Editing Text 1

Lesson 6: Split/Merge Paragraphs & Show Invisibles

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In Lesson 6, we will walk through editing text by splitting large paragraphs, showing and hiding paragraph marks and non-printable characters, and understanding how hard returns and tabs work in Microsoft Word. I will show you how to break one paragraph into two, use the Show Paragraph Marks button to reveal hidden formatting, and how to combine two paragraphs back into one. We will also discuss the difference between indents and tab characters, and why viewing these hidden symbols can be helpful when editing text.

Navigation

Prev: Lesson 05
Next: Lesson 07

Keywords

TechHelp Word, editing text, split paragraph, merge paragraphs, show paragraph marks, hide paragraph symbols, non-printable characters, hard return, indent paragraph, tab character, formatting symbols, delete paragraph marker, AutoCorrect options, paragra

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Intro

Transcript

In lesson 6, we are going to learn about editing text. We are going to see how to split large paragraphs into two. I am going to show you how to show and hide the paragraph symbols and other non-printable characters. We will learn about hard returns and how to make two paragraphs into one big one.

Now I am going to continue by typing in some additional information about my company. Our company, PCResil.net, has been selling computer systems since 1994. We specialize in new and used computer equipment. We also provide carry-in and on-site computer support and training. We are devoted to 100 percent customer satisfaction.

Enter and a paragraph.

Now, looking over this paragraph, I am saying to myself that it really should be two separate paragraphs. I have got two completely different ideas and trains of thought here. The beginning of it talks about giving me a call. The end of it talks about our company. So let's break this up into two different paragraphs.

To split a paragraph into two, it is real simple. Just take your mouse and click where you want to break the paragraph up. I will put it right here in front of "our company." Then I will press Enter, which signifies the end of a paragraph. Then I will press Tab to indent this new paragraph. Now I have created two separate paragraphs out of one.

Now, take a look up on the ribbon in the Paragraph group under the Home tab. Find this button right here that says Show Paragraph Marks and other hidden formatting symbols. Click on that button and look at your document. That will now make the paragraph marks and even the tab marks visible on your document.

If I zoom in a little bit, you can see that even closer. There is a paragraph symbol. Down here is a tab. You can actually even see little spaces as dots between the words.

We will do a lot more with the paragraph and hidden symbols in future lessons. I just wanted to show you right now what Word is doing behind the scenes. That actual Enter that you hit, that hard return, is an actual paragraph symbol. No, these paragraph symbols will not print on your document when you print it out.

Now, if you decide later on that you want to put these paragraphs back together again, all you have to do is delete these extra characters. Watch this. I will click right here in front of that paragraph symbol and I will press Delete. It deletes the paragraph marker and puts the paragraphs back together again. But I want those as two separate paragraphs, so I will press Enter and then Tab again.

Now, one little side note that I would like to mention. Notice how up here where I have this paragraph break, there is a Tab symbol. Down here, there is not one. What happened was Microsoft Word converted this into an indent for me, which is different than an actual Tab character.

We will talk about indenting and these AutoCorrect options, this little lightning bolt, in a future lesson. I just wanted to use this to illustrate how seeing these non-printable characters is very important sometimes. This shows me right away that there is a character here, an actual Tab.

If I click up here to get rid of this paragraph, watch this. Delete. See there is an extra Tab character there? I have to press Delete again and then a space to correct that one. To break those up again, I will press Enter and then Tab. Notice now, Word AutoCorrected it for me. Sometimes it sees those as paragraphs and puts the indent in for you. Sometimes it does not and just leaves a Tab character there. That is why it is important to be able to see those non-printable characters.

Now you can turn them off if you do not want to see them by simply clicking on the Show Hide Paragraph button again, and that hides them.

