WORD PROCESSING

Word processing is the art of

creating,editing,formatting,saving and printing text and
graphic documents using a word processor.
A word processor is an application software that enables the
user to create,edit,format and print text documents.
Examples of common word processors include
Microsoft word
Corel word perfect
Lotus word pro
Appleworks
Open office writer etc.
The most commonly used word processor is the Microsoft
word which is a part of the Microsoft office suite
There are different versions of Ms Word which include-:
Ms word 97, Ms word 2000, Ms word 2003,Ms word 2007& Ms
word 2010
 Documents created using a modern version of a Ms word
should always be saved in compatibility mode so that they
can be opened with earlier versions.

 Advantages of word processors

 Revisions are made electronically in the document until its
exactly right and in a fraction of time.
 Typographic errors can be corrected and editing changes
can be made on the screen before the text is printed.
 A document can be stored for future use unlike in
typewriting where the document may require retyping if
required in future
 Word processors enable users to proof read and spell
check documents on the screen before they are printed.
 Word processors have superior document formatting and
editing features which fasten the proceess of documents
creation.
 WORD PROCESSING TERMINOLOGY
1.Document: is the file that is created using a word processor. Documents
can contain many different types of items such as text, images, tables,
charts, borders and clip art

2.Cursor/ Insertion Point: is a flashing vertical bar on the screen that

indicates where entered text or objects will be placed in the document. To
place the cursor to a new location in your document, you would move your
mouse pointer to the new location and click the left mouse button once. The
flashing cursor should now appear in the new location and any text typed or
object inserted will be placed there.

3.Clipboard: is a temporary holding area the computer uses for any item
that has been copied or cut. When an item such as text is placed on the
clipboard, it can then be pasted elsewhere in the document. Items will stay on
the clipboard until they are deleted or erased. The manner in which the
clipboard is cleared depends on the application being used. Quite often, the
clipboard is cleared when another item is cut or copied or if the application is
closed.
4.Copying: The process of copying will take an existing item in a document
and creates a duplicate in a new location in the document (or even in another
document). When an item is copied, it is stored temporarily on the clipboard
waiting to be pasted elsewhere.
5.Cutting: The process of cutting is used to move text or objects in a
document. Cutting takes an existing item in a document, removes it from its
current location and stores it on the clipboard. The item can then be pasted
elsewhere in the document (or even in another document) as long as it
remains on the clipboard.
7.AutoCorrect: This feature is used to correct typos and misspelled words.
When AutoCorrect is turned on, common mistakes are automatically replaced
using a default a list of words that are stored in the word processing
application. The user can also typically modify the list to include their own
common misspellings

8.Alignment: refers to the way text is arranged in the document between

the margins. In horizontal alignment, paragraphs of text can be left aligned
(flush against the left margin), right aligned (flush against the right margin),
or centered (each line within the paragraph centered between the margins).
There is a fourth alignment option known as "justified". Text in a justified
paragraph will be spread evenly across the page and appear as a block with
text lining up on both the left and right margins.

9.Undo: the "Undo" command can be used to reverse the last action (or
series of actions) that you have performed in a document. When using the
Undo command, each item must be reversed sequentially, meaning that if
you would like to undo the action you took 7 actions ago, you would first
need to undo actions 1 through 6 as well.
10.Rulers: The rulers appear at the top and side of the document within the
word processing window and are used to show the position of the margins,
tabs, indents, columns, rows and other items that are set for the document.
11.Tabs: Tabs are used to control the placement of text on a page. Tab stops
can be set within the ruler at the top of the word processing window. In
addition to the location of a tab (example: 2 inches in from the left margin),
the type of tab can also be set. Common tab types include left, right,
centered and decimal. The tab type controls how the text will be aligned if it
is forced to that tab stop. When the tab key is pressed on the keyboard, the
Editing: Editing is the process of making changes or corrections in a
document. It includes alterations to the text itself, moving or copying items to
other locations and applying formatting options to the document itself and
items within it.

