Hi dprk007,
Briefly, the ENTER key should only be used to start a new paragraph.
When you want to move to the next line but not make a new paragraph,
use the DOWN ARROW key to move down one line. When you are ready to
for a new paragraph, press the ENTER key.
I will show you how to format your Word document so that when you
press the ENTER key, the cursor will automatically move down two lines
(or as much space as you want) and indent (as far as you want) so that
you will be all ready to begin typing. The directions are relatively
simple but please click on the links to really understand what you are
doing and why.
What is the proper indent?
"The correct indent is actually not a measurement on a ruler. Instead,
it is relative to the font in which you're working -- and is the width
of the capital letter "M" for that font. The typographical term is "em
space." (Great Scrabble word, by the way.) Take a good look at a few
books and you should see it. Correctly done, an indent is subtle. It
helps lead the eye into the new paragraph but doesn't cut deeply into
it."
http://www.macefficiency.com/me101/2000/64_Indents/64_Indents.html
>>> One
"Is it inappropiate or wrong to use the Hard return on bog standard
type word processors? (Please consider microsoft Word as king of bog
standard word processors)"
The only time it should be used is to start a new paragraph.
>>> Two
"I wish to write very standard type text using paragraphs and
indenting the first line of each paragraph. What is a good way of
doing this without using the Hard Return? Exactly what do I do when I
need to start a new paragraph?"
1) Word's paragraph formatting tool.
> New Document
Format / Styles / Formatting
"Pick Formatting to Apply": right-click Normal and choose Modify
Format button / Paragraph
Indentation / Special / First Line
"By" box: set it to .2" (or the width of a capitol "M")
Now, whenever you press the ENTER key in your new document, you will
start the new paragraph indented.
"To include an indent in the Normal style, open a new, blank document
and choose Format, Styles and Formatting to open the Styles and
Formatting task pane. In the "Pick formatting to apply" list,
right-click Normal and choose Modify. When the Modify Style dialog box
appears, click the Format button (in the lower left corner) and choose
Paragraph to open the Paragraph dialog box. In the "Indentation"
section, click the Special drop-down list and choose First line. In
the "By" box, type .5 and click OK. Back in the Modify Style dialog
box, click the "Add to template" check box and click OK. From now on,
the first line of every paragraph you create will be indented a half
inch. (Of course, you can manually modify the indent in any paragraph
by dragging the ruler icon.)
http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,78446,00.asp
> Existing Document
- Word''s formatting tool:
Open Word. Select All.
Choose Format / Paragraph / Indents and Spacing.
Indentation / Special / First Line
"By" box: set it to .2" (or the width of a capitol "M")
[see graphics here]
"To indent the first line of a single paragraph one-half inch, you can
simply tap the TAB key. If you'd like to indent the first line of
every paragraph in your document automatically, you can use the Format
Paragraph feature to set the indent (see also note below). This
feature can also be used to set a hanging indent (where the second and
subsequent lines of a paragraph are indented, as in a bibliography).
By default the indent distance for either a first-line or hanging
indent will be .5", but you can set the distance to any amount you
want."
"Note: When you make a paragraph-oriented format setting, that setting
affects the paragraph where the insertion point is located and any
subsequent paragraphs that are created by tapping the ENTER key. The
best way to make sure that your entire document is affected is to
select the entire document (File - Select All) before making the
"special" settings."
http://www.csun.edu/itr/guides/word/2000/beg03.html#first-line
- Ruler
If you can't see your ruler, choose View, Ruler. Select All.
Slide the upper left triangle (located on the ruler) to the right to
the first or second dot.
[see graphics here]
"Click on the top triangle, as shown below, and drag it just a tad
inward. Approximate the width of a capital 'M.'"
http://www.macefficiency.com/me101/2000/64_Indents/64_Indents.html
[see graphics here]
"By default, left-aligned tab stops are set every 1/2 inch across the
page. To set your own tab stops, you can use the Tabs selection on the
Format Menu; or you can make tab setting changes directly on the Ruler
Bar. The tab stops you set yourself will be displayed on the Ruler Bar
using a separate symbol for each type of tab setting; default tab
stops are not displayed."
http://www.csun.edu/itr/guides/word/2000/beg03.html#tabs
"Word's ruler provides a handy visual way to indent paragraphs. (If
your ruler isn't displayed, choose View, Ruler.) On the left side of
the ruler, you'll notice what appears to be an hourglass sitting atop
a box. This is actually three distinct icons that you can use to
indent a paragraph. By clicking and dragging these icons across the
ruler, you can set automatic indentation for the current paragraph (or
selected paragraphs). The top triangle of the hourglass indents the
first line of each paragraph; the bottom triangle sets a hanging
indent; and the box indents the entire paragraph."
http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,78446,00.asp
>>> Three
"Now lets say I prefer there to be a blank line between paragraphs.
