Introduction to Word Processing

Workshop
MS Word 2000
Handout

GETTING STARTED ...................................................................................................... 1

PREREQUISITES ................................................................................................................ 1
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN................................................................................................... 1
WORD PROCESSING..................................................................................................... 1
OPEN MICROSOFT (MS) WORD ....................................................................................... 2
Microsoft Word Components ...................................................................................... 3
The Keyboard.............................................................................................................. 5
CONDUCT SIMPLE TASKS IN MICROSOFT WORD ............................................................... 6
Typing text................................................................................................................... 6
Changing the look of your text (formatting) ............................................................... 6
Undoing and redoing what you just did...................................................................... 8
Deleting text and using backspace.............................................................................. 8
Copying, cutting and pasting text ............................................................................... 8
Inserting a picture....................................................................................................... 9
Changing the page orientation to landscape ............................................................ 11
Correcting the spelling in your MS Word document ................................................ 12
SAVE YOUR MS WORD DOCUMENT ............................................................................... 12
PRINT YOUR MS WORD DOCUMENT .............................................................................. 14
GET HELP WITH MS WORD ............................................................................................ 16
CLOSING MS WORD ...................................................................................................... 16
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Handout
Workshop

Introduction to Word Processing

MS Word 2000

Getting Started
Prerequisites
You must be familiar with the basics of:
Computer operations such as using the mouse and the keyboard
Microsoft Windows
Please let the instructor know if you do not meet the prerequisites.

What you will learn

Open the word processor Microsoft Word

o Learning about MS Word components
o Learning about the keyboard
Conduct simple tasks in Microsoft Word
o Typing text
o Changing the look of text (formatting)
o Undoing and redoing what you just did
o Deleting and backspacing
o Copying, cutting and pasting text
o Inserting a picture
o Changing the page orientation to landscape
o Correcting the spelling in MS Word
Save
Print
Get help with MS Word
Close MS Word

Word Processing
A word processor is a computer program used to create and print text documents that
might otherwise be prepared on a typewriter. The key advantage of a word processor is
its ability to make changes easily, such as correcting spelling, adding, deleting, and
relocating text. Once created, the document can be printed quickly and accurately and
saved for later modifications. In this workshop, you will learn how to use Microsoft
Word.
Millennium Learning Centres (MLC) has developed this workshop material. The material is being
distributed under the Open Content Licence, which can be found at http://opencontent.org. You
are welcome to use the material but please acknowledge that it was developed by MLC and
indicate any changes you make on the material.

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Handout
Workshop

Introduction to Word Processing

MS Word 2000

Open Microsoft (MS) Word

Before you get started with Microsoft Word, you will need to locate and open it from the
computer. On the Millennium Learning Centres (MLC) computers, you should be able to
see a MS Word icon on the desktop.
From the computer desktop:
1. Double-click on the MS Word icon
Go to the Start menu if the MS Word icon is not on the desktop:
1. Click Start Programs Microsoft Word

MS Word will open a blank page

called Document 1.

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Handout
Workshop

Introduction to Word Processing

MS Word 2000

Microsoft Word Components

The Title Bar

The Title bar is located at the very top of the screen. On the Title bar, Microsoft Word
displays the name of the document you are currently using. At the top of your screen, you
should see "Document1 Microsoft Word" or a similar name.
The Menu Bar

The Menu bar is directly below the Title bar and it displays the menu. You use the menu
to give instructions to the software.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Point with your mouse to a menu option

Click the left mouse button once to open a drop-down menu
Point with your mouse to an item
Click once with the left mouse button to select the item

Toolbars
Toolbars provide shortcuts to menu commands. Toolbars are generally located just below
the Menu bar. Below are some examples of what the different icons mean. If you roll
over the icons with the mouse, you will get a description of what they are.
Standard Toolbar

The diskette is for the

The printer is for the

The clipboard is for the

The pages are for the

The scissors are for the

The page with the magnifying glass is for the

Save command
Print command
Paste command
Copy command
Cut command

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Print Preview command

Handout
Workshop

Introduction to Word Processing

MS Word 2000

Formatting Toolbar

The B is for the

Bold command

The U is for the

Underline command

The I is for the

Etc

Italicize command

The Ruler

The ruler is generally found below the main toolbars. The ruler tells you where you are
on the page.
Text Area
Just below the ruler is a large area called the "text area. You type your document in the
text area. The blinking vertical line in the upper left corner of the text area is the cursor. It
marks the insertion point. As you type, your work will show at the cursor location.

