The Secret Guide to Computers: Microsoft Word

Starting

Of all the word-processing programs ever invented, the fanciest and most popular is Microsoft Word. It runs in all three popular environments (DOS, Windows, and Mac) and uses similar commands in each of those environments.

Windows versions

Microsoft Word for Windows is nicknamed Winword. It’s gone through several versions:

Version 1 was invented in 1989 for Windows 2.

Version 1.1 was invented in 1990 for Windows 2.

Version 2 was invented in 1991 for Windows 3.

Version 6 was invented in 1994 for Windows 3.1. (There was no Winword version 3, 4, or 5.)

Version 7 was invented in 1995 for Windows 95 and nicknamed version 95.

Version 97 was invented in 1997 for Windows 95.

Version 2000 was invented in 1999 for Windows 98.

Versions 6, 7, 97, and 2000 of Winword are modern. This chapter explains how to use them.

Those are the official names for the versions. Some Microsoft employees secretly say “version 8” instead of “version 97”; they say “version 9” instead of “version 2000”.

Versions 1, 1.1, and 2 are primitive. If you’re using them, you should switch to a modern version instead. If you can’t afford to switch, phone me at 603-666-6644 to get this book’s 19^th edition, which included an intro to version 2. (So did the 18^th and 17^th editions.)

Non-windows versions

If you’re using a DOS version of Microsoft Word, it’s primitive! Switch to a modern Windows version.

The Mac versions of Microsoft Word resemble the Windows versions. Here’s the main difference: instead of pressing an IBM Ctrl key, press the Mac’s COMMAND key (on which you’ll see a squiggly cloverleaf — and also see an apple if your keyboard is modern).

For the Mac’s Word version 6, follow my instructions for Winword version 6.

For the Mac’s Word version 98, follow my instructions for Winword version 97.

For the Mac’s Word version 5.1 or lower, phone me at 603-666-6644 to get an older edition of this book.

Prepare yourself

Before reading this chapter, prepare yourself.

Version 2000 You need Windows 95 (or 98) and at least 16M of RAM. To run well, you should have at least 32M of RAM and a fast CPU (Pentium). Read and practice my Windows 95&98 chapter, especially the section about “WordPad”, which is a stripped-down simplified version of Microsoft Word.

Versions 7&97 You need Windows 95 (or 98) and at least 8M of RAM. To run well, you should have at least 16M of RAM and a fast CPU (Pentium). Read and practice my Windows 95&98 chapter, especially the section about “WordPad”, which is a stripped-down simplified version of Microsoft Word.

Version 6 You need Windows 3.1 (or 3.11 or 95 or 98) and at least 4M of RAM. To run well, you should have at least 8M of RAM and a fast CPU (486 or Pentium). If you don’t have Windows 95 or 98, read and practice my Windows 3.1&3.11 chapter. If you do have Windows 95 or 98, you should switch to version 7 or 97 of Microsoft Word — and this chapter assumes you’ve done so.

Copy Microsoft Word to the hard disk

When you buy Microsoft Word, it comes on one or more disks, which you must copy to your computer’s hard disk.

Version 2000 If you bought Microsoft Works Suite 2000 (which includes Microsoft Word 2000), here’s how to copy Microsoft Word to your hard disk:

Turn on the computer without any floppy or CD-ROM disks in the drives, so the computer runs Windows 95 (or 98) and the computer’s bottom left corner says Start.

Put Microsoft Works Suite 2000’s Disc 1 into the CD-ROM drive. The computer says “Microsoft Works Suite 2000 Setup”. Press ENTER. Click “I agree”. Press ENTER.

The computer says “Insert Disc 2”. Insert it and press ENTER. Eventually the computer says “You must restart your system”. Press ENTER. The computer says again “You must restart your system”. Press ENTER.

The computer says “Insert Disc 1”. Insert it again and press ENTER. The computer says “The installer must restart your system”. Press ENTER.

The computer says “Insert Disc 3”. Insert it and press ENTER. The computer says “Insert Disc 4”. Insert it and press ENTER. The computer says “You must restart your system”. Press ENTER. Click “Exit Setup”. Click “Exit Setup” again.

If you bought Microsoft Office 2000 Premium (which includes Microsoft Word 2000), here’s how to copy Microsoft Word to your hard disk:

If the software box includes a mouse, turn off the computer and plug in the mouse.

Turn on the computer without any floppy or CD-ROM disks in the drives, so the computer runs Windows 95 (or 98) and the computer’s bottom left corner says Start.

(If the software box includes a mouse, put the mouse’s disk into drive A, type “a:setup”, press ENTER twice, type your name, press the TAB key, type the name of your company, press ENTER 6 times, remove the mouse’s disk, press ENTER again.)

Put Microsoft Office 2000 Premium’s disk 1 into the CD-ROM drive.

The computer says “User name”. Type your full name, then press the TAB key, type your initials, press TAB again, type the name of your company (if any), and press TAB again.

That CD-ROM disk 1 came in a square plastic case, whose backside sports an orange sticker revealing a code (called the “Product Key”), which contains 25 letters and digits; type that 25-character code and press ENTER.

Click “I accept the terms in the License Agreement”. Press ENTER 3 times.

Version 97 If you bought Home Essentials 98 (which includes Microsoft Word 97), here’s how to copy Microsoft Word to your hard disk:

Turn on the computer without any floppy or CD-ROM disks in the drives, so the computer runs Windows 95 (or 98) and the computer’s bottom left corner says Start. Put Home Essentials 98’s Disc 1 into the CD-ROM drive. The computer will say “Microsoft Home Essentials”. Click the Microsoft Word 97 button. The computer will say “Microsoft Word 97 Setup”. Press the ENTER key.

The computer will say “Enter your full name”. Type your name. At the end of your name, press the TAB key, then type the name of your company (if any), then press ENTER twice.

The computer will say “CD Key”. The CD-ROM disk came in a square plastic case, whose backside sports an orange sticker revealing an 11-digit code number (called the “CD Key number”); type that number and press ENTER.

The computer will show you a 20-digit Product Identification number. Write that number on the yellow-black-and-white registration card that came with the CD. Press ENTER 5 times, then click “Exit Setup”.

If you bought Microsoft Office 97 (which includes Microsoft Word 97), here’s how to copy Microsoft Word to your hard disk:

Turn on the computer without any floppy or CD-ROM disks in the drives, so the computer runs Windows 95 (or 98) and the computer’s bottom left corner says Start. Put the Microsoft Office 97 disk into the CD-ROM drive.

You’ll see the Office97pro window. Maximize it, by clicking its maximize button (which is next to the X button).

At the window’s bottom left corner, you’ll see an icon that shows a picture of a computer and is labeled “Setup”. Double-click it.

The computer will say, “Microsoft Office 97 Setup”. Press the ENTER key.

The computer will say “Enter your full name”. Type your name. At the end of your name, press the TAB key, then type the name of your company (if any), then press ENTER twice.

The computer will show you a 20-digit Product Identification number. Write that number on the yellow-black-and-white registration card that came with the CD. Press ENTER 6 times. Close the Office97pro window (by clicking its X button), then click “Exit Setup”.

