Unit II — Application Software: MS-Word

Microsoft Word is a word processing application that allows users to create, edit, format, and print text documents. It is part of the Microsoft Office Suite and is one of the most widely used application software in offices, schools, and homes.

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Key Features of MS-Word

1. Text Formatting

• Font: Change typeface (Arial, Times New Roman), size, colour, bold, italic, underline.
• Paragraph Formatting: Alignment (left, centre, right, justify), line spacing, indentation.
• Styles: Pre-defined heading and body text styles for consistent formatting.

2. Page Layout

• Page size (A4, Letter), margins, orientation (portrait/landscape).
• Header and Footer — Text that appears on top/bottom of every page (page numbers, document title).
• Page Breaks and Section Breaks for controlling layout.

3. Editing Features

• Find & Replace (Ctrl+H) — Locate and replace text throughout the document.
• Spelling & Grammar Check — Automatic error detection (red/green underlines).
• Track Changes — Shows edits made by different collaborators.
• Comments — Reviewers can add notes without modifying the text.

4. Tables

• Insert rows/columns, merge/split cells, apply borders and shading.
• Auto-fit to content or window width.

5. Mail Merge

• Automates creation of personalised letters, labels, and envelopes.
• Combines a main document with a data source (e.g., Excel spreadsheet).

6. Inserting Objects

• Images, shapes, SmartArt, charts, equations, hyperlinks.
• WordArt for stylised text effects.

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Common Keyboard Shortcuts

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File Formats

Key Takeaway: MS-Word is the industry standard for document creation. Key exam areas include: formatting options (font, paragraph, styles), page layout, mail merge, and commonly used shortcuts. Know the difference between .doc (old) and .docx (modern XML-based) formats.