.

·         To specify an indent for a single paragraph, click somewhere within a paragraph to be changed.

·         To specify an indent for several existing paragraphs, select the paragraphs.

·         To specify an indent for a new paragraph, click at the beginning of a new, blank line.  The new spacing will continue to each new paragraph when you tap the ENTER key.

2.    Click Format on the Menu Bar and select Paragraph to display the Paragraph Dialog box.

3.    Click the arrow to the right of the “Special:” textbox and select “First line” or “Hanging”.

4.  Set an indent distance other that the default: 5”.

5.    Click the OK button to make the changes selected and return to the document window.

First-Line Indent

This exercise demonstrates how you can indent the left side of the first line of your paragraph, as in the following example.

Example -- First-line Indent

      The first-line indent feature indents the first line of the paragraph. The amount of the indent is specified in the By field. The remainder of the paragraph is indented by the amount specified in the Indentation field.

Exercise 3

1. Highlight the second paragraph you typed, beginning with "We will use" and ending with "of your document."
2. Choose Format > Paragraph from the menu.
3. Choose the Indents and Spacing tab.
4. Click to open the drop-down menu on the Special field.
5. Click First Line.
6. Enter 0.25" in the By field.
7. Click OK.

The first line of your paragraph is now indented .25 inches.Special Note: To remove the first line indent:

1. Place the cursor anywhere in the paragraph.
2. Choose Format > Paragraph from the menu.
3. Choose the Indents and Spacing tab.
4. Click in the Special pull-down menu; then Click None.
5. Click OK.

Hanging Indent

The hanging indent feature indents each line except the first line by the amount specified in the By field, as shown in the example.

Example: Hanging Indent

Hanging Indent:

The hanging indent feature indents the first line of the paragraph from the margin by the amount specified in the Left field. The amount in the Left field plus the amount specified in the By field indent all subsequent lines.

Exercise 6

When you begin typing the following paragraph, you might find that your paragraph is indented one inch on both sides. When you start a new paragraph in Microsoft Word, the setting from the previous paragraph carries over. If you wish, you can reset the indentation. If you choose not to reset the indentation, it will not affect your ability to perform the exercise.

1. Type the following:
   Hanging Indent: The hanging indent feature indents the first line by the amount specified in the Left field. Subsequent lines are indented by the amount specified in the Left field plus the amount specified in the By field. 
   Highlight the paragraph you just typed.
2. Choose Format > Paragraph from the menu.
3. Choose the Indents and Spacing tab.
4. In the Special field, click to open the pull-down menu.
5. Click Hanging.
6. In the By box, type 2.0".
7. Click OK.
8. Place the cursor after the colon following "Hanging Indent."
9. Press the Tab key.
10. Notice how the indentation changes.

Indentation

Indentation allows you to indent your paragraph from the left or right margin. The following examples show different types of indentation.

Example -- Indentation

We will use this paragraph to illustrate several Word features. We will illustrate Space Before, Space After, and Line Spacing. Space Before tells Word how much space to leave before the paragraph. Space After tells Word how much space to leave after the paragraph. Line Spacing sets the space between lines within a paragraph.
We will use this paragraph to illustrate some additional Word features. We will illustrate first-line indent. With first-line indent, you can indent the first line of your paragraph. We will also look at Indentation. Indentation enables you to indent from the left or right margins of your document.

Exercise 4

1. Highlight the second paragraph, beginning with "We will use" and ending with " of your document "
2. Choose Format > Paragraph from the menu.
3. Type 1" in the Left field.
4. Type 1" in the Right field.
5. Click OK. Your paragraph is now indented one inch from both the left and right margins, as in the example.

Alignment

Microsoft Word gives you a choice of several types of alignment. Left-justified text is aligned on the left side. It is the default setting.

Example -- Left-Justified

Sample Paragraph
This is a sample paragraph. It is used to illustrate alignment. Left-justified text is aligned on the left. Right-justified text is aligned on the right. Centered text is centered between the left and right margins. You can use Center to center your titles. Justified text is flush on both sides.
Right-justified text is aligned on the right side.

Example -- Right-Justified

Sample Paragraph

This is a sample paragraph. It is used to illustrate alignment. Left-justified text is aligned on the left. Right-justified text is aligned with on the right. Centered text is centered between the left and right margins. You can use    Center to center your titles. Justified text is flush on both sides.

Centered text is centered between the left and right margins. 

Example -- Centered

Sample Paragraph

This is a sample paragraph. It is used to illustrate alignment. Left-justified text is aligned on the left. Right-justified text is aligned with on the right. Centered text is centered between the left and right margins. You can use Center to center your titles. Justified text is flush on both sides.

Justified text is flush on both sides.

