Entering Text

In most cases, you will enter text into a Word document using the keyboard.

Tip

• A wavy red or green line appearing beneath the text you type indicates that the text has a possible spelling or grammar error. Spelling and grammar checking are covered in Chapter 7.

To type text

Type the characters, words, or sentences that you want to enter into the document. Text appears at the blinking insertion point as you type it (Figure 24).

Figure 24. Text characters appear at the blinking insertion point as you type.

Tips

• I explain how to move the insertion point a little later in this chapter.

• Do not press at the end of a line. A new line automatically begins when a word can't fit on the current line (Figure 25).

  Figure 25. Word wrap automatically occurs when the text you type won't fit on the current line.

  
  
  

To start a new paragraph

At the end of a paragraph, press . This inserts a paragraph break that ends the current paragraph and begins a new one (Figure 26).

Figure 26. Press to start a new paragraph.

To start a new line

To end a line without ending the current paragraph, press . This inserts a line break character (Figure 27).

Figure 27. Press to start a new line in the same paragraph.

Tip

• Use a line break instead of a paragraph break to begin a new line without beginning a new paragraph. This makes it easy to apply paragraph formatting to multiple lines that belong together. I cover paragraph formatting in Chapters 3 and 4.