Carol Bratt

Have you ever tried to modify a block of text in MS Word that refuses to comply to your editing? Here's a really useful tip: you can 'start with a clean slate' by removing *all* formatting from the paragraph selection; simply select the block of ... text and press Ctrl-Shift-N to start fresh. Alternatively, you can use Word's Reveal Formatting task pane to modify the formatting. In Word 2003, hit Shift-F1; in Word 2002, select Reveal Formatting from the Format menu. When you click on an underlined link, an options dialog will display settings that you can modify. By checking the Distinguish style ... (view more)

When Microsoft Word calculates line width and wraps text to the next line, it tries to break the line at either a space or a hyphen. Sometimes, however, you may not want Word to break a line at a certain space. For instance, you may wish to make ... sure that two adjacent words appear on the same line. The answer is to use non-breaking spaces instead of regular ones. To do this, hold down the Ctrl and Shift keys as you press the Space Bar. Word then does not break the line at that point. Visit Carol's web site to learn more tips like this one! (view more)

If you open a document you were editing when you last used Word, you can use the Shift + F5 keyboard combination to quickly jump to where you were last working in the document. This is also a good way to get back to what you were editing after ... browsing through a document. You should remember an important caveat when trying to apply this tip: The Shift + F5 shortcut takes you back to where you made your last edit, not to where you last had the insertion point. For instance, if you are halfway through your document and you type a word or change a character that counts as an edit. Suppose that ... (view more)

When you copy text from the Web or another document into a Word file, Word will reproduce the typeface, color, and font size displayed in the original page. If you want the pasted text to match the formatting in the destination document, use Edit | ... Paste Special, and choose Unformatted Text. Visit Carol's web site to learn more tips like this one! (view more)

Do you often find yourself typing the same phrase over and over again? For example, let's say you work for the Wonderful World of Word Workaholics in Wonkaville. Just entering that name can become quite time-consuming. But you don't have to manually ... type the entire name each time you use it in a document. Instead, you can add it to Word's list of AutoText entries, and you'll never have to type the entire name again. Follow these steps: 1. Type the name of your organization as you normally would. 2. Select the text, and press [Alt+F3]. 3. Click OK in the Create AutoText dialog box. The next ... (view more)

Did you ever wish there was a "quick key," "hot key," or shortcut for an everyday function that you use in Word? Well there are and you can print them out for handy reference! 1. In Word, select Tools | Macro | Macros or press Alt + F8. 2. In the ... Macros dialog box, select Word Commands from the "Macros in" drop-down list. 3. Select ListCommands from the "Macro name" list box. 4. Click Run. 5. Select Current menu and keyboard settings in the List Commands dialog box, and click OK. Word will create a document containing a table of commands and their keyboard shortcuts. Print it for future ... (view more)

Do you remember Clippy, the annoying Office Assistant for MS Word? If you're running MS Word 2003, you can change the Office Assistant to reflect your mood. Just follow these steps: If the Office Assistant is not visible on your screen asking what ... you want to know, press F1 or click your Help button on your toolbar and select Show Office Assistant. Right-click on the Office Assistant. MS Word will then display a Context menu. Select Choose Assistant from the Context menu. The Office Assistant dialog box will appear. Click on the Gallery tab. Scroll through the available Office Assistant ... (view more)