Microsoft Official Academic Course

MICROSOFT WORD 2016

Lesson 4 Paragraph Formatting

Contents
 SOFTWARE ORIENTATION
 The Indents and Spacing Tab in the Paragraph Dialog Box
 The Paragraph dialog box contains Word’s commands for
changing paragraph alignment, indentation and spacing. The
Indents and Spacing tab of the Paragraph dialog box is shown
in Figure
 FORMATTING PARAGRAPHS
 Paragraph formatting is an essential part of creating effective,
professional-looking documents in Word.

 When a document is formatted properly and the text is

attractively spaced and positioned, the reader can focus on the
content.
 Word’s paragraph formatting feature enables you to set values
for paragraph alignment, indentation, and spacing between

paragraphs.

 Word’s formatting features also enable you to remove

paragraph formatting altogether.
 Setting Indents
 You can use indents to set paragraphs off from other text in
your documents. Word documents can include first-line
indents, hanging indents, and negative indents.

 The commands for indenting paragraphs are available in the

Paragraph command group on the Home tab, as well as in the
Paragraph command group of the Layout tab.

 Both command groups have dialog box launchers that give you
access to additional commands. In this exercise, you learn to
set indents using the dialog box and the ruler.
 Setting Indents
 An indent is a blank space inserted between text and the left
or right margin.

 A first-line indent inserts blank space between the left

margin and the first line of the paragraph (one-half inch is the
default setting for this indent).

 A hanging indent, common in legal documents and

bibliography pages, begins the first full line of text in a
paragraph at the left margin; all the remaining lines in the
paragraph are then indented from the left margin.

 A negative indent extends paragraph text into the left

margin. You can indent paragraphs from the left margin, the
right margin, or both, and you can set the sizes of indents
 Setting Indents
 You can also drag the markers on the ruler to set indents. Table
4-1 shows the various indent markers as they appear on the
ruler.
1. On the Recent screen, click Open Other Documents. The Open screen
appears.
2. Connect your flash drive to one of the USB ports on your computer.
3. Click This PC.
4. Click the Browse button. Use the vertical scroll bar to scroll down and locate
the data files for this lesson on your flash drive. Double-click the lesson folder to
open it.
5. Locate and open the file named Books Beyond.
6. Click the View tab. Then, in the Show group, select the Ruler checkbox.
7. Select the four paragraphs under Acknowledgement.
8. On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click the dialog box launcher
located in the bottom right corner of the group. Verify that the Indents and
Spacing tab is the active tab.
9. In the Indentation section of this tab, change the Special selection by clicking
the dropdown arrow and selecting First line. The By box lists 0.5 inches by
default, as shown in Figure 4-2.
 First line ident

10. Click OK. The first line of each paragraph is indented 0.5 inches from the left
margin.
11. Figure 4-3 displays the ruler and the paragraphs with the first-line indent you
just set.
First line ident
 First line ident
 12. Select the four paragraphs under Introduction.
 13. On the horizontal ruler, click and drag the First-line indent marker to 0.5
inches.
 14. Select all the paragraphs under the General Performance Expectation
Guidelines.
 15. On the Layout tab, in the Paragraph group, launch the Paragraph dialog
box, and change the Special selection to First line by clicking the drop-down
arrow. Click OK to accept the default setting of 0.5 inches.
 16. Select both paragraphs under the Equal Employment Opportunity and
Diversity.
 17. Right-click the selected paragraphs and, on the context menu that
appears, select Paragraph—this is another way to open the Paragraph
dialog box.
 18. Change the Special selection to First line. Click OK. Using a shortcut
method, you can also access the Paragraph dialog box.
 19. SAVE the document as B&B First Line Indent in the lesson folder on
your flash drive.
 1. Select the first two paragraphs under the heading
Acknowledgement.
 2. On the Home tab, launch the Paragraph dialog box and
change the Special selection from First Line to Hanging. Click
OK. The first line of both paragraphs begins at the left margin
whereas the remaining paragraphs are indented 0.5 inches from
the left margin.
 3. Under the same heading, select the last two paragraphs. On
the horizontal ruler, click and drag the first-line indent marker
so that it aligns with the left margin. You need to reposition the
first-line indent marker so that it doesn’t move when you begin
dragging the hanging indent marker. Your markers on the ruler
should match Figure 4-4.
 Hanging Ident