Example -- Justified

Sample Paragraph

This is a sample paragraph. It is used to illustrate alignment. Left-justified text is aligned on the left. Right-justified text is aligned with on the right. Centered text is centered between the left and right margins. You can use Center to center your titles. Justified text is flush on both sides.

The following exercises demonstrate how to justify text.

Exercise 5

Right-Justify

1. Return to the first paragraph you typed, beginning with "We will use" and ending with "within a paragraph." Highlight the paragraph.
2. Choose Format > Paragraph from the menu.
3. Choose the Indents and Spacing tab.
4. Click to open the Alignment pull-down menu.
5. Click Right.
6. Click OK. The paragraph is now right-aligned.

Left-Justify

1. Highlight the first paragraph you typed, beginning with "We will use" and ending with "within a paragraph."
2. Choose Format > Paragraph from the menu.
3. Choose the Indents and Spacing tab.
4. Click to open the Alignment pull-down menu.
5. Click Left.
6. Click OK. The paragraph is now left-aligned.

Alternate Method -- Right-Justify by Using Keys

1. Highlight the text.
2. Press Ctrl-r. The paragraph is now right-aligned.

Alternate Method -- Left-Justify by Using Keys

1. Highlight the text.
2. Press Ctrl-l. The paragraph is now left-aligned.

Alternate Method -- Right-Justify by Using the Icon

1. Highlight the text.
2. Click the Align Right icon . The paragraph is now right-aligned.

Alternate Method -- Left-Justify by Using the Icon

1. Highlight the text.
2. Click the Align Left icon . The paragraph is now left-aligned.

Center - Using the Menu

1. Highlight the first paragraph you typed, beginning with "We will use" and ending with "within a paragraph."
2. Choose Format > Paragraph from the menu.
3. Choose the Indents and Spacing tab.
4. Click to open the Alignment pull-down menu.
5. Click Centered.
6. Click OK. The paragraph is now centered.

Justify - Using the Menu

1. Highlight the first paragraph you typed, beginning with "We will use" and ending with "within a paragraph."
2. Choose Format > Paragraph from the menu.
3. Choose the Indents and Spacing tab.
4. Click to open the Alignment pull-down menu.
5. Click Justified.
6. Click OK. The paragraph is now justified.

Alternate Method -- Justify and Center by Using Keys

1. Highlight the text.
2. Press Ctrl-e. The text is now centered.
3. Press Ctrl-j. The text is now justified.

Alternate Method -- Justify and Center by Using the Icon

1. Highlight the text.
2. Click the Center icon . The text is now centered.
3. Click the Justify icon . The text is now justified.

Using the Tabs Dialog Box

Adding Borders to Paragraphs

A.  Using the Tables and Borders Toolbar

            Using the Tables and Borders has a Border button that you can use to add or remove borders from your paragraphs.  It also has several additional buttons you can use to change the style, size, and color of a border.

B.  Using the Borders and Shading Dialog Box

1.    From the Format Menu choose Borders and Shading.  The dialog box will appear.

2.    Choose the Borders Tab and select the desired settings, style and width from the border.

3.    If you want to change the color of the border, click the down arrow for the color and choose from the selection.

4.    Click ok when finished.

       Adding Page Border

1.    Click Format Menu form the menu bar.

2.    Click Borders and Shading option (borders and shading dialog box will open).

3.    Choose the Page Borders Tab.

4.    Click options button (the borders and shading option dialog box will open).

5.    Select Text from the Measure From: option, then click OK button.

6.    From the Border and Shading dialog box, Click Art box and click one option.

7.    Using the arrow keys down and up browse form the art borders you like.  The border will be shown in the preview.

8.    Then click OK button to apply to the whole document.

To select options from the Apply to: options.

Before applying the page border from the Border and Shading dialog box do the following.

1.    Select your choice from the Art options.

2.    Click to the Apply to: option box.

3.    The Apply to: option box shows the following; whole document, this section, this section-First page, and This Section-All except first page.

4.    Then click OK button to apply.

Microsoft Word paragraph formatting is the changes that will effects the entire paragraph in a document. What is the thing that you can change?

The format of a paragraph can be changed by setting tabs, indenting, aligning, changing line spacing between and within a paragraph, etc. All these features allow you to enhance the appearance of your document.

Follow the step-by-step guides below:


To apply the paragraph formatting

Select the paragraph you want to apply the format.

From the Format menu, click Paragraph.

From the Paragraph dialog:

*Paragraph Formatting - Line spacing

Line spacing determines the amount of vertical space between lines of text. The line spacing you select will affect all lines of text in the selected paragraph or in the paragraph that contains the insertion point.

To adjust line spacing

Place the insertion point where you want to enter new text with new line spacing, or select the text you wish to modify the line spacing.

From the Format menu, click Paragraph.

