Microsoft Office 2016 At Work For Dummies (2016)

Chapter 3

Paragraph Formatting

In This Chapter

Changing a paragraph’s horizontal alignment

Indenting a paragraph

Adjusting a paragraph’s vertical spacing

Placing a border around a paragraph

Shading a paragraph’s background

Creating a bulleted or numbered list

Applying styles

Creating and modifying styles

Paragraphs are essential building blocks in a Word document. Each time you press Enter, you start a new paragraph. If you’ve ever seen a document where the author didn’t use paragraph breaks, you know how important paragraphs can be. They break up the content into more easily understandable chunks, which helps the reader both visually and logically.

Paragraph formatting is formatting that affects whole paragraphs and cannot be applied to individual characters. For example, line spacing is a type of paragraph formatting, along with indentation and alignment.

If you apply paragraph formatting when no text is selected, the formatting affects the paragraph in which the insertion point is currently located. If you apply paragraph formatting when text is selected, the formatting affects every paragraph included in that selection, even if only one character of the paragraph is included. Being able to format paragraphs this way is useful because you can select multiple paragraphs at once and then format them as a group.

In this chapter, you learn how to apply various types of formatting to paragraphs and how to simplify and automate paragraph formatting by using text formatting presets called styles.

Change a paragraph’s horizontal alignment

The horizontal alignment choices are Align Text Left, Center, Align Text Right, and Justify. Figure 3-1 shows an example of each of the alignment types. Each of these is pretty self-evident except the last one: Justify aligns both the left and right sides of the paragraph with the margins, stretching out or compressing the text in each line as needed to make it fit. The final line in the paragraph is exempt and appears left-aligned.

If you apply Justify alignment to a paragraph that contains only one line, it looks like it is left-aligned. However, if you then type more text into the paragraph so it wraps to additional lines, the Justify alignment becomes apparent.

Figure 3-1: Example of horizontal alignment.

To affect a single paragraph, click anywhere in the paragraph and then set the alignment. To affect multiple paragraphs, select the paragraphs first.

Use the alignment buttons in the Paragraph group on the Ribbon’s Home tab to set an alignment for one or more paragraphs. You can also use the keyboard shortcut for a button:

Left (Ctrl+L)

Center (Ctrl+E)

Right (Ctrl+R)

Justify (Ctrl+J)

Figure 3-2: Use the alignment buttons on the Home tab.

Indent a paragraph

The indentation of a paragraph refers to the way its left and/or right sides are inset. In addition to a left and right indent value, each paragraph can optionally have a special indent for the first line. If the first line is indented more than the rest of the paragraph, it’s known as a first-line indent. (Clever name.) If the first line is indented less than the rest of the paragraph, it’s called a hanging indent. Here are some things to remember about indenting paragraphs:

When a paragraph has no indentation, it’s allowed to take up the full range of space between the left and right margins.

When you set indentation for a paragraph, its left and/or right sides are inset by the amount you specify. Many people like to indent quotations to set them apart from the rest of the text for emphasis, for example.

First-line indents are sometimes used in reports and books to help the reader’s eye catch the beginning of a paragraph. In layouts with vertical space between paragraphs, however, first-line indents are less useful because it’s easy to see where a new paragraph begins without that help.

Hanging indents are typically used to create listings. In a bulleted or numbered list, the bullet or number hangs off the left edge of the paragraph, in a hanging indent. However, in Word, when you create bulleted or numbered lists (covered later in this lesson), Word adjusts the paragraph’s hanging indent automatically, so you don’t have to think about it.

· To increase or decrease a paragraph’s left indent:

Click the Decrease Indent button to move the paragraph’s left indentation 0.5” to the left.

Click the Increase Indent button to move the paragraph’s left indentation 0.5” to the right.

Figure 3-3: Indentation examples.

Figure 3-4: Controls for changing indentation on the Ribbon.

You can also change indentation by dragging indent markers on the ruler.

If the ruler doesn’t appear, mark the Ruler check box on the View tab.

Select the paragraphs to affect and then drag a marker, as follows:

The upper triangle on the left is the First Line Indent marker. Drag it to affect only the first line.

The lower triangle on the left is the Hanging Indent marker. Drag it to affect all except the first line.

The square on the left is the Left Indent marker. Drag it to affect all lines on the left. If you drag it when the First Line Indent and Hanging Indent markers are set to different values, it moves them both, maintaining the relative distance between them.

The triangle on the right is the Right Indent marker. Drag it to affect the right indent (all lines).

The margins for the entire document are indicated by the spot where gray meets white on the ruler. You can drag that spot to change the margins for the while document (not just the selected paragraphs).

Figure 3-5: Drag markers on the ruler to change indents.