4. Click and drag the hanging indent marker to 0.5 inches. You have now repositioned
the marker using the ruler, and both paragraphs have hanging indents. Your document
should look similar to the one shown in Figure 4-5.
 Hanging Ident

5. SAVE the document as B&B Hanging Indent in the lesson folder on your flash drive.
1. Select the four paragraphs under Introduction.
2. OPEN the Paragraph dialog box from the Home tab.
3. Under the Special group, select (none). Click OK. Notice the
paragraphs are left aligned.
4. Select the first two paragraphs under Introduction.
5. Right-click and click Paragraph to open the dialog box. In the
Indentation group, change the left and right indents to 1 inch by clicking
the up arrow. Click OK.
6. Select the last two paragraphs under the same heading.
7. On the Layout tab, in the Paragraph group, click the up arrow next to
Indent Left to indent the left side of the paragraph to 1 inch on the
ruler.
8. Click the up arrow next to Indent Right to indent the right side of the
paragraph to 1 inch on the ruler. Notice that paragraphs are one inch
from the left and right margins(see Figure 4-6).
 Left and right Ident

9. SAVE the document as B&B Left & Right Indent in the lesson folder on your flash drive.
 1. Under the Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity
heading, select both paragraphs.
 2. Launch the Paragraph dialog box from the Home tab. Under
the Special group, select (none). Click OK.
 3. Select the first paragraph under the heading.
 4. In the Layout tab, in the Paragraph group, click the down
arrow next to Indent Left to indent the left side of the
paragraph to -0.5 inch on the ruler as shown in Figure 4-7.
 Set negative Ident
 5. Position your insertion point anywhere in the last paragraph, and
then launch the Paragraph dialog box from the Layout tab.
 6. Under the Indentation group, click the down arrow next to Right to
indent the right side of the paragraph to -0.5 inch. Click OK (see
Figure 4-8). When repositioning the indentations, you can select or
place the insertion point anywhere in the paragraph. For multiple
paragraphs, select them and change the indents.

Take Note Changing paragraph indents can be completed by using the Ruler
or launching the Paragraph dialog box found on the Home or Layout tab.
 SETTING LINE SPACING IN TEXT AND
BETWEEN PARAGRAPHS
 In Word, you can determine how much space separates lines of
text, and you also can set the spacing between paragraphs. By
default, Word sets line spacing (the space between each line of
text) to 1.08.
 Line spacing is paragraph based and can be customized by
specifying a point size.

 Paragraph spacing, which affects the space above and below

paragraphs, is set to 8 points after each paragraph by default.
The higher the point size is, the greater the space between
paragraphs.
 In this exercise, you learn to set both line and paragraph
spacing.
 Setting Line Spacing
 Line spacing is the amount of space between the lines of text
in a paragraph. In this exercise, you learn to set line spacing
using a number of Word paragraph formatting tools.
 Line spacing options are available on the Home and Layout
tabs in the Paragraph group by using the Line and Paragraph
Spacing button.