From the Paragraph dialog box, the following options available: 

Before	Adjusts the line spacing above selected lines, in point size.
After	Adjusts the line spacing below selected lines, in point size.
Line Spacing	The line spacing is automatically specified according to the tallest character on each line. The options for default line spacing include Single, 1.5 lines, Double, At least (current point size), Exactly, and Multiple lines
Single	The default setting. Specifies single spacing, does not add any additional space between lines.
1.5 Lines	Specifies one and a half line spacing, and adds half a line of additional spaces between lines.
Double	Specifies double spacing, and adds a single line of additional spaces between lines.
At least	Specifies the minimum amount of space between lines. MS Word for Windows will add any additional space required.
Exactly	Specifies a fixed amount of space between lines. MS Word for Windows will not add any additional space, even if it is required.
Multiple	Setting the line spacing to a multiple of 1.2 is equivalent to 20% and to a multiple of 0.8 is equivalent to -20%. Setting the line spacing at a multiple of 2 is equivalent to setting the line spacing at Double. In the At box, type or select the line spacing you want. The default is three lines.

Note: Proper adjust the paragraph formatting will have a big effect on the overall look of the entire paragraph and document itself.

* Paragraph Formatting - Indentation

Indentation determines the amount of horizontal space of the paragraph i.e. from where the starting typing point of a paragraph.


* To indent a paragraph

Select the paragraph you wish to indent or place the insertion point in the paragraph you wish to indent.

From the Format menu, click Paragraph.

From the Paragraph dialog box, select the Indents and Spacing tab (if not ready displayed).

In the Indentation section, you can choose from the following options: 

Select the paragraph you wish to indent or place the insertion point in the paragraph you wish to indent.

From the Format menu, click Paragraph.

From the Paragraph dialog box, select the Indents and Spacing tab (if not ready displayed).

In the Indentation section, you can choose from the following options:

Left	Aligns the paragraph to the left-hand margin when you enter a positive number. Entering a negative number will align a paragraph to the left of the left-hand margin.
Right	Aligns the paragraph to the right-hand margin when you enter a positive number. Entering a negative number will align a paragraph to the right of the right-hand margin.
Special	Determines whether the indent is to be a First line or Hanging indent.
First   Line	To indent the first line of the paragraph only.
Hanging	To create a Hanging indent.
None	No indentation.
By	To determines the distance of the indent from the margins, in tenths of an inch. To increase or decrease of the value, use the up and down arrows.

* To align text

Select the text you wish to align (Recommended whole paragraph).

In the General section Alignment menu, select one of the option: 

   

Align Left (Ctrl+L)	Aligns text flush with the left margin. This is the default setting.
Center (Ctrl+E)	Centers text between the left and right margins.
Align Right (Ctrl+R)	Aligns text flush with the right margin.
Justify (Ctrl+J)	Spreads text evenly between the left and right margins by expanding or reducing the space between individual words.
Distributed   (Ctrl+Shift+J)	Distributes text between the left and right margins. This is clear if your text is short (less than a line).

* Add a border to a page

1.             On the Format menu, click Borders and Shading, and then click the Page Border tab.
2.            To specify an artistic border, such as trees, select an option in the Art box.
3.             Click one of the border options under Settings.
   
   
   To specify that the border appears on a particular side of a page, such as only at the top, click Custom under Setting. Under Preview, click where you want the border to appear.
   
   
   
   
4.           To specify a particular page or section for the border to appear in, click the option you want under Apply to.
5.          To specify the exact position of the border on the page, click Options, and then select the options you want.

 NOTE   You can see page borders on your screen by viewing your document in print layout view (Print Layout view: A view of a document or other object as it will appear when you print it. For example, items such as headers, footnotes, columns, and text boxes appear in their actual positions.).

How to 

Add a Page Border in Microsoft Word:

1.	Have your students write a poem or a short story. With the Word document visible, choose Format, Borders and Shading. The following dialog box appears:
2.	Click on the Page Border tab at the top of the dialog box (see picture above).
3.	Click on the drop-down triangle within the Art section to see the pop-up border choices.
4.	Select a border to use around the page(s) of your document (notice the Preview section).
5.	Increase or decrease the Width (thickness) of the border (in points).
6.	If you are using a single and solid color border, you can even select your own color for this border from the Color section. For example, change an orange pumpkin to black or green?
7.	Click OK when done.
8.	Scroll around the page to see the outer edges where the border appears. Try viewing the entire page by selecting Whole Page from the Zoom control box in the right corner of the Standard. Click the any of the Links below: http://www.academictutorials.com/ms-word/ms-word-paragraph.asp http://www.microsoft.com/education/border.mspx http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word/HP051901201033.aspx http://www.academictutorials.com/ms-word/ms-word-toolbar.asp