Quiz

Q1. What is the main method to split a large paragraph into two separate paragraphs in Microsoft Word?
A. Place your cursor where you want to split and press Enter
B. Change the font color at the split point
C. Use the Find and Replace feature
D. Press Shift and Enter at the split point

Q2. What does pressing the Enter key signify in a Word document?
A. The end of a sentence
B. The end of a paragraph
C. The start of a new section
D. The document is saved

Q3. After splitting a paragraph, what should you press to indent the new paragraph?
A. Ctrl
B. Spacebar
C. Tab
D. Shift

Q4. Where can you find the Show Paragraph Marks and hidden symbols button in Microsoft Word?
A. Insert tab, Tables group
B. File tab, Print options
C. Home tab, Paragraph group
D. Review tab, Proofing group

Q5. What does clicking the Show Paragraph Marks button do?
A. Highlights all the text
B. Makes paragraph symbols and non-printable characters visible
C. Starts spell check
D. Opens the Page Setup dialog

Q6. What is the symbol that appears at the end of a paragraph when you press Enter?
A. Tab symbol
B. Space symbol
C. Paragraph symbol
D. Bullet point

Q7. Will paragraph symbols and non-printable characters print on your final document?
A. Yes, always
B. Only if you select Print All
C. No, they do not print
D. Only in draft mode

Q8. How can you combine two paragraphs back into one in Word?
A. Change the font of the first paragraph
B. Delete the paragraph marker between them
C. Insert a table between them
D. Press Tab between them

Q9. Why is it helpful to show hidden formatting symbols and non-printable characters?
A. To see images better
B. To adjust text color
C. To identify extra spaces, tabs, or paragraph breaks
D. To enable macro recording

Q10. What action should you take to hide the non-printable characters again?
A. Click the Show Hide Paragraph button again
B. Save the document
C. Print the document
D. Press Ctrl and H

Answers: 1-A; 2-B; 3-C; 4-C; 5-B; 6-C; 7-C; 8-B; 9-C; 10-A

DISCLAIMER: Quiz questions are AI generated. If you find any that are wrong, don't make sense, or aren't related to the video topic at hand, then please post a comment and let me know. Thanks.

Summary

Today's video from Word Learning Zone is all about editing text and working with paragraphs in Microsoft Word. In this lesson, we will take a look at how to split large paragraphs, merge them back together if needed, and understand the importance of displaying non-printable characters like paragraph marks and tabs.

Let's say you have a paragraph that combines different ideas. For example, I shared some information about my company, PCResil.net, mentioning our long history, what we sell, and the support services we offer. It's clear that this paragraph actually contains two separate trains of thought: one talks about giving me a call, and the other discusses company details. So, it's a good candidate to split into two paragraphs.

To do this, place your cursor where you want the split (such as before "our company"). Pressing Enter creates a hard return, signaling the end of the first paragraph and the start of the second. After pressing Enter, you can use the Tab key to indent the new paragraph. Now, what was once a single paragraph is split into two, making your writing clearer and more organized.

It's also helpful to see what's happening behind the scenes in Word. On the Home tab, there is a button in the Paragraph group that will show or hide paragraph marks and other formatting symbols. Once turned on, you will see paragraph symbols at the end of each paragraph and arrow symbols where tabs have been used. Spaces appear as small dots. Having these visible can show you where each paragraph ends and where tab or space characters are placed, which is especially helpful during editing.

You've probably noticed that when you hit Enter, Word inserts a paragraph symbol, and this hard return will not print on your document. It is purely there for your editing convenience. If you ever want to join two paragraphs back into one, simply move your cursor in front of the paragraph symbol and press Delete. This will remove the paragraph break and combine the text again. If you decide you do prefer the two separate paragraphs, just press Enter and Tab as before.

There is a little quirk with indents in Word that is worth mentioning. Sometimes, when creating a new paragraph, you may see a Tab symbol at the start; other times, Word automatically formats it as an indent without creating a Tab character. This has to do with Word's AutoCorrect and auto-formatting features. You can see this difference when you enable the hidden formatting symbols. If you accidentally delete a paragraph break, there might be an extra Tab character hanging around that you need to remove.

Being able to display these non-printable characters is important because it gives you a clear understanding of what is actually in your document. It makes little issues like leftover tabs or spaces easy to spot and fix.