 You can also access the line spacing options through the
Indents and Spacing tab of the Paragraph dialog box. In
addition, the Design tab includes Paragraph Spacing settings.
Table 4-2 provides additional information regarding line spacing
options and descriptions.
 Figure 4-8
 Sample document with negative right indent
Setting Line Spacing
 1. Place the insertion point in the first paragraph under the
Acknowledgement heading.
 2. On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click the Line and
Paragraph Spacing button to display the Line Spacing menu
and options to add and remove spacing before and after
paragraphs (see Figure 4-9).
 3. Select 2.0 to double-space the text.
 4. Place the insertion point in the second paragraph.
 5. In the Paragraph group, launch the dialog box.
 6. In the Spacing group, change the Line spacing by clicking
the drop-down arrow and
 selecting Double. Click OK. The paragraph is now double-
spaced.
 7. Place the insertion point in the third paragraph.
 8. Press Ctrl+2 to double-space the paragraph.
 9. Click the Design tab and, in the Document Formatting group,
click the Paragraph Spacing button to display the menu as
shown in Figure 4-10.
10. Select Double. Notice that the remaining document is double-
spaced. This feature in Word 2016 changes spacing for the entire
document to include new paragraphs.
Take Note When using the Document Formatting group to apply
paragraph spacing, you do not have to select the paragraphs to use one
of the built-in formatting commands.
11. SAVE the document as B&B Double Spacing in the lesson folder
 1. Select the four paragraphs under Acknowledgement.
 2. Return to the Line and Paragraph Spacing drop-down
menu in the Paragraph group on the Home tab. To set more
precise spacing measurements, click Line Spacing Options
to display the Indents and Spacing tab of the Paragraph dialog
box.
3. In the Spacing section, click the drop-down arrow and select
Exactly in the Line
spacing list. In the At list, click the up arrow until it reads 22 pt.
4. Click OK. The line spacing is increased.
5. SAVE the document as B&B Exact Spacing in the lesson folder on
your flash drive, and then CLOSE the file.
 Setting Paragraph Spacing
 Paragraphs are usually separated by a blank line in Word
documents. When you press the Enter key at the end of a
paragraph, Word adds the designated space above or below
the paragraph. By default, the spacing after a paragraph is set
to 8 points and the spacing before paragraphs is set to zero,
but you can change these settings for a single paragraph or for
an entire document. In this exercise, you learn to set paragraph
spacing.
 To increase or decrease paragraph spacing, use the Before and
After spin boxes in the Indents and Spacing tab of the
Paragraph dialog box. You can also change the paragraph
spacing in the Paragraph group on the Home tab by opening
the Line and Paragraph Spacing menu and selecting Add
 Space Before Paragraph or Remove Space After Paragraph.
 1. Select the entire document.
 2. On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click the arrow in the lower-
right corner of the group to display the Paragraph dialog box. The
Indents and Spacing tab is the active tab.
 3. In the Spacing section, click the up arrow next to Before until it reads
24 pt.
 4. Click the up arrow next to After until it reads 24 pt. Review the preview
area and notice the increase of spacing in the document.
 5. Click OK. Notice the spacing between the paragraphs.
 6. With the entire document still selected, click the drop-down arrow
next to the Line and Paragraph Spacing button in the Paragraph group to
display the Line Spacing menu.
 7. Click Remove Space Before Paragraph.
 8. Repeat step 6, and then click Remove Space After Paragraph. The
spacing before and after have been removed from the document.
 9. Place the insertion point in the heading, Acknowledgement.
 10. Click the Layout tab, and then in the Paragraph group, click the
up arrow and increase the Spacing After to 12 pt.
 11. Use the Format Painter and repeat step 10 for each heading,
Introduction, General Performance Expectation Guidelines, and
Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity.
 12. Use multi-selection to select the paragraphs under each heading
and change the Spacing After to 6 pt.
 13. SAVE the document as B&B Spacing Before & After in the
lesson folder on your flash drive, and then CLOSE the file.
 CREATING AND FORMATTING A BULLETED
LIST
 Bulleted lists are an effective way to format lists of items that
don’t have to appear in any specific order. (Use numbered lists
for items in a set order.) Items in a bulleted list are marked by
small icons—dots, diamonds, and so on. In Word, you can
create bulleted lists from scratch, change existing lines of text
into a bulleted list, choose from a number of bullet styles, create
levels within a bulleted list, and insert a symbol or picture as a
bullet.
 1. Select the two paragraphs below the phrase Please keep in
mind:.
 2. On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click the Bullets
button. Notice that solid circles appear before the selected
paragraphs.
 3. Place the insertion point at the end of the second bulleted
paragraph.
 4. Press Enter. Word automatically continues the bulleted list by
supplying the next bulleted line.
 5. Beside the new bullet, type If you do not know your four-
digit code and password, please get it from the HR
department.
 6. SAVE the document as B&B Alarm in the lesson folder on
your flash drive.
  1. Select the entire bulleted list.
 2. To change the format of the bulleted list, click the drop-
down arrow next to the Bullets button to display the menu
shown in Figure 4-11. The bulleted items might not match
 your screen.