Version 7 Microsoft Word 7 comes on a CD-ROM disk, which must be copied to your hard disk. If you’re still using version 7, you’ve presumably done that procedure already.

Version 6 Microsoft Word 6 comes on floppy disks, which must be copied to your hard disk. If you’re still using version 6, you’ve presumably done that procedure already.

Launch Microsoft Word

Here’s how to start using Microsoft Word.

Version 2000 Click “Start” then “Programs” then “Microsoft Word”.

If the computer says “Please enter your customer information”, do this: type your full name, then press the TAB key, type your initials, press TAB again, type the name of your company (if any), press TAB again, type the 25-character code (which is on the orange Product Key sticker that came on the back of the CD pack), and press ENTER.

If you see a button labeled “Start using Microsoft Word”, click it.

If the computer asks “Would you like to register?”, click “No” for now.

Version 2000 has a feature called masked menus & buttons. That feature is supposed to make the menus and buttons easier to find but actually makes them harder to find. Turn off that terrible feature. Do this turn-off procedure:

Click “View” then “Toolbars” then “Customize” then “Options”.

The first box is labeled “Standard and Formatting toolbars share one row”. Remove any check mark from that box (by clicking it).

The second box is labeled “Menus show recently used commands first”. Remove any check mark from that box (by clicking it.)

Make sure you’ve done that right, so now the top two boxes are both empty.

Then click “Close”.

Do that turn-off procedure now. The rest of this chapter assumes you’ve done it. (After you’ve finished this chapter, if you wish, you can turn the masked menus & buttons feature back on by putting the check marks back in.)

Version 97 Click “Start” then “Programs” then “Microsoft Word”. (If the computer shows a button labeled “Start using Microsoft Word”, click that button. If the computer says “User name”, press ENTER.)

Version 7 Click “Start” then “Programs” then “Microsoft Word”. (If the computer shows a window saying “What’s New in Microsoft Word 95”, click that window’s X button.)

Version 6 Turn on the computer without any floppy in drive A. Start Windows (by typing “win” after the C prompt). If the computer says “Microsoft Office Cue Cards”, close the Microsoft Office Cue Cards window (by double-clicking its control box). The computer says “Program Manager”.

If you see a slanted W near the screen’s top right corner, click it. If you don’t see a slanted W, double-click the Microsoft Office icon then the Microsoft Word icon.

See the Microsoft Word screen

The screen’s top says “Microsoft Word — Document1”. You also see this menu bar:

File Edit View Insert Format Tools Table Window Help

If the computer says “Tip of the Day”, press ENTER.

See the rulers

About 1½ inches down from the top of the screen, you should see a horizontal ruler, which goes across the screen and is numbered 1", 2", 3", 4", 5", etc.

If you don’t see that ruler, make it appear by choosing Ruler from the View menu.

At the screen’s left edge, you should see a vertical ruler, which goes up & down the screen and is numbered 1", 2", etc.

If you don’t see the vertical ruler, make it appear by choosing Page Layout from the View menu. In Version 2000, choose Print Layout instead of Page Layout.

Now you see two rulers — a horizontal ruler, plus a vertical ruler — so you can use the full power of Microsoft Word!

Type your document

Start typing your document.

Microsoft Word uses the mouse and fundamental keys the same way as WordPad. For details, read these sections on pages 97-99:

“Use the keyboard”

“Scroll arrows”

“Insert characters”

“Split a paragraph”

“Combine paragraphs”

“Movement keys”

Ctrl symbols On your keyboard, below the two SHIFT keys, are two CONTROL keys, which say “Ctrl” on them. You can use them to type special symbols:

Symbol How to type it

® While pressing the Ctrl and Alt keys, type the letter “r”.

™ While pressing the Ctrl and Alt keys, type the letter “t”.

… While pressing the Ctrl and Alt keys, type “.”.

¿ While pressing Ctrl and Alt (and SHIFT), type “?”.

¡ While pressing Ctrl and Alt (and SHIFT), type “!”.

ç While pressing Ctrl, tap the “,” key. Then type the letter “c”.

¢ While pressing Ctrl, tap the “/” key. Then type the letter “c”.

ø While pressing Ctrl, tap the “/” key. Then type the letter “o”.

ñ While pressing Ctrl (and SHIFT), type “~”. Then type “n”.

ô While pressing Ctrl (and SHIFT), type “^”. Then type “o”.

ü While pressing Ctrl (and SHIFT), type “:”. Then type “u”.

å While pressing Ctrl (and SHIFT), type “@”. Then type “a”.

æ While pressing Ctrl (and SHIFT), type “&”. Then type “a”.

œ While pressing Ctrl (and SHIFT), type “&”. Then type “o”.

ß While pressing Ctrl (and SHIFT), type “&”. Then type “s”.

è While pressing Ctrl, type the symbol `. Then type “e”.

é While pressing Ctrl, type the symbol '. Then type “e”.

ð While pressing Ctrl, type the symbol '. Then type “d”.

« While pressing Ctrl, type the symbol `. SHIFTing, type “<”.

» While pressing Ctrl, type the symbol `. SHIFTing, type “>”.

AutoCorrect While you type, the computer will automatically make little corrections to your typing. For example:

If you accidentally type “teh” instead of “the”, the computer will change it to “the”.

If you accidentally type “hte” instead of “the”, the computer will change it to “the” (in versions 7&97&2000).

If you accidentally type “loove” instead of “love”, the computer will change it to “love” (in version 2000).

If you type a day (such as “sunday”), the computer will capitalize it.

If you capitalize the first two letters of a word, the computer will make the second letter small.

The computer will capitalize each sentence’s first word (in versions 7&97&2000).

The computer will change (r) to ®.

The computer will change (c) to © and change (tm) to ™ (in versions 7&97&2000).

The computer will change 1/2 to ½, change 1/4 to ¼, and change 3/4 to ¾ (in versions 7&97&2000).

The computer will change -- to –, change --> to à, and change <-- to ß (in versions 7&97&2000).

The computer will change ==> to è and change <== to ç (in versions 7&97&2000).

The computer will change :) to J and change :( to L (in versions 7&97&2000).

If you type a phrase in quotation marks ("like this"), the quotation marks will become curly (“like this”).

If you type three periods (...), the periods will move farther apart (…) (in versions 7&97&2000).

If you type the first four letters of a month (such as “sept”) or day (such as “wedn”) and then press ENTER, the computer will finish typing the word and capitalize its first letter (in versions 97&2000).

If you type the current month and then press the SPACE bar and ENTER, the computer will type the current date and year (in versions 97&2000).

The computer’s ability to make those corrections is called AutoCorrect. As you can see from those examples, AutoCorrect is smarter in versions 7&97&2000 than in version 6.

If you dislike a correction that the computer made to your typing, here’s how to undo the correction:

Method 1: click the Undo button (which is under the word “Table” and has an arrow pointing to the left).

Method 2: while holding down the Ctrl key, tap the Z key.

Those methods work just if done immediately, before you do any other typing or editing.

