Entering Text

Lesson 4: Text Entry, Spell Check, Wrap

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In this lesson, we are going to learn how to enter text in Microsoft Word by typing a sample business letter. We will discuss how the spell check on the fly feature works and how to handle spelling errors or proper nouns with red squiggly lines, including using the Ignore option. I will also show you how Word Wrap functions so that text automatically moves to the next line, and explain why you should only press Enter at the end of paragraphs rather than at the end of every line.

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Keywords

TechHelp Word, enter text in Word, business letter in Word, spell check on the fly, Word Wrap, red squiggly line Word, ignore spelling error Word, right click spelling suggestion, automatic line wrap Word, proper noun spelling Word, typewriter habits Word

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Transcript

In this lesson, we are going to learn how to enter text in Microsoft Word.

We will start by writing a business letter. We will learn about the spell check on the fly feature. And we will learn about Word Wrap.

So let's begin by typing in our letter.

I'll type in:

Dear Mr. Schwartzenoffer,

S-C-H-W-A-R-T-Z-E-N-H-O-F-F-E-R, comma, enter.

Now, as soon as I press Enter, Word puts a red squiggly line under Schwartzenoffer. What does that mean? Word has a built-in spell checker to check all the spellings of the words that you type in. Word has no idea what Schwartzenoffer means. It doesn't realize it is a proper noun, the name of the customer.

Personally, I find the spell check on the fly a little annoying. In fact, in a future lesson, I am going to teach you how to turn it off. My personal belief is I like to get my document typed out and then go back later and do a spell check. Sometimes, seeing that red squiggly line throws me off balance and it disrupts my train of thought.

What you can do in the meantime, if that red squiggly line bothers you, is right-click on that word and then come over here and pick Ignore. That will ignore the spelling error that Word thinks you have.

Let's continue typing our letter.

Now, notice when I right-click on Schwartzenoffer, it moves the cursor. So I am going to take my mouse and click back down here on the bottom to move the insertion point down to the end of the document. Now I will continue typing.

Enclosed is the quote we discussed for your new computer system. I am sure you will find the price is well within.

Oh, notice what happened. When I got to the end of the line, Microsoft Word automatically wrapped me around to the next line. Let me hit the Backspace key a couple of times and show you that again.

Here I am at the end of this line, and as soon as I start typing the next word, since I am out of space, Microsoft Word automatically wraps me around to the next line. That is called Word Wrap.

Let's continue typing our document.

Well within your budget.

Now notice Word found a misspelling. 'Withen' is spelled incorrectly. So now let's use that spell check on the fly to our advantage. Let's take the mouse and right-click on the word 'withen.' And now notice you will see some spelling suggestions. There is 'within,' there is 'ridden,' there is 'whither.' Pick the one that you want there. So I just click on 'within.' And Word makes the substitution.

Now I will click back on the end of the line out here somewhere to continue typing.

Let's continue typing. I'll press the space bar.

As you can see, I have added the extra memory and hard drive you requested. I have also - oh, look at that, it wrapped around again. As you hit the end of each line while you are typing in Microsoft Word, just let Word wrap the text for you automatically. This is intentional.

If you are used to typing on a manual typewriter, you might be used to pressing Enter at the end of each line. Do not do that in Microsoft Word. Let Word automatically wrap the text for you.

The only time we are going to press Enter is at the end of a paragraph.

So let's finish our paragraph.

I have also added extra cooling fans to your case.

Period, enter.

And that is the end of the paragraph.

