Paragraph Formatting

1) What is a paragraph in Word?

A paragraph is any text ending with an Enter (¶) mark. Formatting applies to the whole paragraph (alignment, spacing, indentation, borders, lists).

Pro tip: Toggle Show/Hide ¶ to see hidden marks: Home → ¶ (or Ctrl+Shift+8).

2) Everyday paragraph controls (Home → Paragraph)

Open full dialog: click tiny launcher in Paragraph group.

3) Indentation (precise control)

• First line indent: Common in essays (e.g., 1.27 cm / 0.5").

• Hanging indent: Reference lists, bullet text (first line hangs left; rest indented).

• Left/Right indent: Indent block quotes or callouts.

Via Ruler:

• Top marker = first-line; bottom marker = hanging; square = left indent. Drag to set.

4) Line & paragraph spacing (readability)

• Line spacing: Single / 1.15 / 1.5 / Double / Exactly (fixed height) / At least (min height) / Multiple.

• Paragraph spacing: Add Before/After (e.g., 6–12 pt) instead of empty lines.

Fast keys:

• Ctrl+1 Single, Ctrl+5 1.5, Ctrl+2 Double.

• Ctrl+0 toggle 6 pt Before (useful for lists).

5) Lists (clean structure)

• Use Bullets for unordered, Numbering for steps.

• Multilevel list for outlines (I, A, 1, a, i).

• Restart numbering or Continue from previous list (right-click number).

• Link multilevel list to Heading 1/2/3 for automatic Table of Contents later.

6) Tabs & leaders (neat alignment)

• Set Left/Right/Center/Decimal tabs from the Ruler or Paragraph → Tabs…

• Add Leader (dots/dashes) for price lists or contents lines.

Example:
Item Tab→Leader…… ₹ 120

7) Line & Page Breaks (keep layout stable)

Home → Paragraph → Line and Page Breaks tab:

• Widow/Orphan control: Keep first/last line of a paragraph with the paragraph.

• Keep lines together: Prevent a paragraph from splitting across pages.

• Keep with next: Keep a heading with the first paragraph/table below it.

• Page break before: Force a new page before selected paragraph (useful for chapter headings).

8) Style-first workflow (professional & fast)

• Apply Styles (Normal, Heading 1/2/3) instead of manual formatting.

• Modify a style once → whole document updates (consistency).

• Use Theme fonts/colors for uniform design (Design → Themes).

Page Formatting

1) Page setup (Layout tab)

2) Page vs Section breaks (don’t mix them up)

• Page Break: Starts next content on a new page (Ctrl+Enter).

• Section Break: Splits the document so page settings can change after the break:

• Next Page (new page + new section)

• Continuous (same page, new section)

• Even/Odd Page (chapter starts on even/odd page)

Use a section break when you need different margins, orientation, columns, or headers/footers in different parts.

3) Headers/Footers & Page numbers

Insert → Header/Footer/Page Number → Page Number Format…

• Different First Page (title page without number).

• Different Odd & Even (book layout).

• Start at: Restart numbering at 1 for new sections (e.g., after prelims).

• Link to Previous: Turn off to have different header/footer in this section.

4) Page background & document look

• Watermark (Draft/Confidential)

• Page Color / Borders

• Themes: Set Fonts and Colors for the whole document (Design tab).

5) Common layouts (ready recipes)

Academic report (simple)

• A4, Margins: 1", Font Times New Roman 12 or Calibri 11

• Line spacing 1.5, First-line indent 0.5" (Normal style)

• Heading styles for sections, TOC from References

Resume (modern, tight)

• A4, Narrow margins, single line spacing

• Use Spacing Before/After to separate sections, no blank lines

• Consistent bullets & tabs/leaders for dates

Large landscape table on one page

• Insert Section Break (Next Page)

• Change that section to Landscape; adjust margins

• Insert table; keep Different First Page if needed

Newsletter

• Section: Two columns + Justify + Hyphenation: Auto

• Use Keep with next on headings to avoid orphan headings

6) Troubleshooting (fast fixes)

• Weird spacing: Turn on ¶; remove extra paragraphs; set Before/After spacing properly.

• Heading on last line of page: Turn on Keep with next for headings.

• Numbering breaks: Use Multilevel list linked to Heading styles; right-click to Restart at 1.

• Images jump: Set Wrap Text → Square/Tight and Fix position on page; use Position/Align.

• Page numbers wrong after sections: Open header/footer → Page Number → Format → Start at 1, and unlink (Link to Previous off).

7) Handy keyboard shortcuts

• Align L/C/R/J: Ctrl+L / Ctrl+E / Ctrl+R / Ctrl+J

• Line spacing: Ctrl+1 (single), Ctrl+5 (1.5), Ctrl+2 (double)

• Increase/Decrease indent: Ctrl+M / Ctrl+Shift+M

• Increase/Decrease font: Ctrl+] / Ctrl+[

• Page break: Ctrl+Enter

• Show/Hide ¶: Ctrl+Shift+8

8) Mini diagrams

Paragraph layout

[Left Margin]  ←Indent→  First line

                └─Hanging indent for bullets/references

Line spacing  ↑

Before/After spacing between paragraphs

Sections

... Section 1 (Portrait, 1 column) ...

--- Section Break (Next Page) ---

... Section 2 (Landscape, 2 columns, different header/footer) ...

9) Practice tasks (do these once)

1.   Essay setup: Set Normal style to TNR 12, 1.5 spacing, First-line 0.5", 12 pt After. Write 3 paragraphs.

2.   Outline: Create Heading 1/2 sections, apply a multilevel list linked to headings, insert a TOC.

3.   Tabs & leaders: Build a two-column price list using Right tab at 15 cm (or 6") with dot leaders.

4.   Landscape table: Insert a Section Break, switch to Landscape, add a wide table, and Repeat Header Rows.

5.   Headers/footers: Different first page; number pages i, ii, iii for prelims, then start 1 at main matter (unlink sections).

10) One-page recap

• Paragraph: Alignment, line/paragraph spacing, indents (first-line/hanging), lists, borders/shading, tabs/leaders, keep options.

• Page: Margins, orientation, size, columns, hyphenation, page/section breaks, headers/footers, numbering, themes.

• Use styles, avoid extra Enters, prefer spacing Before/After and page/section breaks for control.

• Fix issues with ¶, Keep with next, Link to Previous, and proper list/heading links.