Red squiggles (just in versions 7&97&2000) While you type, versions 7&97&2000 automatically put a red squiggle under any word that looks strange. The computer considers a word to look “strange” if the word’s not in the computer’s dictionary or if the word’s the same as the word before. For example, if you type “For a sentury, I love you you”, the computer will put a red squiggle under “sentury” and under the second “you”.

If you see a red squiggle, you misspelled the word or accidentally repeated the word or forgot to put a space between words or your vocabulary is more advanced than the computer understands. So if you see a red squiggle, look carefully at the squiggled word to make sure it’s really what you want.

If a word has a red squiggle under it, try right-clicking that word (by using the mouse’s right-hand button). Then the computer will make suggestions about what the squiggled word ought to be.

For example, if you typed “sentury” and the computer put a red squiggle under it, right-clicking the “sentury” will make the computer display two suggestions (“sentry” and “century”) and two other popular choices, so you see this list:

sentry

century

Ignore All

Add

Choose what you want:

If you meant “sentry” or “century”, click the word you meant.

If you meant “sentury” and want to add that slang word to the computer’s permanent dictionary (because the word means “a sentry who watches for a century”), click “Add”. Warning: before clicking “Add”, make sure the word “sentury” really exists and you’ve spelled it correctly and your colleagues give you permission to add slang to the dictionary!

If you meant “sentury” but don’t want to add that slang word to the dictionary, click “Ignore All”. The computer will ignore the issue about how “sentury” is spelled in this document; the computer will remove the red squiggle from every “sentury” in this document; but since “sentury” is still not in the dictionary, the computer will put red squiggles under any “sentury” in other documents.

If you’re not sure what you meant, press the keyboard’s ESCAPE key (which says Esc on it). The list of choices will disappear; “sentury” will still be in your document and squiggled.

Green squiggles (just in versions 97&2000) When you finish typing a sentence and start typing a new one, versions 97&2000 automatically check the grammar of the sentence you just typed and put a dark green squiggle under any obvious grammar error. For example, if you type “We is” instead of “We are”, the computer will draw a green squiggle under the “is”. (It will draw the squiggle when you finish typing that sentence and start typing the next one.) If you press the SPACE bar too many times, so you type “They kiss” instead of “They kiss”, the computer will put a green squiggle under the “kiss”.

If a word has a green squiggle under it, try right-clicking that word (by using the mouse’s right-hand button). Then the computer will make a suggestion about what the squiggled word ought to be.

If you agree with the computer’s suggestion, click that suggestion; the computer will fix what you wrote.

If you disagree with the computer’s suggestion, click “Ignore Sentence”. The computer will ignore the issue about that sentence’s grammar and remove the blue squiggle from that sentence.

If you’re not sure why the computer is complaining, click “Grammar”. The computer will tell you why it’s complaining. Then double-click the computer’s suggestion, or click “Ignore” (to erase the green squiggle from that sentence), or click “Ignore All” (to erase the green squiggle from that sentence and from all similar sentences in that document), or click “Cancel” (if you’re not sure what you want).

Page arrows Near the screen’s bottom right corner, you see this symbol:

If your document contains several pages, clicking that symbol makes the computer go back up and show you the previous page. For example, while you’re looking at page 4, clicking that symbol makes the computer show you page 3.

Under that symbol, you see this symbol:

Clicking it makes the computer show you the next page. For example, while you’re looking at page 3, clicking that symbol makes the computer show you page 4.

All delete

Here’s how to delete the entire document, so you can start over:

While holding down the Ctrl key, press the A key. That means “all”. All of the document turns black.

Then press the DELETE key. All of the document disappears, so you can start over!

Page break

After you’ve finished typing a paragraph (and pressed ENTER), try this experiment: while holding down the Ctrl key, press ENTER again. That creates a page break: it makes the next paragraph be at the top of the next page.

If you change your mind, here’s how to remove the page break: click at the beginning of the paragraph you’ve put at the top of a page; then press the BACKSPACE key.

Indentation buttons

Before typing a paragraph, you can press the TAB key. That makes the computer indent the paragraph’s first line.

If you want to indent all lines in the paragraph, do this instead of pressing the TAB key: while typing the paragraph, click the Increase Indent button. That makes the computer indent all lines in the paragraph. (The paragraphs you typed earlier remain unaffected.)

When you start typing a new paragraph, the computer indents that paragraph if the paragraph above it was indented.

If you indented a paragraph by clicking the Increase Indent button but then change your mind, here’s how to unindent the paragraph: click in the paragraph, then click the Decrease Indent button.

Example Suppose you start typing a new document. Here’s how to make just paragraphs 3, 4, and 5 be indented.

Type paragraphs 1 and 2 normally (without pressing the Increase Indent button).

When you start typing paragraph 3, press the Increase Indent button. That makes the computer start indenting, so paragraphs 3, 4, and 5 will be automatically indented.

When you start typing paragraph 6, here’s how to prevent the computer from indenting it: click the Decrease Indent button at the beginning of paragraph 6.

Changing your mind To indent a paragraph you typed earlier, click in the middle of that paragraph and then click the Increase Indent button. To unindent a paragraph you typed earlier, click in its middle and then click the Decrease Indent button.

Extra indentation If you click the Increase Indent button twice instead of just once, the computer will indent the paragraph farther. After typing that doubly indented paragraph, if you want the paragraph below to be unindented you must click the Decrease Indent button twice.

Each time you click the Increase Indent button, the computer indents the paragraph a half inch farther. Each time you click the Decrease Indent button, the computer indents the paragraph a half inch less.

Bullets Here’s a different way to indent an entire paragraph: while typing the paragraph, push in the Bullets button (by clicking it). That makes the computer indent the paragraph and also put a bullet (the symbol ·) to the left of the paragraph’s first line. That’s called a bulleted paragraph.

Versions 6&7&97 put the bullet symbol at the left margin and indent the paragraph’s words a quarter inch.

Version 2000 indents the bullet symbol a quarter inch and indents the paragraph’s words a half inch.

After you’ve typed a bulleted paragraph, any new paragraphs you type underneath will be bulleted also — until you request an unbulleted paragraph (by popping the Bullets button back out).

Numbering Here’s another way to indent an entire paragraph: while typing the paragraph, push in the Numbering button (by clicking it). That makes the computer indent the paragraph and put “1.” to the left of the paragraph’s first line. That’s called a numbered paragraph.

Versions 6&7&97 put the number at the left margin and indent the paragraph’s words a quarter inch.

Version 2000 indents the number a quarter inch and indents the paragraph’s words a half inch.

When you type a new paragraph underneath, that paragraph will be numbered “2.”, the next paragraph will be numbered “3.”, etc. Any new paragraphs you type underneath will be numbered also — until you request an unnumbered paragraph (by popping the Numbering button back out).

Color buttons

Normally, you type black characters on a white background. Here’s how to change those colors.

Highlight Normally, you type on a white background. Versions 7&97&2000 let you easily change the background to a different color, such as yellow, as if you were using a yellow Magic Marker highlighter. Here’s how.