You can also create a first-line indent by positioning the insertion point at the beginning of a paragraph and pressing the Tab key. Normally this would place a 0.5-inch tab at the beginning of the paragraph, but the Word AutoCorrect feature immediately converts it to a real first-line indent for you.

To set left and/or right indents with precise numeric values, use the Left and Right text boxes on the Layout tab, in the Paragraph group. For each of these, enter a number or use the increment buttons:

Left indent.

Right indent.

Figure 3-6: You can use the Layout tab’s Paragraph group to control left and right indentation.

For the ultimate in indent control, follow these steps to use the Paragraph dialog box:

Select the paragraph(s) to affect.

2. Click the dialog box launcher in the Paragraph group on the Home or Layout tab.

Set left and right indents in the Left and Right text boxes, respectively.

(Optional) Open the Special drop-down list and choose First Line or Hanging.

Enter the amount of first-line or hanging indent in the By box.

Click OK.

Figure 3-7: Click the dialog box launcher.

Figure 3-8: Set up indents in the Paragraph dialog box.

Adjust a paragraph’s vertical spacing

Vertical spacing refers to the amount of space (also known as the leading) between each line. A paragraph has three values you can set for its spacing:

· Line spacing: The space between the lines within a multi-line paragraph

· Before: Extra spacing added above the first line of the paragraph

· After: Extra spacing added below the last line of the paragraph

Adjust line spacing within the paragraph

To change the line spacing, follow these steps:

1. Select all the paragraphs to affect.

On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click the Line and Paragraph Spacing button to open its menu.

Click a number that represents the desired line spacing. 1.0 is single-spaced, 2.0 is double-spaced (one blank line between each line), and so on. The exact amount of space in points depends on the font size used.

Figure 3-9: Choose a line spacing amount for the selected paragraphs.

Adjust spacing before or after the paragraph

To change the spacing before or after the paragraph(s), follow these steps:

1. Select all the paragraphs to affect.

On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click the Line and Paragraph Spacing button to open its menu.

Click the Add Space or Remove Space command for before or after the paragraph as needed. The default amount of space before a paragraph is 12 points, and the default amount after a paragraph is 8 points, both regardless of font size.

Figure 3-10: Turn the spacing before and/or after the paragraph on or off.

Use custom spacing values

You can use the Paragraph dialog box to control vertical spacing for much more precise control than is possible with the Ribbon method. For example, you can specify a certain amount of space (in points) before and after the paragraph, and you can use custom values for line spacing.

1. Select all the paragraphs to affect.

Click the dialog box launcher in the Paragraph group on the Home or Layout tab.

In the Spacing section, change the values in the Before and After boxes as desired.

Open the Line spacing drop-down list and choose a unit of measurement:

· Single: No extra space between lines.

· 1.5 lines: One-half a line of extra space between lines. The actual amount of space depends on the largest font size used in the paragraph.

· Double: One line of extra space between lines. The actual amount of space depends on the largest font size used in the paragraph.

· At least: Sets the minimum line height to a precise amount for each line of the paragraph. Depending on the largest font size used in the paragraph, the actual amount of space each line occupies may be greater than the setting.

· Exactly: Sets a precise line height for each line of the paragraph and does not take font size into consideration.

If you aren’t sure what font sizes you will be using in the final version of your document, don’t use Exactly. If you specify a line height that is smaller than needed for the font size you have chosen, some letters may appear cut off at the top or bottom.

· Multiple: Like Double except you specify the multiplier. For example, entering 3 results in triple-spacing (two blank lines between each line). You can use decimal places in the number, such as 3.25.

Enter the measurement in the At box if a measurement is required for the setting you chose in step 4.

Click OK.

Figure 3-11: Click the dialog box launcher.

Figure 3-12: Adjust line spacing in the Paragraph dialog box.

Place a border around a paragraph

You can add a border around the outside of a single paragraph to make it stand out from the rest of the document. You can also place a border around multiple paragraphs to visually group those paragraphs together, separate from the rest. Here are some things to remember about placing borders around paragraphs:

If you place the same border around two or more consecutive paragraphs, the border surrounds them as a group, as in Figure 3-13. That way, you can create groups of paragraphs that appear “boxed” together for special emphasis.

A border need not be on every side of the paragraph. You can place a border only on the bottom side, for example, to make it look like there is a horizontal line under the paragraph.

You can also put differently formatted lines on different sides. For example, you could have a thick border on the bottom and right sides and a thinner border on the top and left sides, resulting in a border that looks somewhat 3-D.

· To apply a basic border on one or more sides of a paragraph (or a group of paragraphs), use the Borders button in the Paragraph group of the Home tab.

To place a border on just one side of the paragraph, use the Bottom, Top, Left, or Right Border command. Repeat to apply to multiple sides.

