Microsoft Word: Character Formatting | Microsoft 365

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Microsoft Word: Character Formatting | Microsoft 365

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Formatting

Types Of Formatting:

There are three types of formatting:

  1. Character Formatting
    • A type of formatting that is applied to an individual character is called Character Formatting.
    • Important character formatting are typeface, font size , font color, font style and character spacing etc.
  2. Paragraph Formatting
    • A type of formatting that is applied to a complete paragraph is called Paragraph formatting.
    • Paragraph is a collection of text that ends with Enter key.
    • Word inserts a new paragraph in the document wherever the user presses the Enter key.
    • Example: Text Alignment, Indentation, Line space , Bullets and Numbering
  3. Page Formatting
    • Page formatting: The formatting applied on page is called page formatting.
    • It includes the following: Page Size, Margins, Page Orientation, Headers and Footer

1. CHARACTER FORMATTING

1.1. Font

Change Font Size

OR

Keyboard shortcut for Grow Font: CTRL+SHIFT + > Keyboard shortcut for Shrink Font: CTRL+SHIFT + <

1.3. Font Style

font style

Change Font Style:

font

Underline words, but not the spaces between them:

Using Keyboard Shortcut

Keyboard shortcut for Bold: CTRL+B Keyboard shortcut for Italic: CTRL+I Keyboard shortcut for Underline: CTRL+U

1.4. Font Color

Change Font Color:

font

1.5. Text Highlight Color

Text Highlight Color:

font

1.6. Subscript

H2O Change Subscript

font

OR

1.7. Superscript

● Create small letters above the line of text.

5th Change Superscript:

font

OR

Task: Applying Subscript and Superscript in Microsoft Word

  1. Write “H2O” and convert “2” to subscript.
  2. Write “10⁵” and apply superscript to “5”.

1.8. Strikethrough

Apply Strikethrough:

font

Task: Applying Strikethrough in Microsoft Word

  1. Write the sentence:
    “The deadline for the project is Monday Friday.”
  2. Use the Strikethrough feature to cross out the word Monday.

Task: Applying Double Strikethrough in Microsoft Word

  1. Write the sentence:
    “The initial budget of $1000 has been revised.”
  2. Apply Double Strikethrough to the text $1000 to indicate its removal.

Steps:

  1. Highlight $1000.
  2. Open the Font dialog box (right-click and select Font or press Ctrl + D).
  3. Check the Double Strikethrough option.
  4. Click OK to apply.

1.9. Character Case

Using the Ribbon Menu

  1. Highlight the text.
  2. Go to the Home tab.
  3. Click on the Change Case button (represented by “Aa”) in the Font group.
  4. Select the desired case option from the dropdown menu.

Using Keyboard Shortcut

change case

Task: Practicing Character Case Formatting in Microsoft Word

  1. Write the sentence:
    “microsoft word is a powerful word processing tool.”

  2. Perform the following tasks to change the case:

    • Convert the entire sentence to UPPERCASE.
    • Convert the entire sentence to lowercase.
    • Use Capitalize Each Word to make it: “Microsoft Word Is A Powerful Word Processing Tool.”
    • Apply Toggle Case to make it: “MICROSOFT wORD IS A POWERFUL WORD PROCESSING TOOL.”

1.10. Clear Formatting

Using the Ribbon Menu

  1. Highlight the formatted text.
  2. Go to the Home tab.
  3. In the Font group, click on the Clear All Formatting button (represented by an eraser icon).

font

Using Keyboard Shortcut

Press Ctrl + Spacebar to clear character formatting (such as bold, font, and font size) from selected text 2.

Task: Removing Text Formatting in Microsoft Word
  1. Write the sentence:
    “This is a sample text with bold, italic, underline, and color formatting.”

  2. Perform the following tasks:

    • Apply Bold, Italic, Underline, and a text color (e.g., Red) to the sentence.
    • Use the Clear Formatting feature to remove all the formatting, returning the text to its default style.

1.11. Using Font Dialog Box

Font Dialog Box

Using Keyboard Shortcut

Keyboard shortcut: CTRL+D

font dialog box Font Dialog Box

1.11.1. Character Spacing

Using the Ribbon Menu

  1. Highlight the text.
  2. Go to the Home tab and click the small arrow in the Font group to open the Font dialog box.
  3. In the dialog box, click the Advanced tab.
  4. Under Character Spacing, adjust the Spacing dropdown to Expanded or Condensed, and set the point size.
  5. Click OK to apply the changes.

