Microsoft Word 2007 Training - Paragraph Guide

Basic Help Tutorial on How to Change Paragraph Options in MS Word 07

May 19, 2009

This basic help tutorial / training for Microsoft Word 2007 will teach new users various paragraph features, how to access them, and when to use them. A beginner's guide.

Microsoft Word is a word processing program used all over the world. MS Word offers both ease-of-use and extensive options for a broad range of applications; from basic documents to newsletters and more. Read below for a quick training lesson designed for MS Word 2007 beginners, detailing some basic options in the paragraph section, and how and when to use them.

Locating the Paragraph Section

The paragraph section is located on the "Home" tab in the top middle of the screen. As it is labeled "Paragraph" it shouldn't be difficult to find, refer to the reference picture "Highlighted" for a visual aid.

If nothing is shown underneath the tabs, then the ribbon was probably minimized on accident. Right click on at the top, and scroll down to "Minimize Tab" to uncheck the option and the ribbon sections should be revealed.

Paragraph Alignment in MS Word 2007

By default, paragraphs and writing in general is aligned to the left. This makes sense, since English is read from left to right. However, paragraphs can also be formatted in the center or to the right. Two other alignment options, Justify and Distributed, force the text into a rigid block format.

The following is a list of all the basic alignment options in MS Word 2007, and when and how to use them.

Paragraphs - Left Alignment

The most common form of alignment, particularly in professional and business settings. Left alignment looks clean and organized - suitable for anything from professional letters and business documents to posters, fliers, and anything else in-between.

Change the alignment to Left by selecting the text with the mouse or keyboard, and by pressing the left alignment button on the paragraph section, or by simply pressing CTRL + L at the same time.

For an example of Left Alignment, see the reference picture "Paragraph Alignment - Left, Center, Right." The first paragraph is aligned in the left format.

Paragraphs - Center Alignment

Most commonly used for headlines, Center alignment is rarely used for large blocks of text, as the result often looks cluttered. Poetry commonly employs the centered format, as does large posters and fliers. But when cleanliness and readability are desired, full paragraphs should typically stay away from center alignment.

Change the alignment to Center by selecting the text with the mouse or keyboard, and by pressing the center alignment button on the paragraph section, or by pressing CTRL + E at the same time.

For an example of Center Alignment, see the reference picture "Paragraph Alignment - Left, Center, Right." The second paragraph is aligned in the center format.

Paragraphs - Right Alignment

A rarely used alignment; readers expect to read left to right, so Right Alignment causes unnecessary confusion. Poetry and other creative endeavors might find Right Alignment suitable for a particular project, but for a professional look, right alignment should be avoided.

Change the alignment to right by selecting the text with the mouse or keyboard, and by pressing the right alignment button on the paragraph section, or by pressing CTRL + R at the same time.

For an example of Right Alignment, see the reference picture "Paragraph Alignment - Left, Center, Right." The third paragraph is aligned in the right format.

Paragraphs - Justify Alignment

Justify forces all but the last sentence in a paragraph into a fixed block format. Instead of having longer or shorter sentences at the end of a paragraph, Justify forces extra spaces in-between words to make sure both the left and right sides look perfectly square. In large, long blocks of text, Justify can make a document look more clean and professional.

However, in shorter blocks of text, sometimes Justify must force too large of spaces in-between words to create a block format, making "rivers of text" in the paragraph, resulting in an unprofessional appearance.

Change the text to Justify by selecting the text with the mouse or keyboard, and by pressing the Justify alignment button on the paragraph section, or by pressing CTRL + J at the same time.

For an example of Justify Alignment, see the reference picture "Paragraph Alignment - Left, Justify, Distributed." The second paragraph is aligned in the Justify format. Left alignment is shown in the first paragraph for contrast.

Paragraphs - Distributed Alignment

Distributed offers the same blocked format as Justify, except the last sentence is also forced into the alignment. If the run-off sentence is long, the extra spaces to keep the formatted block won't be noticeable, however, if the run-off sentence is short, two to three words may be spread across the length of the entire page, resulting in an awkward appearance.

Similar to Justify, Distributed can create a clean, professional look for a document, but it can also look awkward.

Change the text to Distributed by selecting the text with the mouse or keyboard, and by pressing the Distributed alignment button on the paragraph section, or by pressing CTRL + SHIFT + J at the same time.

For an example of Distributed Alignment, see the reference picture "Paragraph Alignment - Left, Justify, Distributed." The third paragraph is aligned in the Distributed format. Left alignment is shown in the first paragraph for contrast.

MS Word 2007 Training - Paragraphs Guide - Conclusion

Microsoft Word 2007 has a wide range of paragraph and formatting options; this guide only presented the most basic, necessary paragraph formatting options available. Hopefully, this guide has helped newcomers learn the bare essentials of paragraph alignment / formatting in Microsoft Word 2007.

The copyright of the article Microsoft Word 2007 Training - Paragraph Guide in Office/Business Software is owned by Bradley Kairis. Permission to republish Microsoft Word 2007 Training - Paragraph Guide in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.