First, type the phrase you want to highlight.

Then look at the Highlight button. It’s the button that shows a Magic Marker highlighter pen and a colored sample. (In version 7, the colored sample is a square. In versions 97&2000, the colored sample is a fat line.) Notice the sample’s color.

If it’s the color you want, click the sample.

If it’s not the color you want, do this instead: click the down-arrow that’s to the right of the sample; you’ll see several colors; click the color you want. (I recommend you pick a light color, such as yellow.)

Put the mouse at the beginning of the phrase you want to highlight (so the vertical bar is at the left edge of the phrase’s first letter). Drag across the phrase (while holding down the mouse’s left button.). The phrase’s background will change to the color you desired. If you wish, drag across other phrases also.

When you finish coloring, pop the Highlight button back out (by clicking it or by pressing the Esc key).

Font Color Normally, the characters you type are black. Here’s how to make them a different color, such as red.

If you’re using version 97 or 2000, do this:

Look at the Font Color button. It’s the last big button on the formatting toolbar, and it has an underlined “A” on it.

Notice the color of the A’s underline. If it’s the color you want, click the underline. If it’s not the color you want, do this instead: click the down-arrow that’s to the right of the A’s underline; you’ll see 16 colors; click the color you want.

Afterwards, whatever characters you type will be in the color you chose. (The characters you typed earlier remain unaffected.)

When you finish typing in that color, here’s how to return to typing characters that are black: click the down-arrow that’s to the right of the A’s underline, then click Black.

If you’re using version 6 or 7, you don’t have a Font Color button, so do this instead:

Click the word Format, then Font, then Font again, then the down-arrow that’s in the Color box. You’ll see a list of colors. (To see all 16 colors, use the scroll arrows.) Click the color you want, then press ENTER.

Afterwards, whatever characters you type will be in the color you chose. (The characters you typed earlier remain unaffected.)

When you finish typing in that color, here’s how to return to typing characters that are black: click the word Format, then Font, then Font again, then the down-arrow that’s in the Color box, then Black, then press ENTER.

Redo

If you click the Undo button, the computer might undo a different activity than you expected. If clicking the Undo button accidentally makes the text look even worse instead of better, and you wish you hadn’t clicked the Undo button, you can “undo the undo” by clicking the Redo button (which shows an arrow bending forward).

Show/Hide ¶

The symbol for “Paragraph” is ¶, which looks like a backwards P.

One of the buttons has a ¶ on it. Microsoft calls it the Show/Hide ¶ button, but most folks call it just the ¶ button.

If you push in that button (by clicking it), the screen will show a ¶ symbol at the end of each paragraph, so you can easily tell where each paragraph ends. The screen will also show a dot (·) wherever you pressed the SPACE bar and show a right-arrow (’) wherever you pressed the TAB key, so you easily tell how many times you pressed those keys.

For example, if you typed “I love you” correctly, the screen will show “I·love·you”. If you see “I·love···you” instead, you know you accidentally pressed the SPACE bar three times after “love” instead of just once, so you should delete the two extra spaces (by moving there and then pressing the DELETE key twice).

When you finish examining the ¶ symbols and dots and right-arrows, and you’re sure you’ve put just one space between each pair of words, here’s how to make those special symbols vanish: pop the ¶ button back out (by clicking it again).

The f problem When you’re using Windows, the computer’s screen has difficulty showing you the letter “f” correctly. When you type an “f” by using the normal font (10-point Times New Roman), the screen shows too little space after the “f”.

For example, if you try typing “fM”, the screen shows “fM”. If you try typing “f” then a space then “M”, the screen shows“f M”, which looks as if you hadn’t typed a space after the “f”. If you try typing “of Mary”, the screen shows “of Mary”, which looks as if you hadn’t typed a space after the “of”.

Although the screen looks wrong, what you see on paper might look better (depending on which printer you’re using).

To discover how many times you pressed the SPACE bar, press in the ¶ button, and notice how many dots appear. Make sure just one dot appears after each word.

Some conservative Americans have trouble handling dirty words that begin with “f”. Notice that Windows has the opposite problem: it has trouble showing words that end in “f”.

I hope somebody at Microsoft reads this book and fixes the f problem soon!

Cut and Paste

Here’s another way to move a phrase to a new location.

Select the phrase (by dragging across it with the mouse, so the phrase turns black). Click the Cut button (which looks like a pair of scissors). The phrase will vanish from its original location.

Then click the new location where you want the phrase to reappear, and click the Paste button (which looks like a clipboard). The phrase will appear there.

Ctrl key Here are shortcuts:

Instead of clicking the Cut button, you can press Ctrl with X (which means “X it out”).

Instead of clicking the Paste button, you can press Ctrl with V (which stands for “Velcro”).

Copy

Here’s another way to copy a phrase, so the phrase appears in your document twice.

Select the phrase (by dragging across it with the mouse, so the phrase turns black). Click the Copy button. Then click where you want the copy of the phrase to appear, and click the Paste button. The copy will appear there, so the phrase will be in your document twice.

If you want the phrase to appear in your document a third time, click where you want that additional copy to appear, then click the Paste button again. If you want the phrase to appear in your document a fourth time, click where you want that additional copy, then click the Paste button again.

Here’s a shortcut: instead of clicking the Copy button, you can press Ctrl with C.

Format Painter

Suppose one part of your document looks pretty, and one part looks ugly. Here’s how to make the ugly part look as pretty as the pretty part:

Drag across the pretty part, so you’ve selected it and it’s turned black. Click the Format Painter button.

Then drag across the ugly part. The computer will make the ugly part look as pretty as the pretty part. For example, the ugly part will have the same font and font size as the pretty part; it will be underlined, boldfaced, and italicized the same way as the pretty part; and if the pretty part was big enough to include a complete paragraph, the ugly part’s paragraphs will be aligned the same way as the pretty part.

If you do the procedure incorrectly and wish you hadn’t pressed the Format Painter button, just click the Undo button, which makes the document return to its previous appearance.

If one part of your document looks pretty, here’s how to make several other parts look as pretty:

Drag across the pretty part, so you’ve selected it and it’s turned black. Double-click the Format Painter button.

Drag across the first ugly part; the computer will make it look pretty. Then drag across the second ugly part; the computer will make it look pretty. Drag across each additional ugly part; the computer will make each look pretty.

When all the ugly parts have turned pretty, pop the Format Painter button back out (by clicking it again).

Print Preview

If you’re wondering what a page will look like but don’t want to waste a sheet of paper to find out, click the Print Preview button. The computer will show you a mock-up of what the entire page will look like: you’ll see the entire page, shrunk to fit on the screen.

Since the entire page is shrunk to fit on the screen, the page and its characters look too tiny for you to read the words easily, but you’ll be able to see the page’s overall appearance: how much of the page is filled up, which parts of the page are blank, and whether the info on the page is centered.