Take Note To change a bulleted list to a numbered list (or vice versa), select the list and then
click either the Bullets button or the Numbering button. To remove one of the bullets from the
Library, open the Bullets drop-down menu; then in the Bullet Library, select the bullet and right-
click to remove it.
 1. Place the insertion point in the second bulleted item.
 2. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Bullets button,
point to Change List Level, and then note the levels that
appear (see Figure 4-12). When you point to the list level, a
 ScreenTip appears displaying the level.
 3. Click to select Level 2. The bullet item is demoted from Level 1
to Level 2. When you increase or decrease levels, the indentation
changes—see the markers on the rulers.
 4. Place the insertion point in the third bulleted item.
 5. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Bullets button, and then
point to Change List Level to produce a menu of list-level
options.
 6. Click to select Level 3. Your document should look similar to
the one shown in Figure 4-13.
 7. SAVE the document as B&B Alarm with Bullet Levels in the
lesson folder on your flash drive.
 8. Select the second and third bulleted items and click the drop-
down arrow next to the Bullets button. Point to Change List
Level and promote the selected bullets to Level 1.
 The two selected items now match the first bulleted item.
 The Define New Bullet dialog box provides options to change
the alignment and add new bullet characters, such as symbols
or pictures. When you click on either option, a new dialog box
appears.
 GET READY. USE the document that is open from the previous
exercise.
 1. Select the second and third bulleted items and promote them
to the first level, and then select all three bulleted items.
 2. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Bullets button, and
then click Define New Bullet.
 3. Click the Symbol button in the Define New Bullet dialog box.
The Symbol dialog box opens, as shown in Figure 4-14.
4. Change the Font by clicking the drop-down arrow. Scroll down and select
Wingdings.
5. Select the bell in the first row, sixth column. Click OK to close the Symbol dialog
box.
6. Click OK to close the Define New Bullet dialog box.
7. SAVE the document as B&B Alarm Update in the lesson folder on your flash drive.
 CREATING AND FORMATTING A NUMBERED LIST

 You can quickly add numbers to existing lines of text to create a

list, or Word can automatically create a numbered list as you
type.

1. Select the four paragraphs under the Set Alarm heading.

2. On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click the drop-
down arrow next to the Numbering button to display the
Numbering Library shown in Figure 4-17.
 CREATING AND FORMATTING A NUMBERED LIST

 3. Select the option, 1., 2., 3. The paragraphs now appear as an

ordered list.
 4. Place the insertion point at the end of item number four and
press Enter. Notice that Word automatically numbers the next line
sequentially.
 5. In the new numbered line, type Leave the premises
immediately.
 6. Select the four paragraphs under the Deactivate Alarm heading.
 7. On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click the drop-down
arrow next to the Numbering button.
 8. Select the option, a., b., c., The four paragraphs are numbered
and aligned left.
 9. SAVE the document as B&B Numbered Alarm List in the
lesson folder on your flash drive.
 1. Select the numbered list under the Set Alarm heading.
 2. To change the format of the numbered list, click the drop-down arrow
next to the Numbering button, and then click Define New Number
Format. The Define New Number Format dialog box appears.
 3. Click the Number style drop-down arrow and select uppercase
roman numerals (see Figure 4-18). The format for the selected text
changed to uppercase roman numerals.
 4. In the Alignment drop-down list, set the value to Right.
 5. Click the Font button and select Arial Black, size 12 pt. Review the
preview area to see how the numbering will appear. Click OK to close
the Font dialog box.
 6. Click OK to close the Define New Number Format dialog box.

Take Note To change the formatting of list numbers, click any number to
select the entire list. If you select the text as well, the formatting of both the
text and the numbering change.
7. Select the numbered list under the Deactivate
Alarm heading.
8. In this next step you renumber an existing list
using the lowercase letters. Click the
drop-down arrow next to the Numbering
button, and then click Set Numbering Value.
The Set Numbering Value dialog box appears as
shown in Figure 4-19.

9. The Start new list option button is already selected. In the Set value to section, click the
up-arrow to f. Click OK. Your document should match Figure 4-20.
10. SAVE the document as B&B Numbered Alarm List 1 in the
lesson folder on your flash drive.
 SETTING AND MODIFYING TABS

Tabs are used to align text or numbers in your document. You can
use the ruler to set tabs or, for a more exact setting, use the Tabs
dialog box. As you apply custom tabs to selected text, Word
applies the tabs to the paragraphs. When you press the Enter
key, the tab settings are carried forward into the next paragraph.