What is the most efficient way to do this (again without using a hard
return)?"
"Before and after spacing ? You can specify spacing before and after a
paragraph. If you use these settings, you will only have to tap the
ENTER key once to end a paragraph and put extra space between
paragraphs. By default, these settings are shown in points. There are
72 points to an inch. You can also make these setting in inches (or
decimal fractions thereof) by typing the desired number followed by
the "inch mark" (such as .5"). The program will convert the inches
into equivalent points."
http://www.csun.edu/itr/guides/word/2000/beg03.html#spacing
> New Document
Format / Styles / Formatting
"Pick Formatting to Apply": right-click Normal and choose Modify
Choose Format / Paragraph / Indents and Spacing.
Spacing: After: (72 = 1 inch, 36 = 1/2 inch. etc)
Now, whenever you press the ENTER key in your new document, you will
skip down one inch (or whatever you set) to start the new paragraph.
> Existing Document
Select All.
Choose Format / Paragraph / Indents and Spacing.
Spacing: After: (72 = 1 inch, 36 = 1/2 inch. etc)
>>> Four
"In very simple terms what exactly is the use of the Tab key?"
The TAB key allows you to move several spaces with just one press of
the key. It is a time-saver, especially when trying to align multiple
lines of information located through the document. For example:
I. Title
[press TAB]1. Category
[press TAB][press TAB]a. Subcategory
In the above example, the TAB key just saved me about 57 presses of
the Space Bar. In addition, I am assured any future diagrams later on
in the document will line up and match each other. SHIFT+TAB will tab
backwards. The TAB key is actually a leftover from the good 'ole days
of typewriters. There was a little physical tab near the roller that
you slid to set your Tabs. When set, hitting the Tab key would jump
the hammer forward a given number of spaces, most often used for
indenting paragraphs.
"We use ?tab stops? in documents to place text exactly where we want
it. This can be accomplished with spaces, but is unreliable,
especially when you are working with large documents. Using tab stops
also allows you to change formats easily later on, if need be. The
object of using tabs is to use as few as possible to get the job done.
This way, if you wish to change the positioning of text later, you
can do so by simply selecting the text and moving the tab symbols on
the ruler. This is a huge time-saver."
http://www.psdri.net/WEBS/mr_tanalski/IntrotoMicro/tabsdocument.htm
Setting Tab Stops
"By default, left-aligned tab stops are set every 1/2 inch across the
page. To set your own tab stops, you can use the Tabs selection on the
Format Menu; or you can make tab setting changes directly on the Ruler
Bar. The tab stops you set yourself will be displayed on the Ruler Bar
using a separate symbol for each type of tab setting; default tab
stops are not displayed."
http://www.csun.edu/itr/guides/word/2000/beg03.html#tabs
>>> Five
"For what purpose would one use the Hard return in a word processor?"
To start a new paragraph.
"You already know that you only press the Return key to start a new
paragraph, right? In a word processor, a paragraph is the text that
falls between two paragraph markers. Each time the word processor sees
a paragraph marker, it begins a new paragraph. The text continues
across your page until it meets the marker at the right. When it hits
that marker, it pops down to the next line, starting wherever it sees
the lower triangle marker. Again, the text travels across the page up
to the right marker and pops over to the lower marker again. This
lower marker remains the left-side text start area until another
paragraph marker is encountered. Then again, the paragraph marker
tells the text to begin again at the location of the top triangle. And
so it goes..."
http://www.macefficiency.com/me101/2000/64_Indents/64_Indents.html
Additional Links of Interest:
List of the keyboard shortcuts that are available in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q301583
I hope I've been able to make this clear without muddying the waters
too much. If you have any questions, please post a clarification
request *before* closing/rating my answer and I'll be happy to reply.
Thank you,
hummer
Google Search Terms Used:
windows keyboard shortcuts
"em space"
indentation paragraphs
enter key vs tab key |