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Handout
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Introduction to Word Processing

MS Word 2000

The Keyboard
In this workshop, you will be using certain keys on the keyboard. The following picture
of a keyboard tells you where to find the keys that will be used in this workshop. Come
back to this picture if you need to find a key on the keyboard.

Tab

Backspace

Delete

Caps
Lock

Number
keypad

Shift

Control
(Ctrl)

Shift

Enter

Arrow keys

Spacebar

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Handout
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Introduction to Word Processing

MS Word 2000

Conduct simple tasks in Microsoft Word

Typing text
1. To enter text
o Type just as you would if you were using a typewriter.
2. To capitalize a letter
o Hold down the Shift key while typing the letter or press on the Caps Lock
key on the left hand side of your keyboard. You will have to press on the
Caps Lock key again once you are done capitalizing to take off Caps
Lock.
3. You do not need to press Enter to start a new line, Microsoft Word automatically
wraps at the end of the line.
4. To insert letters or spaces in what youve already typed
o Use the mouse or the arrow keys to move the cursor where you want the
letters or spaces to be, and then type what you want to add the text will
adjust to include it.
5. Press Enter to start a new paragraph.
Changing the look of your text (formatting)
Changing the look of what youve written is called formatting.

You can bold, underline, or italicize when using Word. You can also combine
these features - in other words - you can bold, underline, and italicize a single
piece of text.

You might centre a title to make it stand out, or make the text size bigger and the
text type different to make it easier to read.

Type the following text and make sure to capitalize the first letter of the sentence:
This is a test to show you how to format text in MS Word.
To highlight text:
1. Place the cursor before the text you wish to
highlight. In this case, highlight This is a
test.
2. Hold down the left mouse button
3. Move the mouse to the right until the text is highlighted then let go of the mouse

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Introduction to Word Processing

MS Word 2000

To format the highlighted text:

1. Click Format on the menu bar and select Font
2. Select Bold in the Font style list and Click OK OR
2. Click B on the formatting toolbar (selection should
appear sunken)
3. Click I on the formatting toolbar (selection should appear sunken)
4. Click U on the formatting toolbar (selection should appear sunken)
5. Click on the down arrow of the Font size number on the formatting toolbar and
select 14
6. Click once at the beginning of your text and hit the Enter key twice (this will
bring your text down a few lines)
7. Bring the cursor back to the top by clicking once in a space at the beginning of the
page/document
8. Type a Title for your text. In this case, type Test
9. Highlight the title of your text
10. Click Centre Text on the formatting toolbar
11. Click on the down arrow of the Font size number on the
formatting toolbar and select 18
12. Click on the down arrow of the Font type box on the formatting toolbar and
select Arial
13. Click B on the formatting toolbar
Your text should now look something like this:

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Introduction to Word Processing

MS Word 2000

Undoing and redoing what you just did

You can cancel something you just did with the Undo feature if it doesnt work out right.
1. Click Edit Undo from the menu bar or Click the Undo
standard toolbar

icon on the

2. Click Edit Redo from the menu bar or Click the Redo
icon on the
standard toolbar if you want to go back and keep what you just undid
Deleting text and using backspace
If you make a mistake, you can use the Backspace key to delete letters before the cursor
(the blinking line) or the Delete key to delete letters after the cursor.
For this exercise, you can use the text you have typed in the previous exercise.
You can delete text by using the Delete key on your keyboard.
1. Highlight the text you wish to delete
2. Press the Delete key
Copying, cutting and pasting text
In Microsoft Word, you can Cut (delete) or Copy text from one area of the document and
save that text so it can be pasted elsewhere in the document. When you Cut text, you
actually delete it from where you took it. When you Cut or Copy text, it is stored on the
Clipboard. Once the information is on the Clipboard, you can Paste it as many times as
you want.
Clipboard
and
Paste