Wouldn’t you like to ride in an airplane, fly high above your house, and see an aerial view of your house and neighborhood, so all the people look like tiny specs, and you see — in one amazing view — the overall layout of your house and yard and neighborhood and city? Wouldn’t you be thrilled? Clicking the Print Preview button gives you that same thrill: you see an aerial view of the page you were typing, as if you were flying over it in an airplane: you see the layout of your entire page in one amazing view, and the characters on it look like tiny specs.

While you’re admiring the view, the word “Close” appears at the screen’s top center. When you finish admiring the view, click the word “Close”.

Zoom

Look at the Zoom box. (Versions 6&7 calls it the Zoom Control box.) In that box, you normally see the number 100%. That means the computer’s screen is showing you the actual size of what will appear on paper.

To the right of the Zoom box, you see a down-arrow. Click it. Version 2000 shows you this Zoom menu:

500%

200%

150%

100%

75%

50%

25%

10%

Page Width

Text Width

Whole Page

Two Pages

(Versions 6&7&97 omit “Text Width”. Versions 6&7 omit “500%”.)

For example, if you click 200%, the computer makes the screen’s characters be twice as high and twice as wide as normal, so you can read them even if you’re sitting far away from the screen or you have poor vision. It’s like looking at the document through a magnifying glass: the document looks enlarged, so you can see the details of each word and character more clearly; but not as many words and characters fit on the screen. Use the arrow keys to see different parts of the page.

Clicking 200% enlarges just what you see on the screen: it does not enlarge what appears on paper.

Try it! Try clicking 200%!

When you finish admiring that view, make the screen return to normal, by choosing 100% from the Zoom menu.

If you click Whole Page instead of 200%, the computer does just the opposite: the computer makes the screen’s characters be very tiny, so the whole page fits on the screen — as if you were doing a print preview.

A nice choice is Page Width. It makes the screen’s characters be as big as possible, but still small enough so that you can see the left and right edges of the paper.

My favorite choice is Text Width (available just in version 2000). It makes the screen’s characters be as big as possible (even bigger than Page Width), but still small enough so that you can see the first and last word of each line.

Spelling and Grammar

If you click in the middle of the document’s first word and then click the Spelling and Grammar button (which versions 6 & 7 called the “Spelling” button), the computer will scan through your document for misspelled words and accidentally repeatedly words. (Versions 97&2000 will also find words that are grammatically incorrect.)

In version 7, the computer will stop at the first word having a red squiggle underneath. In versions 97&2000, the computer will stop at the first word having a red or green squiggle underneath. (I explained squiggles on page 164.) In version 6, the computer will stop at the first misspelled word or accidentally repeated word.

When the computer stops at a strange word that seems wrong, the computer shows a list of suggestions. If you like one of the suggestions, double-click it. If you don’t like any of the computer’s suggestions, either click “Ignore” (which makes the computer leave the strange word unedited) or else edit the strange word and then click “Change”.

When the computer finishes checking the entire document, here’s what happens:

Versions 6&7 make the computer say “The spelling check is complete”.

Version 97 makes the computer say “The spelling and grammar check is complete”.

Version 2000 makes the computer say “Readability statistics” and tell you how long your document is, how long your average word & sentence & paragraph are, and how hard your document is to read, by revealing your document’s Flesch Reading-Ease Score (100 is best, 60 is typical) and your document’s Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (0 is best, 8 is typical, which means the average 8^th-grade kid can barely understand it). Press ENTER.

Columns

In a newspaper, text is printed in many narrow columns. In a business letter, text is printed in a single wide column.

The computer assumes you want a single wide column. Here’s how to tell the computer you want many narrow columns.…

Click the Columns button. You’ll see a tiny picture of a newspaper page that has several columns. Point at that picture’s leftmost column, and drag to the right, until the number of columns you want turns blue.

For example, if you want 3 columns, drag to the right until 3 columns turn blue. If you want 6 columns, hold down the mouse’s left button and drag to the right until 4 columns, then 5 columns, then finally 6 columns turn blue.

When you take your finger off the mouse’s button, your entire document changes, so it has as many columns as you requested. The gap between each pair of columns is a half-inch.

Column break After you’ve finished typing a paragraph (and pressed ENTER), try this experiment: while holding down the Ctrl and SHIFT keys, press ENTER again. That creates a column break: it makes the next paragraph be at the top of the next column.

If you change your mind, here’s how to remove the column break: click at the beginning of the paragraph you’ve put at the top of a column; then press the BACKSPACE key.

Return to 1 column If you change your mind and want just 1 column, click the Columns button again, so you see the tiny picture of a newspaper page again. Click that picture’s left column.

Table buttons

In the middle of your document, here’s how to type a table of numbers.

Click where you want the table to appear.

Click the Insert Table button. You see a tiny picture of a table that has 4 rows and 5 columns. Altogether, it contains 20 cells (since 4 times 5 is 20).

Point at that table’s top left cell, and drag down and to the right, until the number of rows and columns you want turns blue.

For example, if you want just 3 rows and 4 columns, drag down and to the right until 3 rows and 4 columns turn blue, so you see 12 blue cells altogether.

When you take your finger off the mouse’s button, you’ll see the table you requested.

Then just fill in the cells, with whatever numbers and words you wish. To move from cell to cell, click with the mouse, or press the TAB key (which moves right to the next cell), or press SHIFT with TAB (which moves left to the previous cell), or press the arrow keys repeatedly.

In a cell, you can type a number, word, sentence, or even an entire paragraph! If you start typing a paragraph in a cell, the computer will automatically make the cell and its row taller, so the entire paragraph will fit in the cell. You can even type several paragraphs in a single cell: just press the ENTER key at the end of each paragraph. If you want to indent the first line of one of those paragraphs, press the SPACE bar several times or press Ctrl with TAB.

Gridlines On the screen, each cell is a rectangle made of 4 lines. Those lines are called the gridlines.

In versions 97&2000, the gridlines are normal, solid lines, and they print okay on paper.

In versions 6&7, the gridlines are dotted. When you print the table onto paper, the paper will not show those dotted gridlines. Those gridlines appear just on the screen, not on paper.

Extra rows Here’s how to create an extra row at the bottom of the table: click in the table’s bottom right cell, then press the TAB key.

Here’s how to insert an extra row into the middle of the table: click in the row that’s underneath where you want the extra row to appear, then click the Insert Table button again (which is now called the Insert Rows button).

Column widths The computer assumes you want the table’s columns to all be the same width. But you can change that assumption!

For example, here’s how to adjust the width of the table’s left column (column 1). Move the mouse until its pointer is on the vertical gridline that separates column 1 from column 2, and the pointer’s shape turns into this symbol: ß║à. Then drag the vertical gridline to the right (to make the column wider) or left (to make the column narrower).

If you make a column wider, the computer makes room for it by shrinking the next column. (Versions 6&7 shrink the next column and all later columns also.)

If you make a column narrower, the computer compensates by expanding the next column. (Versions 6&7 expand the next column and all later columns also.)

If you want to fine-tune the widths of all columns, work from left to right: adjust the width of column 1 (by dragging the gridline that separates it from column 2), then adjust the width of column 2 (by dragging the gridline that separates it from column 3), then adjust the width of column 3 (by dragging the gridline that separates it from column 4), etc.