When you no longer need to see these symbols, you can always turn them off by clicking the Show/Hide Paragraph button again.

We will explore more about formatting, indenting, and AutoCorrect settings in future lessons. For now, understanding how to split and merge paragraphs and how to display these hidden symbols will really help make your documents cleaner and easier to manage.

You can find a complete video tutorial with step-by-step instructions on everything discussed here on my website at the link below. Live long and prosper, my friends.

Topic List

Splitting a large paragraph into two paragraphs
Using the Enter key to create a new paragraph
Using the Tab key to indent a new paragraph
Displaying paragraph symbols and hidden formatting marks
Identifying hard returns (paragraph markers) in Word
Making non-printable characters visible
Understanding difference between Tab characters and indents
Removing paragraph breaks to merge paragraphs
Deleting extra characters to fix formatting
Toggling visibility of hidden formatting symbols

Article

In this lesson, we will learn how to edit text by splitting a large paragraph into two separate ones and by combining two paragraphs into one. We will also explore how to show and hide paragraph marks and other non-printable characters in Microsoft Word, and why this can be useful when you are working with your documents.

Imagine you have typed some information in a single large paragraph. For example, you might have a paragraph that starts by inviting people to give you a call, and then continues with specific details about your company. Here is some sample text:

Now I am going to continue by typing in some additional information about my company. Our company, PCResil.net, has been selling computer systems since 1994. We specialize in new and used computer equipment. We also provide carry-in and on-site computer support and training. We are devoted to 100 percent customer satisfaction.

As you review what you have written, you may notice that this large paragraph actually contains two different ideas. The beginning focuses on making contact, while the rest gives an overview of the company. To improve readability, you can easily split this paragraph into two.

To split a paragraph in Microsoft Word, move your mouse cursor to the point in the paragraph where the second idea begins. In this example, you can place your cursor right before the words "Our company." Press the Enter key on your keyboard. This creates a new paragraph from that point onward. If you want the new paragraph to be indented, simply press the Tab key after pressing Enter. Now, what was once a single paragraph is now two distinct ones.

Next, let us talk about showing and hiding paragraph marks and other non-printable characters. These characters include paragraph marks, tab marks, and space indicators, which can help you understand the formatting in your document but do not appear when you print. To view these, go to the Home tab in the ribbon and look for the button that has a paragraph symbol on it. This is the "Show/Hide Paragraph Marks" button. Click it, and you will see all the non-printable characters. Paragraph ends are shown as backward P symbols, tabs appear as arrows, and spaces are displayed as small dots between words.

Zooming in can help you see these characters more clearly. For example, you will see where you have pressed the Tab key or where a paragraph ends. These symbols do not print and are only there to help you edit your document more accurately.

If you later decide to merge two paragraphs back into one, place your cursor at the beginning of the second paragraph, just before the paragraph symbol, and press the Delete key. This will remove the paragraph break, joining the two paragraphs together. If you want to separate them again, press Enter where you want the break and optionally use Tab to indent.

Sometimes, you may see that one new paragraph begins with a Tab character, showing as an arrow, whereas another may have an automatic indent instead. Microsoft Word can automatically convert typed tabs at the beginnings of new paragraphs into indents, depending on your settings. Indenting and these AutoCorrect features can change the appearance of your text, which can be useful or confusing depending on your needs. If you see a tab character symbol after splitting a paragraph, you can remove it by placing your cursor in front of it and pressing Delete.

Being able to view non-printable characters helps you troubleshoot formatting issues, such as extra tabs or spaces at the start of a paragraph or the exact location of paragraph breaks. If you prefer not to see these symbols as you work, simply click the "Show/Hide Paragraph Marks" button again to hide them.

Understanding how to split and merge paragraphs, as well as how to recognize and manage non-printable characters, gives you more control over the formatting of your documents. Practice using the Enter and Tab keys, and use the Show/Hide feature to see exactly what is happening behind the scenes in Word. This way, you can keep your documents tidy and professional-looking.