Cut
Copy

Cut and paste or move text

For this exercise, you can use the text you have typed in the previous
exercise.
1. Highlight the text you wish to move or cut
2. Click Edit Cut from the menu bar or Click on the Cut
icon on the standard toolbar
3. Place the cursor where you want the text to go on the page
4. Click Edit Paste from the menu bar or Click on the Paste
icon on the standard toolbar
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Introduction to Word Processing

MS Word 2000

Copy and paste text

For this exercise, you can use the text you have typed in the previous exercise.
1. Highlight the text you wish to copy
2. Click Edit Copy from the menu bar or Click on the Copy icon on the
standard toolbar
3. Place the cursor where you want the copy of the text to be
4. Click Edit Paste from the menu bar or Click on the Paste icon on the
standard toolbar
Inserting a picture
With Microsoft Word, you can insert pictures in your document using the Insert
command from the menu bar. You can insert pictures from the Clip Art album that
comes with MS Word or you can insert pictures From a File that you have saved on a
diskette or on the computer.
To insert a Clip Art picture in Microsoft Word:
1. Place the cursor (click) where you wish to
insert your picture in your document
2. Click Insert Picture Clip Art

An Insert ClipArt window will appear.

3. Choose from one of the picture categories by
pointing and clicking on the one that you want
4. Point to the picture you wish to insert and
click once
5. Roll over to the right in the little drop down
menu
6. Click on Insert clip
7. Close the Insert ClipArt window by clicking
once on the X in the top right hand corner

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Introduction to Word Processing

MS Word 2000

You should now see the picture pasted into your MS Word document. You may have to
resize the picture if it is too big.
1. Click once on the picture
2. Drag the corners of the picture until you get it to the
size that you want
You can also place it in another area of your document.
1. Click on the picture and hold the mouse button down
2. Drag the picture to where you want it to be
3. Let go of the mouse
If you have a picture saved on a diskette:
1. Place the cursor (click) where you wish to insert your picture in your document
2. Click Insert Picture From File
An Insert Picture window will appear.
3. Click on 3 Floppy (A:) to select a file
from your diskette
4. Select and click once on the picture you
wish to insert in your document
5. Click on Insert in the bottom left hand
corner of the Insert Picture window
You should now see the picture pasted into your MS Word document. You may have to
resize the picture if it is too big.
1. Click once on the picture
2. Drag the corners of the picture until you
get it to the size that you want
You can also place it in another area of your
document.
1. Click on the picture and hold the mouse
button down
2. Drag the picture to where you want it to be
3. Let go of the mouse

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Introduction to Word Processing

MS Word 2000

Changing the page orientation to landscape

Sometimes we create documents that dont fit on a standard piece of paper in its normal
standing up position. If you are creating something by hand then you can simply turn the
page so it is lying on its side. With MS Word you can change the orientation of your
page anytime you want while you are creating your document.
To change the orientation of your document to landscape (sideways):
1. Click File Page Setup
Note. If you cant see Page Setup, scroll down to the 2
little arrows pointing down and click once to see the
entire menu.

A Page Setup window will appear.

2. Click on the Paper Size tab

3. Click in the circle besides Landscape
4. Click OK
Your document should now be in a landscape position. If you wish to place it back in a
portrait position, go through the same steps but instead of clicking in the circle besides
Landscape, click in the circle besides Portrait.