Formatting: The process of changing the appearance a document involves

specifying how the document will look in its final form on the screen and when
printed. Common formatting options include the font, font size, color,
alignment, spacing, margins and other properties.
Character formatting-applying formatting properties to enhance the
appearance of individual text characters. Character formats can be applied
to a single character, word, sentence or a line of text, without such formatting
affecting the entire current paragraph.
Examples of character formats that can be applied to text characters in Word
include bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, font type face, font size, font
color, superscript, subscript, change case, etc those you find in the Font
dialog box.
Paragraph formatting is changing the appearance of text that affects an
entire paragraph or is different from other paragraphs in a document e.g.
Line spacing, paragraph spacing,bulleting,numbering,alignment,identation
etc
Page formatting-changing the appearance or layout of a page by modifying
the page size, page margins, page orientation,pagebreaks,page
columns,watermarks,page color,page borders etc

Highlighting / Selecting: Highlighting (or Selecting) an object or area of

text is typically the first step to making a change to that item. When an item
is highlighted (or selected) the next action (whether it be formatting, deleting,
Margin: The margin is the white space between the edge of the page and
where text or other items can be placed in your document. Margin settings
can be adjusted to include more or less space around the edge of the page
and left, right, top and bottom margins can be changed independently of one
another.

Line Spacing: Line spacing refers to the amount of white space between
lines of text in a paragraph. Commonly used line spacing settings are single
spaced and double spaced.

Menu Bar: The menu bar typically appears at the top of the word processing
application's window and contains a listing of the main commands in the form
of text. Menu items that are common among multiple applications include
File, Edit, View and Help. When you click on one of these items, additional
options appear in a drop-down menu on the screen.

Landscape: Page orientation refers to the way the rectangular page is

turned or positioned for viewing or printing. The two types of orientation in
word processing are portrait and landscape. Portrait orientation is where the
height of the page is greater than the width. Landscape orientation, on the
other hand, has a greater width than height (the page is turned on its side).

Portrait: If the page layout indicates Portrait page orientation, the vertical
edge of the paper is larger than the horizontal edge. Portrait orientation is the
most common orientation in word processing. Landscape (where the
horizontal edge is larger than the vertical edge) is the other option.
Table: a table is a collection of text, data or other items that are arranged
in columns and rows.

Template: a template is a starting point for a document that contains

initial formatting options, settings, colors, layout and placeholders. A typical
blank document begins with the "Normal" template, but sometimes it is a
time saver to begin with a preformatted template when creating a more
advanced document (such as a brochure or flyer).

Tool bar: a tool bar consists of buttons that provide a shortcut way of
performing a commonly used function. There are many different toolbars
that exist in word processing applications, each of which focuses on a
particular topic or category.

Typeface: the typeface determines the shape of the letters and numbers in
a document. Common typefaces include Times New Roman and Arial. A
collection of letters and numbers of one particular typeface makes up a
Font.

Word Wrap: word Wrap refers to the function of a word processor that will
automatically force text to a new line when the right margin is reached
while typing. Word Wrap eliminates the need for pressing the Enter key on
the keyboard at the end of every line.

Indent: The space between the margin of the page and the text. Most
word processors allow for both left and right indentation. One other
common use of indention is what is known as a "first line indent" where
only the first line of a paragraph is indented and the remaining lines of text
Paragraph: In a word processing document, a new paragraph is created each
time the enter key on the keyboard is pressed. A paragraph can be made up
of several lines of text, a single item, or nothing at all. Microsoft Word has a
view that will show you where each paragraph in a document begins or ends.

Paragraph Spacing: Paragraph spacing refers to the amount of white space

that is left between paragraphs when the enter key is hit. Unlike line spacing,
paragraph spacing does not affect the amount of space between lines of text,
but instead, between one paragraph and the next.

Header: The header is an area that appears at the top of every page in a
document that can contain one or more lines of text. One common use of the
header is to include information about the document (such as the title) on
every page in the document

Footer: The footer is an area that appears at the bottom of every page in a
document that can contain one or more lines of text. One common use of the
footer is to insert the current page number on every page in the document
Print Preview: Print Preview is a word processing feature that will show you
what your document will look like on a piece of paper if it were to be printed.
Scroll Bars: Since many documents are too long to fit legibly on a single
computer screen, vertical and horizontal scroll bars are included to allow you
to move through the document and change the area of the document that is
currently being viewed on the screen.

Selecting / Highlighting: Selecting (or Highlighting) an object or area of

text is typically the first step to making a change to that item. When an item
is selected (or highlighted) the next action (whether it be formatting, deleting,
copying, or cutting) will typically only affect that item. Items are usually
selected (or highlighted) using the mouse by clicking in the starting position
(and holding down the mouse button) and dragging to the end of the area
that you want to select.

Spelling / Grammar Checker: Most word processing programs include a

utility that checks for proper spelling and grammar. Depending on the
application being used, these utilities may run automatically and alert you to
errors as you type (such as in Microsoft Word) or require you to run the utility
manually. Either way, you typically will be given options as to whether or not
to accept the changes suggested by the utility. The exception to this would be
if AutoCorrect is turned on and the item in question appears in the
AutoCorrect listing