Take Note To view tabs as Word sets them, display nonprinting characters, as discussed in
Lesson 1.
 Setting Tabs on the Ruler
By default, Word sets left-aligned tab stops every half-inch on the
ruler. To set a tab at a different position on the ruler, you can click
the tab selector at the left end of the ruler and a ScreenTip will
appear showing the type of tabs at the tab selector. Tabs are part
of paragraph formatting—the selected text is affected by the
setting or modification of a tab. In this exercise, you learn to set
tabs on Word’s ruler.
Table 4-3 lists the types of tabs available in Word and their
descriptions. To view tabs on the ruler, place your insertion point
in the paragraph. After tabs are set, press the Tab key; the
insertion point moves to the next set position. To move a
tab stop to a different position on the ruler, click and drag the tab
left or right to a new position.
Figure 4-20
Sample document with different modified numbering list
Setting Tabs on the Ruler
1. On the Home tab in the Paragraph group, click the Show/Hide
(¶) button to show nonprinting characters.
2. Place the insertion point on the blank line below the Meals &
Incidentals Breakdown heading.
3. Click the tab selector at the left of the ruler until the Center tab
appears. The horizontal ruler is shown in Figure 4-21, displaying
the different types of tabs.
4. Click the ruler at the 2.5-inch mark to set a Center tab. The Center tab
appears as an inverted T.
5. Click the ruler at the 4-inch mark to set a Center tab. The ruler shows
two tab settings.
6. Press Tab and type Chicago.
7. Press Tab and type New York.
8. Select the list of words starting with Breakfast and ending with Totals.
When setting tabs, tabs are part of the paragraph formatting—the selected
text will be affected by the tab settings after the Tab key is pressed.
9. Click the tab selector until the Right tab appears—displays as an
reverse L.
10. Click the ruler at the 1-inch mark to set a Right tab.
11. Deselect the list, and place the insertion point in front of each word in
the list, and then press Tab to align it at the Right tab. When setting a Right
tab, press the Tab key with existing text or press the Tab key, and then type
the new text. The text characters are aligned at the right and move to the
left.
 Using the Tabs Dialog Box
The Tabs dialog box is useful for setting tabs at precise locations
on the ruler, clearing all tabs, and setting tab leaders. Tab leaders
are symbols such as dotted, dashed, or solid lines that fill the
space before a tab. In this exercise, you practice setting tabs and
leaders using the Tabs dialog box. your flash drive.
1. Select the list of words starting with Breakfast and continuing to the
end of the document.
2. On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click the dialog box
launcher to launch the Paragraph dialog box.
3. Click the Tabs button on the bottom left of the Paragraph dialog box
to display the Tabs dialog box. In the Tabs dialog box, you should see
the 1” Right tab setting that you set in the previous exercise.
4. In the Tab stop position box, type 2.6. In the Alignment section, select
Decimal. In the Leader section, select 2, and then click Set. After
specifying values for individual tabs, you must click Set to position the
tab.
5. In the Tab stop position box, type 4.1. In the Alignment section, select
Decimal. In the Leader section, select 2, and then click Set. Setting a
leader provides a guide to the next tab setting. Refer to Figure 4-22 and
compare with your screen.
6. Click OK to close the Tabs dialog box. Notice that nothing happens
yet.
7. Place the insertion point after the word Breakfast and press Tab.
8. Type $10.98 and press Tab.
9. Type $12.50. Repeat this process for each line, typing the numbers
shown in Figure 4-23. Notice how the decimals align properly.
10. SAVE the document as Per Diem Second Draft in the
lesson folder on your flash drive.
1. Select the block of text beginning with Breakfast… and ending
with …$63.49. Include the non-printing character (¶) in your
selection.
2. Position the mouse pointer at 4.1” on the ruler until you see the
Decimal Tab ScreenTip.
3. Click and drag the tab on the ruler to 5”. Notice the Decimal Tab
setting for the five lines is positioned at 5” on the ruler.
4. With the text still selected, position the mouse pointer at 2.6” on
the ruler until you see the Decimal Tab ScreenTip.
5. Click and drag the tab on the ruler to 3”. Release the left mouse
button. Notice the
Decimal Tab setting for the five lines is positioned at 3” on the ruler.
6. Select Chicago. Drag the center tab setting and position it at 3”
on the ruler. Double click the center tab on the ruler to open the Tabs
dialog box—check the positioning of the tab. Chicago should align
above the amounts.
7. Select New York. Drag the center tab setting and position it
at 5” on the ruler. Double click the center tab on the ruler to
open the Tabs dialog box—check the positioning of
the tab. New York should align above the amounts.
8. SAVE the document as Per Diem Final in the lesson folder
on your flash drive.
STOP. CLOSE Word