Case changing (Word 2007, 2010)

Case changing

• This feature allows you to select a portion of text and then change the capitalisation within that text.  For instance you could select a heading within your document and format it to display as all upper case letters.  

• It is also very useful if you have accidentally pressed the Caps Lock key and have then typed in text with the capitalised appearing reversed.  This feature allows you to correct this mistake without having to delete the text and start again!

• Select the entire the paragraph relating to case changing.  Within the Font section of the Home tab click on the Change Case icon.  This will display a drop down list of options.  Click on the UPPERCASE command.  

• Experiment with applying the other case change options to this paragraph.

      
Highlighting

• The highlighting feature is great if you are reviewing a document and is used in the same fashion as you would use a pen highlighter on a printed copy.  You can change the highlighting colour but if you intend to print the document in black and white, do not use a very dark highlighting colour, as you may find the highlighted words are blacked out and unreadable.

• Within the paragraph relating to highlighting, select some text and then click on the Text Highlight Color icon (located in the Font section of the Home tab).  This will apply highlighting to the selected text.   

• To change the highlighting colour click on the down arrow to the right of this icon.  You can click on one of these colours to change the highlighting colour the next time you apply highlighting.

• Select another portion of text and try applying a different highlight colour.  TIP: To remove highlighting from highlighted text, select the text and then click on the down arrow to the right of the Highlight icon.  Select No Color. 

Font colour

• You can apply different colours to your text which can add impact to your documents if you are going to print them using a colour printer.  Do not use too many colours on a single page as this can look messy.  The rule with colour is that less is good.    Be careful when using faint colours which may not show up well when printed.    Finally consider that some people have various types of colour blindness and may not be able to read some colours as others would. 

• To change the font colour click on the down arrow to the right of the Font Color icon.  You can click on one of these colours to change the font colour the next time you change the colour using the Font Color icon. 

• Within the paragraph relating to Font Colour, select some text and then click on the Font Color icon.  This will apply colour to the selected text. 

• Experiment with applying different font colours to different words within the paragraph. 

Copying text formatting 

• This feature allows you to pick up the formatting that has been applied to one portion of text and apply that formatting to another portion of text.

• Click within the paragraph relating to ‘Copying text formatting’.  Click on the Format Painter icon (displayed on the Home tab within the Clipboard section).      You will notice that the shape of your mouse pointer has changed.

• Move the mouse pointer to the start of a different paragraph within the document and while pressing the mouse key down drag to the end of that paragraph and then release the mouse button.  The formatting contained within the original paragraph is now copied to the second paragraph.  The mouse pointer now displays its original shape.  TIP: If you double click over a paragraph that you want to copy text formatting from, then the mouse pointer changes shape until you press the Esc key.  This means that you can copy formatting to more than one portion of text at a time.

Removing formatting

• This feature can be very useful if you get yourself into a mess with your formatting, or if you receive a document from someone else that has been 'over formatted'.

• Select a portion of text and apply formatting such as bold, italic and underlining.

• Click on the Clear Formatting icon.  The formatting is removed.    

• Save your changes and close the document.