1) What is MS Word?

Microsoft Word is a word-processing application used to create, edit, format, and print documents—letters, reports, resumes, notices, assignments, books, etc. It provides tools for text styling, page layout, images, tables, references, and collaboration.

2) Where Word fits in your workflow

Plan → Draft (type text) → Format (styles, layout) → Insert (images, tables)

→ Review (spelling, comments, track changes) → Export/Print (PDF/print)

3) Starting with Word (first 5 minutes)

1.   Open Word → Blank document (or choose a Template like Resume/Report).

2.   Type your content.

3.   Use the Ribbon (top bar) for commands:

·         Home: font, size, bold/italic/underline, colors, lists, alignments, styles.

·         Insert: pictures, shapes, icons, tables, page numbers, header/footer.

·         Layout (Page Layout): margins, orientation, size, columns, breaks.

·         References: table of contents, citations, footnotes.

·         Review: spelling & grammar, word count, comments, track changes, compare.

·         View: print layout, zoom, ruler, navigation pane.

4.   Save early: Ctrl+S → choose .docx (editable) or .pdf (final/share).

5.   Print/Export: Ctrl+P for printer; File → Export → Create PDF for sharing.

4) Core concepts you’ll use every day

• Text formatting: Font family/size, Bold/Italic/Underline, Color, Highlight.

• Paragraph formatting: Align (Left/Center/Right/Justify), Line spacing, Indentation, Before/After spacing.

• Lists: Bulleted and Numbered, Multilevel (for outlines).

• Styles: Named formatting sets (e.g., Heading 1, Normal). Using styles makes documents consistent and enables automatic Table of Contents.

• Page setup: Margins, Orientation (Portrait/Landscape), Size (A4, Letter), Columns, Page breaks.

• Headers/Footers & Page numbers: Add titles, dates, or page numbers at top/bottom of pages.

• Find/Replace: Quickly locate text (Ctrl+F) or replace (Ctrl+H).

• Proofing: Spelling & Grammar, Thesaurus, Word Count.

5) Inserting common elements

• Pictures/Online Pictures: Resize, wrap text (Square/Tight/Behind text), crop.

• Shapes/Icons/SmartArt: Simple diagrams and callouts.

• Tables: Organize data; add/remove rows/columns; apply table styles.

• Hyperlinks: Link to web pages, email, or headings in the document.

• Footnotes/Endnotes (References tab): Academic writing.

• Cover Page & Page Background (colors, borders, watermark).

6) Good habits for clean, professional documents

• Use Styles for headings (H1/H2/H3) instead of manual bold/size.

• Use Paragraph spacing (Before/After) instead of extra blank lines.

• Insert Page breaks (Ctrl+Enter)—don’t press Enter many times.

• Keep images anchored & wrapped properly (Layout Options on image).

• Build a Template for repeated formats (college report, office letterhead).

• Save to OneDrive/Cloud with AutoSave for version history.

7) Typical documents you can build with Word (uses)

• Academic: Assignments, lab reports, theses (TOC, citations, footnotes).

• Business: Letters, invoices, proposals, minutes of meetings.

• Personal: Resumes/CVs, applications, certificates, invitations.

• Technical: SOPs, manuals with headings, numbered steps, images.

• Mailings: Bulk personalized letters/labels via Mail Merge (we’ll cover in detail later).

8) Keyboard shortcuts (time savers)

• Create/Open/Save/Print: Ctrl+N, Ctrl+O, Ctrl+S, Ctrl+P

• Undo/Redo: Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+Y

• Select All/Copy/Cut/Paste: Ctrl+A, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+X, Ctrl+V

• Bold/Italic/Underline: Ctrl+B, Ctrl+I, Ctrl+U

• Align: Ctrl+L (Left), Ctrl+E (Center), Ctrl+R (Right), Ctrl+J (Justify)

• Find/Replace: Ctrl+F, Ctrl+H

• Page Break: Ctrl+Enter

• Apply Heading Styles: Ctrl+Alt+1/2/3 (H1/H2/H3)

• Bulleted List: Ctrl+Shift+L (toggle)

9) File formats & sharing

• .docx (default, editable), .dotx (template), .pdf (sharing/printing), .rtf/.txt (simple text), .odt (OpenDocument).

• For official submissions, export PDF to lock layout and fonts.

10) Basic troubleshooting & tips

• Spacing looks odd? Turn on ¶ (Show/Hide) to see paragraph marks and spacing.

• All caps accidentally? Check Change Case (Home → Aa) or Caps Lock.

• Numbering misbehaves? Use Multilevel List linked to Heading styles.

• Images jumping around? Set Layout Options → With text wrapping and Fix position on page if needed.

• Corrupt file? Try Open and Repair, or open as .zip (advanced) to recover media.

11) Mini practice (do these once)

1.   Make a 1-page letter with your address in header, today’s date, and page number footer.

2.   Create a 2-page report: add Title, three Heading 1 sections, a bulleted list, an image with Square text wrapping, and export to PDF.

3.   Use Find/Replace to replace a repeated term across the document.

4.   Insert a table (3×4) and apply a table style; center the header row text.

12) Common exam questions (with crisp answers)

1.   Define a word processor. Give two examples.
Ans: Software for creating/editing formatted text documents; e.g., MS Word, LibreOffice Writer.

2.   Difference between Save as .docx and Export as .pdf.
Ans: .docx is editable; .pdf preserves layout for sharing/printing.

3.   What are styles and why use them?
Ans: Predefined formatting sets (e.g., Heading 1). They keep documents consistent and enable automatic TOC.

4.   How is page layout controlled?
Ans: Margins, Orientation, Size, Columns, Breaks under Layout tab.

5.   Name two review tools.
Ans: Spelling & Grammar, Track Changes/Comments.

13) One-page recap

• MS Word = word processor for professional documents.

• Work with Ribbon tabs: Home (text/paragraph), Insert (objects), Layout (page), References (TOC/citations), Review (proof/collab), View.

• Styles for headings; lists, alignment, line spacing, page setup for layout.

• Insert images/tables/headers/footers/page numbers.

• Proof with spelling/grammar; review with comments & track changes.

• Save as .docx; share as .pdf.

• Master shortcuts to work faster.