Numbers If a column contains mostly numbers, here’s how to make that column look prettier, so the numbers are aligned properly.

Move the mouse until its pointer is at the very top of the column and is centered on the gridline above the column, so the pointer’s shape turns into this symbol: È. Then click. The entire column turns black.

Push in the Align Right button (on the formatting toolbar). That makes all cells in that column be aligned right, so the numbers are aligned properly.

Table AutoFormat When you’ve finished typing numbers and words into all the cells, try this trick:

Click in the middle of the table. From the Table menu, choose Table AutoFormat. Then press ENTER.

That makes the computer analyze all your columns and improve their widths. The computer will make each column become just wide enough to hold the data in it.

The computer will also underline the headings atop the columns.

If you like what the computer did to your table, great! Go ahead and edit the table further!

If you don’t like what the computer did, click the Undo button, which makes the table return to its previous appearance.

Below the table When you’ve finished editing the table, here’s how to put paragraphs below it.

Click below the table by using the mouse, or go below the table by pressing the down-arrow key several times. Then type the paragraphs you want below the table.

Delete To delete a row, column, or the entire table, click in the middle of what you want to delete then do this.…

Version 2000: from the Table menu, choose Delete. Click Rows (if you want to delete a row) or Columns (if you want to delete a column) or Table (if you want to delete the entire table.)

Versions 6&7&97: from the Table menu, choose Select Row (if you want to delete a row) or Select Column (if you want to delete a column) or Select Table (if you want to delete the entire table). The row, column, or table you selected turns black. Next, from the Table menu, choose Delete.

Customized tables (just in versions 97&2000) Versions 97&2000 include a Tables and Borders button. It lets you easily create tables that have customized shapes. Here’s how to use it:

To create a customized table, click the Tables and Borders button. (instead of the Insert Table button). You’ll see a Tables and Borders window.

Where do you want the table to be in your document? Put the mouse pointer where you want the table’s top left corner to be, and drag to where you want the table’s opposite corner. (While dragging, hold down the mouse’s left button.) You’ll see a rectangle, which is your table.

Inside the rectangle, make a grid of rows and columns by drawing horizontal and vertical gridlines. To draw a gridline, put the mouse pointer where you want the line to begin, and drag to where you want the line to end.

If you make a mistake, click the Eraser button (which is the second button in the Tables and Borders window), then drag along the line you want to erase. While you’re dragging, the computer marks the line red; when you finish dragging (and take your hand off the mouse button), the line disappears. When you finish using the Eraser button, click the Draw Table button (which is the first button in the Tables and Borders window).

When you finish using the Tables and Borders window, close it (by clicking its X button).

Office Assistant

If you have a popular question about using Microsoft Word, you can make the computer answer it.

If you’re using version 97 or 2000, do this:

Click the Office Assistant button (which version 2000 calls the Microsoft Word Help button) or press the F1 key. You’ll see the Office Assistant: a cute cartoon character named Clippit, who’s an animated paper clip with eyes.

(Is Clippit male or female? Clippit’s sex is a mystery. If you want to have fun with Clippit’s body, try this: right-click Clippit and then click Animate, which makes Clippit’s body perform a random trick.)

Type your question about how to use Microsoft Word, then press ENTER. (If the computer says “I don’t know what you mean”, rephrase your question by using words the computer is more likely to understand.)

The computer will show you a list of topics that relate to your question. (If the list is too long to fit in the box, click See More to see the rest of the list.)

Click the topic that interests you, then click any other buttons that interest you. The computer will tutor you in whatever topics you request.

When you finish using Office Assistant, close each help window (by clicking its X button).

If you’re using version 7, the Office Assistant button is missing, so do this instead:

From the Help menu, choose “Answer Wizard”.

Type your question about how to use Microsoft Word, then press ENTER. (If the computer says “Sorry, but I don’t know what you mean”, press ENTER and then rephrase your question by using words the computer is more likely to understand.)

The computer will show you a list of topics that relate to your question. Double-click the topic that interests you. Then click any other buttons that interest you. The computer will tutor you in whatever topics you request.

When you finish using that help, close any help window (by clicking its X button).

If you’re using version 6, the Office Assistant button is missing, so do this instead:

From the Help menu, choose “Search for Help on”.

What topic is your question about? Type the word that best describes the topic. At the end of that word, press ENTER.

The computer will show you an alphabetical list of topics that begin with the same letters as what you typed. (To see more of that list, press down-arrow, up-arrow, PAGE DOWN, or PAGE UP keys.) Double-click the topic that interests you.

The computer will show you a list of subtopics. Double-click the subtopic that interests you. Then click any green underlined topic that interests you.

When you finish using that help, close each help window (by double-clicking its control box).

Menu bar

Near the screen’s top, you see this menu bar:

File Edit View Insert Format Tools Table Window Help

Here’s how to use it.

File menu

If you click the word File, you see the File menu, whose main choices are:

Open

Save

Save As

Page Setup

Print Preview

Properties

Exit

(Version 6 says “Summary Info” instead of “Properties”.)

Open Choosing Open has the same effect as clicking the Open button, which I explained on page 170.

Close When you finish working on a document and want to work on a different document instead, choose Close, which I explained on page 170.

Save Choosing Save has the same effect as clicking the Save button, which I explained on page 170.

Save As Suppose you’ve already saved a document then edited it some more, but you’re not sure you like the new editing. Try this experiment:

Choose Save As, then invent (and type) a new name for the document. At the end of the new name, press ENTER.

Then the computer will copy the new, edited version of the document onto the hard disk. That new, edited version will have the new name you invented.

The old original version of the document will be on the disk also and keep its old original name. The disk will contain both versions of the document.

Page Setup Normally, the computer makes every page’s top and bottom margins each be 1 inch tall, and makes every page’s left and right margins each be 1¼ inches wide. To change those margin, choose Page Setup, then do this:

Click Margins. Press the TAB key.

Type how many inches tall you want the top margin. Press TAB.

Type how many inches tall you want the bottom margin. Press TAB.

Type how many inches wide you want the left margin. Press TAB.

Type how many inches wide you want the right margin. Press ENTER.

Print Preview Choosing Print Preview has the same effect as clicking the Print Preview button, which I explained on page 171.

Print If you choose Print from the File menu (or press Ctrl with P), the computer will ask how you’d like to print onto paper.

If you want to print more than 1 copy, type the number of copies.

If you want to print just the page you were working on,

click the Current page button.

If you want to print just pages 1, 3, and 5 through 8,

click the Pages button, then type “1,3,5-8”.

If you selected (blackened) a phrase in your document

and want to print just that phrase, click the Selection button.

If you own more than 1 printer, do this for versions 7&97&2000: click the down-arrow next to the Printer Name box , then choose which printer you want to use (by clicking it). For version 6, do this instead: click the Printer button, double-click which printer you want to use, then press ENTER.

Then press ENTER. The printer will print what you desired!

Properties If you choose Properties and then click Statistics, the computer will tell you how long the document is: how many pages, paragraphs, lines, words, and characters it contains. (Version 6 says “Summary Info” instead of “Properties.)

