E3: Word Peculiarities

I have talked about Word’s similarities to other programs. Now let us talk about how Word is, shall we say, special. Like every program, it has some interesting qualities all its own.

For example, many functions in Word can be accessed in multiple ways. You can access paragraph formatting by right-clicking and choosing “Paragraph” from the menu that appears or by clicking on the down arrow in the Paragraph section of the Home tab. You will find multiple access points for many of Word’s functions.

Word offers different options depending on where you click and right-click. If you click on a picture, the Picture Tools tab appears. If you click on a shape or a text box, the Drawing Tools tab appears. If you right-click on the inside of a text box, you have one set of options. If you right-click on the edge of a text box, you have another set of options.

Also, Word has many hidden commands. The majority of these are only needed by power users. However, knowing where those commands hide can be important. You can access every Word command by going to the very top menu, pressing the down arrow, and choosing “More commands.”

These idiosyncrasies of Word teach us a few lessons that we can take into other programs. For instance, look to see if there is more than one way to access a function. Secondly, look to see if your options change given what you click or right-click on. Finally, see if you might be able to access more commands through a separate menu. Taking strategies such as this one and applying them to other programs and technologies will help to enhance your overall adaptability.

Your next exercise will address text boxes. You will have an opportunity to practice both accessing the text box formatting through different means and discovering your options by right-clicking in different areas.

Text Box and Header/Footer Exercise

Follow the directions:

1. Create a new Word file.
2. Copy five paragraphs of text to the file. This text can come from a paper, an article, a wiki article, or whatever. The text itself does not matter.
3. Create a text box. Cut two paragraphs and paste them into the text box. Make the remaining three paragraphs flow around the text box. Align the text box with the left or right margin.
4. Create a text box. Copy and paste two paragraphs of text into the text box. Make the background of the text box a picture (any picture). Make it transparent by at least 50%. Make sure the text is readable.
5. Make a star-shaped text box and paste a paragraph of text into it (hint: start with a shape and add text)
6. Create two text boxes. Paste a paragraph of text into each. Lay the two text boxes halfway on top of each other. Resize the text boxes so the text is readable. (hint: word wrap)
7. Create a text box. Paste a paragraph of text into the text box. Change the text box’s border to be a 3 pt gradient fill.
8. Create a text box. Paste a paragraph of text into the text box. Give the text box a shadow. Make the shadow purple.
9. Create a text box. Paste a paragraph of text into the text box. Make the text box have an 18 pt orange glow around it.
10. Create a text box. Paste a paragraph of text into the text box. Make the text box have a beveled bright blue edge. (hint: 3D options)
11. Create a text box. Paste a paragraph of text into the text box. Fill the text box with a texture. Then, make the texture look like a chalk sketch. (hint: artistic effects)
12. Save the file.
13. Turn the file in, if applicable.