Paragraph formatting and alignment

Hello students, welcome to Kwickprep. Why does a printed office letter look so neat, with straight edges and even gaps? The secret is paragraph formatting. Today we will learn alignment, indents, line spacing and paragraph spacing in Word and Writer.

First, what does a word processor call a paragraph? A paragraph is any text that ends where you press the Enter key, even a single line. Paragraph formatting changes the whole paragraph at once, not single words. So you only need to click anywhere inside the paragraph before applying it. In Word these tools are in the Paragraph group on the Home tab, and in Writer they are under Format, then Paragraph.

Let us compare the two kinds of formatting. Text formatting works only on the words you select, like bold, font and size. Paragraph formatting works on the whole paragraph, like alignment and spacing.

Alignment means how the lines of a paragraph line up between the left and right margins. Left alignment makes a straight left edge, with Ctrl+L, and it is normal for letters and reports. Centre puts each line in the middle, with Ctrl+E, and it suits titles. Right alignment makes a straight right edge, with Ctrl+R, often used for the date in a letter. Justify stretches the lines so both edges are straight, with Ctrl+J, like a newspaper column. These shortcuts work in both Word and Writer.

Pause and predict. A heading is centred with Ctrl+E. Now you click inside it and press Ctrl+J. Is it still centred? No, it becomes justified, because a paragraph can have only one alignment at a time. The last line of a justified paragraph stays on the left, so a one line heading will simply move to the left.

An indent is the gap between the margin and the text of a paragraph. A left indent pushes the whole paragraph in from the left. A right indent pulls it in from the right, and both together are used for a long quotation. A first line indent moves only the first line in, like paragraphs in a story book. A hanging indent keeps the first line out and pushes the other lines in, which is used in lists of books.

There are easy ways to set indents. You can drag the small triangle markers on the ruler at the top of the page. For exact values, open the paragraph dialog box and type the indent in centimetres or inches. The Increase Indent button moves the whole paragraph to the right, and Decrease Indent moves it back. Many people press Tab at the start of a line, which gives a first line gap.

Line spacing is the gap between the lines inside a paragraph. Single spacing keeps the lines close together, with Ctrl+1. One and a half line spacing gives a little more room, with Ctrl+5. Double spacing leaves a full line gap, with Ctrl+2. Teachers often ask for it in project drafts so they can write corrections.

Paragraph spacing is a different thing from line spacing. Space before adds a gap above the paragraph. Space after adds a gap below the paragraph. Both are measured in points, such as six points or twelve points. This is better than pressing Enter twice, because the gaps stay equal everywhere.

A few more paragraph tools are useful in office work. A border draws a line or box around a paragraph, for example around an important note. Shading fills the background of the paragraph with a light colour. In Word, Ctrl+Shift+8 shows hidden marks, and the pilcrow symbol marks where each paragraph ends. The Format Painter can copy paragraph formatting too, so all paragraphs match.

Let us format a leave application to the principal. The date is right aligned at the top. The subject line is bold and left aligned. The body paragraphs are justified, with line spacing of one point one five, and six points of space after each paragraph. Your name and signature sit on the right side, using a left indent of ten centimetres.

Let us revise what we learned today. A paragraph is text that ends where you press Enter. The four alignments are left, centre, right and justify, with Ctrl+L, Ctrl+E, Ctrl+R and Ctrl+J. Indents can be left, right, first line or hanging. Line spacing can be single, one and a half, or double, with Ctrl+1, Ctrl+5 and Ctrl+2. And use space before and after, instead of pressing Enter again and again.