The computer will also reveal.…

when created: when you first started creating the document, long ago

when modified: when you last saved the document, copied it from screen to disk

when accessed: when you last opened the document, copied it from disk to screen

when printed: when you last printed the document onto paper

(Version 6 doesn’t say when accessed.)

The computer will also reveal the total number of minutes and hours you’ve spent fiddling with this document (so your boss can complain about how much time you’ve wasted on it).

When you finish reading those statistics, press ENTER. (For version 6, then press ENTER a second time.)

Exit When you finish using Microsoft Word, choose Exit, which I explained on page 170.

Edit menu

If you click the word Edit, you see the Edit menu, whose main choices are:

Undo

Cut

Copy

Paste

Clear

Select All

Find

Replace

Go To

Of those choices, the first four imitate buttons:

Choosing Undo is like clicking the Undo button (explained on page 171).

Choosing Cut is like clicking the Cut button (explained on page 171).

Choosing Copy is like clicking the Copy button (explained on page 171).

Choosing Paste is like clicking the Paste button (explained on page 171).

The next two imitate your keyboard:

Choosing Clear is like pressing the DELETE key (explained on page 169).

Choosing Select All is like pressing the A key with Ctrl (page 169).

Find Here’s how to make the computer search through your document to find whether you’ve used the word “love”:

Click where you want the search to begin. (For example, if you want the search to begin at the document’s beginning, click in the middle of the document’s first word.) Choose Find from the Edit menu (or press Ctrl with F). Type the word you want to find (“love”), and press ENTER.

The computer will search for “love”. If the computer finds a “love” in your document, it will highlight that “love” so it turns black. If you want to find the next “love” in your document, press ENTER; if you do not want to search for more “love”, press the Esc key instead.

In versions 97&2000, the previous-page and next-page arrows (at the screen’s bottom right corner) turn blue. Afterwards, clicking them makes the computer find the previous or next “love” (instead of the previous or next page).

Suppose you’ve written a history of America and want to find the part where you started talking about Lincoln. If you forget what page that was, no problem! Just put the cursor at the beginning of the document, choose Find from the Edit menu, type “Lincoln”, and press ENTER.

Replace You can search for a word and replace it with a different word. For example, here’s how to change each “love” in your document to “idolize”:

Choose Replace. Type the old word you want to replace (“love”), then press the TAB key, then type the new word you want instead (“idolize”), then click the Replace All button. That makes the computer change each “love” to “idolize”. Then press the Esc key twice.

The computer preserves capitalization. For example, if the document said —

I love you. Love you! LOVE YOU! I want to kiss your glove!

the computer changes it to:

I idolize you. Idolize you! IDOLIZE YOU! I want to kiss your gidolize!

Notice that when told to change “love” to “idolize”, the computer unfortunately also changes “glove” to “gidolize”.

In versions 97&2000, the previous-page and next-page arrows (at the screen’s bottom right corner) turn blue. Clicking them makes the computer find the previous or next “love” (if any).

The Replace command helps you zip through many chores:

For example, if you write a letter that talks about Fred, then want to write a similar letter about Sue, tell the computer to replace each Fred with Sue.

If you write a book about “How to be a better salesman” and then a feminist tells you to change each “salesman” to “salesperson”, tell the computer to replace each “salesman”.

If you’re writing a long ad that mentions “Calvin Klein’s Hot New Flaming Pink Day-Glo Pajamas” repeatedly, and you’re too lazy to type that long phrase so often, just type the abbreviation “Calnew”. When you’ve finished typing the document, tell the computer to replace each “Calnew” with the long phrase it stands for.

Go To When you’ve typed a document that’s several pages long, here’s the traditional way to move to page 2:

Choose Go To from the Edit menu (or press Ctrl with G).

Make sure the computer says “Enter page number”.

(If the computer doesn’t say that yet, click Page and then press the TAB key.)

Type your desired page number (which is 2), then press ENTER.

You’ll see page 2 on the screen.

Press the Esc key.

That traditional way works in all versions. If you’re lucky enough to be using version 7 or 97, try this faster way to move to page 2:

Along the screen’s right edge, you see a scroll-up arrow (5) and a scroll-down-arrow (₆). Between them, you see a little box, called the scroll box.

Using the mouse, point at the scroll box, and hold down the mouse’s left button. While you hold down the button, you’ll see the current page number.

Drag the scroll box up or down, until the page number changes to the number you want: 2.

View menu

If you click the word View, you see the View menu, whose main choices are:

Normal

Page Layout

Toolbars

Ruler

Header and Footer

Full Screen

(Version 2000 says “Print Layout” instead of “Page Layout”.)

Normal versus Page Layout The View menu’s most popular choices are Normal and Page Layout (which version 2000 calls “Print Layout”). You should use Page Layout most of the time, because it shows you accurately what will appear on paper. If you choose Normal instead, here’s what happens:

In Normal view, the screen will show just a crude approximation of what will appear on paper. The computer won’t bother to show what’s in the margins (such as page numbers), won’t bother to show footnotes, won’t bother to show graphics, and won’t bother to show newspaper columns side-by-side (instead it will show the second column under the first column, and will show the third column under the second column). Since the computer takes those shortcuts, the computer displays the page fast — unlike Page Layout view, which makes the computer be fussily accurate about what appears on the screen.

If you bought a computer that’s slow (a 486 instead of a Pentium), Normal view lets the computer pretend to be faster, by letting the computer omit displaying the hard stuff. So if you’re stuck using a slow computer that reacts too slowly to your editing commands, you might like Normal view, which speeds things up by omitting display details.

Since Normal view displays fewer items on the screen, it makes more of the screen available for your important words and can display them bigger, so you can read them more easily. So if you’re stuck using a small screen that’s hard to read, you might like Normal view, which can enlarge your typing by omitting the margins, rulers, and other details.

Toolbars If you choose Toolbars, version 2000 shows you this list of toolbars:

Standard

Formatting

AutoText

Clipboard

Control Toolbox

Database

Drawing

Forms

Frames

Picture

Reviewing

Tables and Borders

Visual BASIC

Web

Web Tools

WordArt

(In versions 6&7&97, the list is shorter.)

In the list, “Standard” and “Formatting” should have check marks in front of them. (In versions 7&97&2000, each check mark is _a; in version 6, each check mark is _r.) Those check marks make the standard toolbar and formatting toolbar appear on your screen. If those check marks are missing, those toolbars disappear.

To make a check mark disappear, click it. To make a check mark appear, click where you want it to appear. (In version 6&7, press ENTER afterwards.)

Ruler In the View menu, the Ruler choice should have a check mark in front of it. That makes a horizontal ruler appear across the screen. The ruler is numbered 1", 2", 3", 4", 5", etc. If you’re in Page Layout view, it also makes a vertical ruler appear up and down the screen’s left edge. If the Ruler choice does not have a check mark, the rulers disappear. To make the check mark appear or disappear, choose Ruler from the View menu.

Header and Footer Normally, the top inch of each page is blank, to form the top margin. Anything you scribble in that margin is called a header.