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Introduction to Word Processing

MS Word 2000

Correcting the spelling in your MS Word document

Why are there red and green lines all over the place?
Microsoft Word automatically underlines any words that it does not recognize in red,
assuming that they are not spelled right.
Type the following text:
The dogs is always blac.
1. Right-click the red underlined word and click on either:

One of the corrections suggested

Ignore, to make no changes
Add, to make no changes but to add the word to Microsoft Words list of
words that it thinks are spelled correctly this is especially useful for names
of people or places that you type often, so that Word will not think it is wrong
the next time it sees it

Green underlines mean that Microsoft Word thinks there is something wrong with the
way the sentence is written.
2. Right-click the underlined words and either click on the corrections suggested or
click Ignore.

Save your MS Word document

To save your work in MS Word on a computer:
1. Click File Save from the menu bar or
Click on the Save
standard toolbar

icon on the

You can change the filename that Word has chosen just by typing a new one in the File
name box at the bottom of the window that appears. The file will be saved in the My
Documents folder on the computer by default; however, we suggest that you save your
file on a Diskette if it is important to you, as we cannot guarantee at The Millennium
Learning Centres that it will still be on the computer next time you come.

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Handout
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Introduction to Word Processing

MS Word 2000

To save your work to a diskette:

1. Click File Save from
the menu bar or Click on
the Save icon on the
standard toolbar
2. Place the diskette in the
computer
3. Click the arrow after My
Documents in the Save in
box at the top of the
window
4. Click on 3 Floppy (A:)
5. Click Save
Saving changes that you make
If you make changes after you save the document, you must save it again for the changes
to be kept in the saved copy. The second time you choose
Save it will automatically overwrite the previous copy
without any warnings.
If you want to save the changed document without
destroying the original one:
1. Click File Save As from the menu bar and give
your document a new filename
Open a saved document later
To bring a saved document back up on the screen from MS Word:
1. Click File Open from the menu bar or click the Open
icon
on the standard toolbar
2. Click on the filename of the document you want
3. Click Open

If the file you want is not displayed in the window:

1. Click the down arrow in the box beside Look in and find the location your file
was saved in.

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Introduction to Word Processing

MS Word 2000

Your documents should always be saved on a diskette when you are working on a
Millennium Learning Centres computer. Your document or file should be in 3 Floppy
(A:).

Print your MS Word document

To print your MS Word document:
1. Click File Print from the menu bar and a Print window will come up on the
screen
2. Click OK for it to start printing OR
3. Change some of the automatic settings first, such as which pages or how many
copies will be printed
4. Click OK to start printing

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Introduction to Word Processing

MS Word 2000

If you want to check what your document will look like before you print:
1. Click File Print Preview from the menu bar at the top or Click on the Print
on the standard toolbar
Preview icon
2. Click on Close at the top of the Print Preview page to go back to the regular
view

Important Notice
MLC Printing Guidelines
Be patient, it may take half a minute or longer for the printer to start printing. Pressing
the print button repeatedly will only slow it down more and waste paper! You can print a
maximum of 10 pages per day at the Millennium Learning Centres.
Problems printing?
Make sure that the computer to which the printer is attached is on (just start all the
computers up if you're not sure which one it is). Take all of the paper out of the printer,
then put it back and try again. Check to see if there is a paper jam. If so, contact the
volunteer on duty or the site co-coordinator. Try restarting the computer: Save your file,
close the program, shut down the computer, wait a few seconds then start it up again. If
the printer still won't print, contact the volunteer on duty or the Site Co-coordinator for
further assistance.

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Introduction to Word Processing

MS Word 2000

Get help with MS Word

You can get help with MS Word by choosing Microsoft Word Help or Show the Office
Assistant from the Help menu on the main menu bar.

There are also some Word tutorials on the Millennium Learning Centres Web page at
http://www.ncf.ca/mlc/indexe.html

Closing MS Word
Be sure to leave yourself enough time to save or print your
work before the end of your session if you are using a MLC
computer.
When you are finished
1. Click File Exit from the menu bar
OR
1. Click on the X in the top right corner of the computer screen

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