To remove all borders from the paragraph, choose No Border.

To apply borders to all sides, choose All Borders. Note that if multiple paragraphs are selected, borders apply to each side of each paragraph; they don’t appear in a single box as in Figure 3-13.

To apply borders to all sides of the selected block of paragraphs, choose Outside Borders. In a multi-paragraph selection, this results in a single border around the contiguous group, as in Figure 3-13. In a single-paragraph selection, it is identical to All Borders.

The Inside border options apply to multi-paragraph selections only, and place borders only between paragraphs, not around the outsides. These same border options are also used for table border formatting, and Inside options are more relevant in tables than for paragraphs.

Figure 3-13: A border around two consecutive paragraphs.

Figure 3-14: Paragraphs with custom borders applied.

To create custom borders that include different line thicknesses, patterns (such as dashed or dotted), and colors, use the Borders and Shading dialog box. Follow these steps:

1. Select the paragraphs to affect.

On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click the down arrow on the Borders button to open its menu, as in Figure 3-15.

Click Borders and Shading. The Borders and Shading dialog box opens with the Borders tab displayed.

In the Style list, select the desired line style. Some of the styles are dashed or dotted; others consist of multiple lines or different line thicknesses.

Open the Color drop-down list and choose a color for the border.

Open the Width drop-down list and choose a width if you want a different width than the default for the style you chose in step 4.

Click one of the presets under Setting, such as Box, to apply the border to all sides.

OR

Click a button in the Preview area for a certain side of the paragraph. Repeat for other sides as needed.

Click OK.

Figure 3-15: Choose borders from the Borders button’s menu.

Figure 3-16: Set up custom borders.

If you want different border formatting for different sides, perform steps 1-6 and select certain sides in step 7, and then repeat steps 4-6 and select different sides in step 7.

Shade a paragraph’s background

Shading a paragraph helps it stand out from the rest of the document and adds visual interest to the text. You can use shading with or without a border.

As with a border, shading follows along with any indent settings you may have specified for the paragraph. If the paragraph is indented, the shading is also.

To shade a paragraph’s background, follow these steps:

On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click the down arrow on the Fill button to open its palette.

Click the desired color.

You can also click More Colors and then choose from the Colors dialog box. (See in Figure 3-17.)

Figure 3-17: Choose a paragraph fill color.

Word applies only solid-color shading to paragraphs. If you want a gradient shading behind a paragraph or you want some other special shading effect such as a pattern, texture, or graphic, place a text box (choose Insert  ⇒  Text Box) and then apply the desired shading to the text box as a Fill, like you would with a graphic.

Create a bulleted or numbered list

Use a bulleted list for lists where the order of items isn’t significant, and the same “bullet” character (such as • or   ⇒) is used in front of each item. You might use a bulleted list for a packing list for a trip, for example, or a to-do list.

Use a numbered list for lists where the order of items is significant and where a sequential step number is used to indicate order. A numbered list might contain the steps for a recipe or a meeting agenda.

Word makes it easy to create bulleted and numbered lists in your documents. You can create a list from existing paragraphs, or you can turn on the list feature and type the list as you go.

Convert text to a list

To convert existing text to a list, follow these steps:

Select the paragraphs to convert to a list.

On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click the Bullets button or the Numbering button.

Figure 3-18: Apply bullets or numbering to an existing list.

Type a new list

To enter new text into a list format, follow these steps:

1. Position the insertion point at the desired location.

On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click the Bullets button or the Numbering button.

Type the first list item, and then press Enter.

Repeat step 3 until the list is complete.

5. Press Enter twice in a row, or click the Bullets button or Numbering button again, to turn off the list feature.

Figure 3-19: Apply bullets or numbering to an existing list.

Change the bullet character or number type

The default bullet is a black circle, and the default number is an Arabic numeral (1, 2, 3). Word offers a variety of other choices, however.

When using the Bullets button or the Numbering button, instead of clicking the button face, click the down arrow to open a list of options.

Then select the desired bullet character or number type.

For even more choices, click Define New Number Format (or Define New Bullet if using bullets rather than numbering). You can then set up a new format in a dialog box.

Figure 3-20: Choose a different numbering type.

Apply styles

A style is a named set of formatting specifications. Using a style makes it easy to apply consistent formatting throughout a document. For example, you might apply the Heading 1 style to all headings in the document and the Normal style to all the regular body text. Here are the advantages of this approach:

· Ease: Applying a style is easier than manually applying formatting. And changing a style’s formatting is a snap. If you want the headings to look different, for example, you can modify the Heading 1 style to change them all at once.

· Consistency: You don’t have to worry about all the headings being formatted consistently; because they’re all using the same style, they’re automatically all the same.

