Word 2007

Paragraph
Formatting
In this lesson you learned to format a paragraph. You learned that
formatting carries over from one paragraph to the next as you are typing
but that you need to select an existing paragraph to change its format. You
learned how to use the ruler to set margins and indents.

Objectives
 Understand how to format a paragraph.
 Paragraph alignment.
 Creating and connecting paragraphs.
Contents Page

Paragraph Section ....................................................................................... 3.3

Show Paragraph Mark ................................................................................ 3.3
Soft Break vs Hard Break .......................................................................... 3.3
Quick Keys Breaks: ............................................................................................... 3.3
Positioning paragraphs on the page ...................................................... 3.4
Horizontal Alignment ................................................................................. 3.5
Custom Paragraph ....................................................................................... 3.5
Positioning text within a paragraph...................................................... 3.7
Using Ruler Tabs .......................................................................................... 3.8
Create a new paragraph............................................................................. 3.8
Connect paragraphs .................................................................................... 3.9
Close Word ..................................................................................................... 3.9
Notes .............................................................................................................. 3.10

Word 2007 3.2 5/1/2009

 Lesson Three: Paragraph Formatting

Paragraph Section

Show Paragraph Mark

In paragraph formatting you only have to place the Insertion Point
anywhere with the paragraph. You can click on the ¶ tool in the
Paragraph Section of the Home tab. This will show the ¶ at the end of
every paragraph in your document.

Note: Every type you press the Enter key, a new paragraph is created. This
is sometime called a Hard Carriage Return or Hard Break.

Soft Break vs Hard Break

A soft break is a break at the end of a line or a page that occurs when the
program word-wraps or advances pages automatically. A hard break
(anywhere in a line or a page) is forced by the program user, who uses a
keystroke to force the break at a specific point -- the keystroke embeds a
hard-break code.

The location of a soft break adjusts automatically with a change in the

margins or the line-lengths or the number of lines. The hard break remains
in its original location unless the operator deliberately removes it or
relocates it.
Quick Keys Breaks:

Enter is a Normal Paragraph Break.

Shift+Enter is a Soft Break because it does not create a new paragraph
Ctrl+ Enter is a Normal Page Break. It creates a new page.

Word 2007 3.3 5/1/2009

 Positioning paragraphs on the page
 Margins determine the overall width of the main text area; in other words,
the space between the text and the edge of the page.

 Indentation determines the distance of the paragraph from either the left
or right margins.

 Within margins, you can increase or decrease the indentation of a

paragraph or group of paragraphs by using the Increase Indent and
Decrease Indent buttons on the Formatting toolbar.

 Within margins, increase or decrease both sides of a paragraph as shown

below:
A special circuit in the machine called a ‘critical detector’ senses the operator’s
emotional state in terms of how desperate he or she is to use the machine.

The ‘critical detector’ then creates a malfunction

proportional to the desperation of the operator.
Threatening the machine with violence only
aggravates the situation. Likewise, attempts to use
another machine may cause it to also malfunction.
They belong to same union. ¶

Keep cool and say nice things to the machine. Nothing else seems to work.

 Exercise: Create a paragraph indented on both sides as shown above

using the Warning.doc document

With your cursor in the second paragraph, select Format Paragraph

Change Indentation Left to 1.0
Change Indentation right to 1.0

Word 2007 3.4 5/1/2009

 Lesson Three: Paragraph Formatting

Horizontal Alignment
Horizontal alignment determines the appearance and orientation of the
edges of the paragraph: left-aligned, right-aligned, centered or justified.
For example, in a left-aligned paragraph (the most common alignment),
the left edge of the paragraph is flush with the left margin.

Left-aligned: Left edge of the paragraph is flush with the left

margin

Right-aligned: The right edge of the paragraph is flush with the right
margin

Justified: Both edges of the paragraph are flush with their

respective margins

Left-aligned Centered Right-aligned Justified

Custom Paragraph

To enter indentation, spacing, margin and breaks, manually, click on the 

button in the Paragraph section. The paragraph dialog box will appear.

Word 2007 3.5 5/1/2009

 Change left
and right
indent

Change first
line or
hanging
indent

Change the
spacing
between
paragraphs

Word 2007 3.6 5/1/2009

 Lesson Three: Paragraph Formatting

Positioning text within a paragraph

 First-line Indent is very common and moves the first line of a paragraph
in by a specified distance and leaves the rest of the paragraph where it is as
shown in this example:

Horizontal alignment determines the appearance and

orientation of the edges of the paragraph: left-aligned, right-aligned,
centered or justified. For example, in a left-aligned paragraph (the
most common alignment), the left edge of the paragraph is flush with
the left margin.

 Exercise: Create First Line Indent in a paragraph

1. With your cursor in the first paragraph,
2. Change Special to First Line
3. Make By = 0.5”

 Hanging Indent indents everything EXCEPT the first line as shown below:

Horizontal alignment determines the appearance and orientation of

the edges of the paragraph: left-aligned, right-aligned, centered
or justified. For example, in a left-aligned paragraph (the most
common alignment), the left edge of the paragraph is flush with
the left margin.

 Exercise: Create a Hanging Indent

1. With your cursor in the second paragraph, select Format,

Paragraph
2. Change Special to Hanging

Word 2007 3.7 5/1/2009

 3. Make By = 0.5”

Using Ruler Tabs

Another way to indent is to use the Triangle Markers on the ruler. Use
your mouse to drag and drop to new position on the ruler.

The Top triangle will indent the first line of a paragraph

The Bottom triangle will The Rectangle will indent

indent all lines after the the entire paragraph.
first line.

 Exercise: Use Ruler Tabs

Try using the ruler tabs with the paragraphs in your open file.

1. Create a Hanging Paragraph

2. Create a “First Line” Paragraph
3. Create a paragraph indented on both the right and left sides
by approximately 1.5 inches

Create a new paragraph

Open file Sample Document.doc.

Click to place the insertion point just before the “By 1969, Peet’s Coffee &
Tea” towards the end of the first paragraph,

Word 2007 3.8 5/1/2009

 Lesson Three: Paragraph Formatting

Press the Enter key twice to create a blank line between the paragraphs.
You now have split a long paragraph to make two shorter ones.

Connect paragraphs
1. Click to place the insertion point at the beginning of the next
paragraph (Ignore the typographical error).
2. Press the Backspace key two times to connect this
paragraph to the new second paragraph.
3. Press the spacebar to insert a space between the sentences.

Close Word
1. Click the Office button and click Exit or click the X on the
program title bar. You will be reminded to save any
documents that have not been saved. If a dialog box appears.
2. Click Yes to save the document and exit Word.
3. Click No to exit Word without saving the document.
4. Click Cancel to return to your work.

If you have deleted the files from your personal folder or My Documents
folder, you now need to delete them from the Recycle bin, also. Double click
on the Recycle bin icon on the desktop. Click on Empty Recycle bin. These
files are now completed deleted from the computer. Exit from the Recycle bin.

Word 2007 3.9 5/1/2009

Notes

Word 2007 3.10 5/1/2009