Microsoft Office has a set of packages to help a college student manage their assignments better; one of this is Microsoft Word that is used to type documents. It has been upgraded over time to include more efficient ways to create and edit documents. There are so many tips that come in handy for a college student to navigate through Word in order to type college papers faster. Thus, below are the best Word’s features that everyone should know about, according to experts from Essay Kitchen.
Personal Formatting Style
Word has an inbuilt format style that is set to default which includes the font size and theme, indentation of paragraphs and spacing. However, one may find a need to change the style and customize it to the required. For example, most college papers require Time New Roman, the font size of 12 and spacing of 2. This way, Word allows a student to create their own style.
Select the style you want from the menu bar then right click on it and select ‘Modify’ and a dialogue bar appears. It allows you to name the style and change font and paragraph indent and spacing as you desire. Additionally, from the font and paragraph menu, you can change font size, theme and spacing respectively on the dialogue box. Click on ‘Set as default’ so that these changes will remain through all your Word documents.
Additionally, you can change the default Microsoft Word ribbon layout and customize it to make it easier to navigate through. Click on ‘Files’ and then on ‘Options’ – a dialogue box will appear with a list of options. Select ‘Customize Ribbon,’ this will allow you to customize keyboard shortcuts and the Ribbon to add few changes or change it all completely.
Autocorrect can prove to be a nuisance especially when using foreign words. Microsoft Word automatically corrects such words and you have to keep changing them. This you can put to an end by formatting your own rules of autocorrect, go to Files the Options click on Proofing tab then select Autocorrect Options and key for desired changes.
Word Shortcuts
Microsoft Word shortcuts are effectual and save a lot of time when writing. There are many shortcuts when copying, cutting and pasting but still consume a lot of time. One can select a text vertically, use spike, delete words entirely from a document and navigate through a long document faster.
Instead of the usual Ctrl+ x and Ctrl + v for cutting and pasting, use F2 instead, select the text you wish to cut. Then, press the F2 key and move the cursor to the spot you wish to paste the text and press ‘Enter’.
One may find the need to select more than one paragraph in a document and instead of the vertical usual way, select a rectangle by placing the cursor from where you want to start selection. Press and hold ALT, then drag the mouse downwards to the end of your section. This proves faster than dragging the cursor horizontally. Likewise, instead of using Delete on Keyboard, you can use Ctrl with Backspace to delete unwanted text.
Addedly, Spike allows you to temporarily hold words before placing them where you want. Highlight text then press Ctrl and F3; this cuts the text and holds it allowing you to copy or cut and paste different text. Then press Ctrl+Shift+F3 to paste the text you had cut before. To view texts in Spike Click Insert Menu, select ‘Building Blocks Organizer’ and finally ‘Spike’.
When using tables in Word, it can be hectic when changing through columns and rows which can be nerve wrenching at times. To avoid such a scenario, double click on the space where you want to put text and start writing.
When writing a lengthy Word document from seven to more than 15 pages, it proves hard to navigate through the document when looking up for something. When editing a document, make use of Shift+F5 which allows you to go back to a recent spot in the document and when you open an old document, the same shortcut takes you back to the last spot before the document was closed.
Using the Menu Ribbon to add bulletins wastes a lot of time. Type the asterisk then click space bar and this will automatically create a bullet. Enter after typing to put the next point. At the end of a bullet list, enter twice to end the bullet.
Select a text then press Shift + F3 to toggle the text to uppercase, lowercase or capitalize each word. In case of text copied elsewhere and the format does not match the current document, don’t fret using the Font Menu, select the text then press Ctrl +Spacebar and this changes the text to the current document’s format.
Academic papers are about not having any plagiarism and using correct words and phrases. Using Smart Lookup allows you to research a phrase without having to copy the phrase on the browser. It allows you to get the meaning of the word or phrase and search alternatives to it as well as antonyms.
Wrap-up
Microsoft Word makes it easier to type and present a document as is needed and do it professionally. Saving time when typing a document is essential for a college student and knowing the mentioned tips is a must therefore.
About Nick
Nick is a Software Engineer. He has interest in gadgets and technical stuffs. If you are facing any problem with your Windows, feel free to ask him.