By default, each paragraph is assigned a Normal style. The template in use determines the styles available and how they’re defined.

In Word 2016, in documents that use the default blank (Normal) template, the Normal style uses Calibri 11-point font and left-aligns the text, with no indentation.

The Styles gallery on the Home tab contains shortcuts for commonly used styles. The first row appears on the Ribbon itself.

You can see the rest of it by clicking the More button to open the full gallery.

To open the Styles pane, click the dialog box launcher on the Styles group.

Not all styles appear in the Styles gallery — only the ones that are designated to appear there in their definition. The rest of them appear only in the Styles pane.

To apply a style, select the paragraph(s) that you want to affect or move the insertion point into the paragraph. Then click the style you want to apply, either in the Styles gallery or in the Styles pane.

If the Show Preview check box is marked, the Styles pane shows each style name using the formatting that style applies.

Figure 3-21: Choose a style from the Styles gallery or from the Styles pane.

Modify styles

You can modify a style in two ways: by example or by manually changing the style’s definition. The by-example method is much easier, but somewhat less flexible.

Modify a style by example

To modify a style by example, follow these steps.

Apply the style to a paragraph.

Manually change the paragraph’s formatting. For example, you might change the font, font size, color, indentation, and/or line spacing.

In the Style gallery or in the Styles pane, right-click the style. A menu appears.

Click Update stylename to Match Selection, where stylename is the style’s name.

Figure 3-22: Modify a style by updating it to match a paragraph’s current formatting.

Modify a style by definition

To modify the definition of a style, follow these steps:

In the Style gallery or in the Styles pane, right-click the style. A menu appears.

Click Modify.

If desired, type a different name in the Name box.

Use the controls under Formatting to redefine the style’s character and paragraph formatting.

Click the Format button. A menu opens.

Click the type of formatting you would like to fine-tune. A dialog box appears for that formatting type. For example, Figure 3-25 shows the dialog box you see if you choose Numbering.

Select formatting options and then click OK to return to the Modify Style dialog box.

8. Repeat steps 5-7 to further define the style as desired.

(Optional) Mark or clear the Add to the Styles gallery check box to determine whether or not this style appears in the Styles gallery on the Ribbon.

(Optional) If you want these changes to be reflected in all new documents based on the current template, click New documents based on this template.

Click OK.

Figure 3-23: Right-click a style and choose Modify.

Figure 3-24: Redefine the style.

Figure 3-25: Define style settings in one or more of the dialog boxes for individual formatting types.

Create new styles

You can also create your own styles. This is especially useful if you want to build a template that you can give to other people to make sure that everyone formats documents the same way, such as in a group where each person assembles a different section of a report.

When you create your own styles, you can name them anything you like. Most people like to name styles based on their purposes, to make it easier to choose which style to apply. For example, Figure Caption would be a good name; Style13 would not.

Just like when modifying a style, you can create a new style either by example or by manually specifying a style definition.

Each new style is based on an existing style (usually the Normal style) so that if there’s a particular formatting aspect you don’t specify, it trickles down from the parent style. For example, suppose you create a new style named Important, and you base it on the Normal style. The Important style starts out with identical formatting to the Normal style, which is Calibri 11-point font. You might then modify it to have bold, red text. The definition of Important is Normal+bold+red. That’s significant if you later change the definition of Normal to 12-point font. That font size change trickles down to Important automatically, and all text formatted with the Important style becomes 12 points in size.

Create a new style by example

To create a new style by example, follow these steps.

Apply a style to some text that is similar to the style you want to create.

Change the text’s formatting as needed to make it an example of the style you want to create.

3. Select the text.

Click the More button on the Styles gallery on the Ribbon to open the Styles gallery and its menu.

Click Create a Style.

In the Name box, type a name for the new style.

Click OK.

Figure 3-26: Set up some text for the new style’s formatting and then open the Styles gallery.

Figure 3-27: Click Create a Style.

Figure 3-28: Assign a name to the new style and click OK.

Create a new style by definition

To create a new style by defining its formatting, follow these steps.

1. Apply a style to some text that is similar to the style you want to create.

If the Styles pane does not appear, click the dialog box launcher for the Styles group on the Home tab to make it appear.

Click the New Style button.

In the Name box, type a name for the new style.

By default the Style for following paragraph setting is set to the new style itself. This is appropriate if the new style is for body paragraphs. If the new style will be used for headings, and you will usually want the paragraph that follows the heading to be some other style, such as Normal, open the Style for following paragraph drop-down list and choose the desired style. (See in Figure 3-29.)

5. Go to step 4 in the section “Modify a style by definition” earlier in this chapter and complete that procedure to finish defining the style.

Figure 3-29: Create a new style by definition.