Task: Adjusting Character Spacing in Microsoft Word

  1. Write the sentence:
    “Text formatting can improve document presentation.”

  2. Perform the following tasks to adjust character spacing:

    • Increase the spacing between letters to make the text more spread out.
    • Decrease the spacing between letters to bring the text closer together.
    • Apply Expanded spacing by 2 pt for a wider effect.
    • Apply Condensed spacing by 1 pt for a tighter look.

1.12. Mini Toolbar

1.13. Format Painter

Using the Ribbon Menu

Using Keyboard Shortcut (Microsoft 365)

• Select the text already formatted to copy format. • Press Alt+Ctrl+C • Select the text to apply format. • Press Alt+Ctrl+V

Task: Using Format Painter in Microsoft Word

  1. Write two sentences:
    • Sentence 1: “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”
    • Sentence 2: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
  2. Perform the following tasks using Format Painter:
    • Copy the formatting (font size, color, and bold) from Sentence 1 and apply it to Sentence 2.
    • Use the Format Painter multiple times to apply the same formatting to other pieces of text in the document.

Steps:

  1. Highlight the text that has the formatting you want to copy (Sentence 1).
  2. Go to the Home tab and click on the Format Painter button (paintbrush icon).
  3. Highlight the text you want to apply the formatting to (Sentence 2).
  4. If you want to apply the same formatting to multiple sections, double-click the Format Painter button to keep it active, then click on other text sections to apply the format.

Key Terms

Font Font size Font style Character spacing Kerning Mini toolbar Format painter

True/False (Mark T for True and F for False)

  1. Bold and italic are considered the same type of character formatting.
  2. Character spacing refers to the distance between lines of text in a paragraph.
  3. The format painter tool allows you to copy formatting from one text section and apply it to another.
  4. Clearing formatting removes all character styles/formatting and returns the text to its default settings.
  5. Strikethrough formatting is used to highlight important text.

Answer Key (True/False):

  1. False
  2. False
  3. True
  4. True
  5. False

Multiple Choice (Select the best answer)

Which of the following is NOT a type of formatting in Microsoft Word?

  1. Character formatting
  2. Paragraph formatting
  3. Document formatting
  4. Page formatting

Which keyboard shortcut can be used to increase the font size?

  1. CTRL+F
  2. CTRL+SHIFT+>
  3. ALT+S
  4. CTRL+B

What does the Font Style option in Microsoft Word allow you to do?

  1. Change the font color
  2. Change the font size
  3. Bold, italicize, or underline text
  4. Adjust line spacing

Which command is used to change the color of text in Microsoft Word?

  1. Font Size
  2. Font Style
  3. Font Color
  4. Text Highlight Color

What is the purpose of the Subscript feature in Microsoft Word?

  1. To create small letters above the line of text
  2. To draw a line through the middle of selected text
  3. To create small letters below the text baseline
  4. To change the font case

How can you access the Font Dialog Box in Microsoft Word?

  1. Click on the Arrow sign of Font group
  2. Press CTRL+D
  3. Both a and b
  4. None of the above

What is the function of the Mini Toolbar in Microsoft Word?

  1. To provide access to frequently used commands
  2. To change the page size
  3. To show or hide formatting marks
  4. To insert page breaks

Which of the following is NOT a component of character formatting?

  1. Font style
  2. Paragraph alignment
  3. Font color
  4. Font size

What unit is used to measure font size in Microsoft Word documents?

  1. Pixels
  2. Points
  3. Inches
  4. Millimeters

What is the result of pressing Shift + F3 on selected text in Microsoft Word?

  1. It applies subscript formatting.
  2. It changes the case of the text.
  3. It applies superscript formatting.
  4. It clears all formatting.

Which feature would you use to make text look like it was marked with a highlighter pen?

  1. Font Color
  2. Text Highlight Color
  3. Font Style
  4. Clear Formatting

Fill in the Blanks

  1. The process of customizing the appearance of a document, including fonts and colors, is called ____.
  2. A small toolbar that appears when you select text, offering formatting options, is called the ____.
  3. The _____ tool lets you copy formatting from one text section and apply it elsewhere.
  4. Clearing formatting removes all character styles, returning the text to its _____ settings.

Answer Key (Fill in the Blanks):

  1. formatting
  2. mini toolbar
  3. format painter
  4. default

Exercises

Review Questions

References and Bibliography

[1] “Word: Formatting Text,” GCFGlobal.org. https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/word/formatting-text/1/ [2] “Format your Word document,” support.microsoft.com. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/format-your-word-document-fb9ef2d6-e2ad-4721-abc1-55f88864617f

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