For example, suppose you’re writing a top-secret memo and want to scribble this note in the top margin of every page:

Reminder! The info in this memo is TOP SECRET!

Here’s how to do it.…

Choose Header and Footer. Type your header:

Reminder! The info in this memo is TOP SECRET!

Then click the word “Close”. The computer will put your header at the top of each page of your document.

When you print the document onto paper, your header is printed in black.

While you’re using Page Layout view, your header appears on the screen in gray instead of black.

While you’re using Normal view, your header usually disappears from the screen, since Normal view doesn’t show you the margins. To see your header, switch to Page Layout view (by choosing Page Layout from the View menu), or choose “Header and Footer” again from the View menu.

If you want to edit the header, choose “Header and Footer” again from the View menu, then edit the header however you wish, then click the word “Close” again.

Instead of writing a header about being “TOP SECRET”, here are four other headers you might enjoy using:

Please do not copy! It’s copyrighted by starving author!

ACHTUNG! To keep your job, reply to this memo by Friday!

SALE! To order any of these items, call our 800 number!

I love you!!! I love you!!! I love you!!!

Here’s a way to make the computer print the page number at the top of each page:

Choose Header and Footer. Click the Insert Page Number button. That makes the computer put a “1” at the top of page 1, a “2” at the top of page 2, etc. Then click the word “Close”.

Let’s get fancier! Let’s make the computer print this at the top of page 1 —

This is page 1 of the Great American Novel

and print this at the top of page 2 —

This is page 2 of the Great American Novel

and print this at the top of page 3 —

This is page 3 of the Great American Novel

etc. Here’s how:

Choose Header and Footer from the View menu.

Type the header’s beginning words: “This is page”.

After the word “page”, press the SPACE bar.

Click the Insert Page Number button. (Versions 6&7 call it the “Page Numbers” button.) That makes the computer automatically type a “1” on page 1, a “2” on page 2, etc.

Press the SPACE bar (to make the computer leave a blank space after the page number).

Type the header’s ending words: “of the Great American Novel”.

Click the word “Close”.

Here’s how to print in the bottom margin (instead of the top margin):

Choose Header and Footer from the View menu. If the computer shows you a space labeled “header”, switch to “footer” by clicking the Switch Between Header and Footer button.

Type the footer (whatever you want in the bottom margin). Then click the word “Close”.

Full Screen Usually, just part of the screen shows your document; the rest of the screen shows the toolbars, rulers, menus, Start button, clock, and other doodads.

If you choose Full Screen, the computer devotes the entire screen to displaying your document, by making the doodads disappear. Yes, the toolbars, rulers, menus, Start button, clock, and all other doodads disappear. Instead of seeing doodads, you see more of your document.

When you finish admiring the full-screen view, press the ESCAPE key (which says “Esc” on it). Then all the doodads reappear, including the toolbars, rulers, menus, Start button, clock, etc.

Insert menu

If you click the word Insert, you see the Insert menu, whose main choices are:

Page Numbers

Date and Time

Symbol

Footnote

Text Box

File

Bookmark

(Versions 6 & 7 lack “Bookmark” and say “Frame” instead of “Text Box”.)

Page Numbers To print page numbers on all the pages easily, choose Page Numbers, then press ENTER. That makes the computer put the page number on each page’s bottom right corner, in the bottom margin, in the part of the page called the footer. (Versions 97&2000 will automatically switch you to Page Layout view.)

When you print the document onto paper,

the page numbers will be printed in black.

While you’re using Page Layout view,

the page numbers will appear on the screen in gray instead of black.

While you’re using Normal view,

you won’t see the page numbers, since Normal view doesn’t show you the margins.

Date and Time To type the date or time, choose Date and Time. The computer will show a list of formats, like this:

12/27/99

Monday, December 27, 1999

December 27, 1999

12/27/1999

1999-12-27

27-Dec-99

12.27.99

Dec. 27, 99

27 December, 1999

December 99

Dec-99

12/27/99 11:57 PM

12/27/99 11:57:20 PM

11:57 PM

11:57:20 PM

23:57

23:57:20

(Version 2000 shows you that full list. Versions 6&7 show a shorter list and say “December, 99” instead of “December 99”. Version 97 shows you that full list but says “December, 99” instead of “December 99” and requires you to click the down-arrow repeatedly to see the list’s end.)

Click the format you want. Press ENTER. The computer will type the date or time in the format you requested.

In that procedure, just before you press ENTER, you might wish to put a check mark in the Update Automatically box. (Version 6 calls it the “Insert as Field” box.) Here’s how that box works:

Suppose you type a document on Monday, but you print the document the next day (Tuesday). Which date will the computer print on paper? The computer will print the date that the document was typed (Monday), unless you put a check mark in the Update Automatically box, which makes the computer print the “date printed” (Tuesday).

If you put a check mark in the Updated Automatically box, the computer will automatically update the date & time whenever the document is printed or print-previewed or opened.

Symbol To type a special symbol, choose Symbol. You’ll see the Symbol window. In that window, you can click either the Symbols tab or the Special Characters tab.

If you click the Special Characters tab, version 97 will show you this list of special characters:

— Em Dash (a dash that’s slightly wider than an M; it’s exactly as wide as the font’s point-size height)

– En Dash (a dash that’s slightly narrower than an N; it’s exactly half as wide as an Em Dash)

- Nonbreaking Hyphen (a hyphen, between words that must appear on the same line as each other)

- Optional Hyphen (a hyphen, visible just when the word it’s in is too long to fit on a line)

Em Space (a blank space that’s slightly wider than an M; it’s as wide as the font’s point-size height)

En Space (a blank space that’s slightly narrower than an N; it’s exactly half as wide as an Em Space)

Nonbreaking Space (a space between words that must appear on the same line as each other)

® Registered

™ Trademark

§ Section

¶ Paragraph

… Ellipsis

‘ Single Opening Quote

’ Single Closing Quote

“ Double Opening Quote

” Double Closing Quote

(To see the entire list, click the list’s down-arrow or up-arrow repeatedly. Versions 6&7 lack “Section” and “Paragraph”. Version 2000 adds “¼ Em Space”, “No-Width Optional Break”, and “No-Width Non-Break”.)

If you click the Symbols tab instead, and then click the Font box’s down-arrow, the computer will show you this list of fonts:

(normal text)

Marlett

Symbol

Wingdings

(If your computer is fancy, it might show you extra fonts also. Version 6 usually lacks “Marlett”, which requires Windows 95 or 98.)

Click one of those fonts.

For example, if you click “(normal text)” while you’ve been using Times New Roman, you’ll see these Times New Roman characters:

(

)

;

[

]

{

}

–

—

‘

’

“

”

„

†

‡

•

…

‰

‹

›

™

(Versions 6 & 7 arrange those characters in a different order.)

If you click “Marlett” instead, you’ll see these Windows 95 & 98 characters:

If you click “Symbol” instead, you’ll see these math & Greek characters:

(

)

;

[

]

{

}

If you click “Wingdings” instead, you’ll see these pictorial characters:

(

)