Intro

Quiz

Q1. What feature in Microsoft Word places a red squiggly line under misspelled words as you type?
A. Spell check on the fly
B. Grammar check
C. AutoCorrect
D. Thesaurus

Q2. What should you do if Word indicates a name or word as misspelled, but you know it is correct?
A. Ignore the warning and do nothing
B. Delete the word
C. Right-click and select Ignore
D. Close Word and reopen the document

Q3. What is the purpose of Word Wrap in Microsoft Word?
A. To move images automatically
B. To start a new line automatically when you reach the edge of the page
C. To underline text
D. To print the document

Q4. What action should you AVOID if you are used to working on a manual typewriter when typing in Microsoft Word?
A. Pressing Enter at the end of each paragraph only
B. Letting Word automatically wrap your text
C. Pressing Enter at the end of each line
D. Typing full paragraphs at a time

Q5. When should you press the Enter key while typing a letter in Microsoft Word?
A. At the end of every line
B. Only at the end of each paragraph
C. After every word
D. After every sentence

Q6. What should you do if you see a misspelling that Word catches with spell check as you are typing?
A. Ignore all red lines until you finish
B. Right-click the underlined word for suggestions and select the correct spelling
C. Delete the whole document
D. Save and restart Word

Q7. What happens when you keep typing after reaching the end of a line in Word?
A. The text disappears
B. Word automatically wraps the text to the next line
C. The document closes
D. Your computer shuts down

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

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 will focus on entering text in Microsoft Word. We are going to walk through the process of writing a business letter, exploring features like spell check on the fly and how Word Wrap works.

Let's begin by typing the salutation of our letter. Imagine you type in "Dear Mr. Schwartzenoffer," and then press Enter for a new line. You'll see that Microsoft Word immediately places a red squiggly line under the name Schwartzenoffer. This is because Word's built-in spell checker does not recognize it as a valid word or a proper noun. Word is simply trying to help catch misspellings, but it does not always know about specific names.

I personally find the spell check feature correcting things while I type to be a bit distracting. My approach is to finish typing out my document and then come back later to run a full spell check. That way, the red squiggly lines do not interrupt my concentration while I am typing. If you are like me and prefer to ignore these real-time corrections, you can right-click on the underlined word and select Ignore. This will make Word skip over that word, at least for the current session.

Continuing with the letter, as you move to the main body text and start a new paragraph, pay attention to how Microsoft Word handles text at the edge of the screen. As you type, when you reach the end of a line, you do not need to press the Enter key. Microsoft Word will automatically continue your sentence on the next line. This feature is called Word Wrap, and it helps ensure your text flows nicely within the margins. To demonstrate, if you type out a sentence and reach the edge, Word will automatically place the rest of the sentence on the next line. There is no need for manual line breaks unless you are ending a paragraph.

It is important to let Word handle the line transitions for you. Only use the Enter key at the end of a paragraph, not at the end of each line as you might have done with a manual typewriter.

When Word identifies an actual misspelling, such as typing 'withen' instead of 'within', you can use spell check on the fly to correct the mistake. Simply right-click on the underlined word, and you will see suggestions like 'within', 'ridden', or 'whither.' You can select 'within', and Word will automatically correct it for you.

Continue adding content to your letter. As you go, notice that every time you reach the end of the line, Word Wrap takes care of the transition, allowing you to focus on what you are writing instead of formatting. You only need to press Enter when you are finishing a paragraph, such as after a complete thought or when your context changes in the letter.

Remember, the goal is to let Word handle as much of the formatting as possible so you can focus on your writing. That includes letting Word manage line wrapping automatically and only using Enter for new paragraphs. If you need to manage spell check settings, you can choose to ignore suggestions temporarily or, in a future lesson, learn how to turn off spell check entirely if that is your preference.

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

Entering text in Microsoft Word
Typing a business letter in Word
Spell check on the fly feature
Understanding red squiggly underline for spelling errors
How to ignore a spelling error
Right-clicking words for spelling suggestions
Using Word Wrap when typing
Avoiding Enter at the end of each line
Using Enter to end a paragraph

Article

In this lesson, you will learn how to enter text in Microsoft Word and understand some of its important writing features, such as spell check and word wrap. We will walk through creating a simple business letter together while highlighting these tools and how to use them effectively.

Let's start by typing the beginning of a business letter. Begin with the greeting line:

Dear Mr. Schwartzenoffer,

As you type this line and press Enter at the end, you might notice that Word places a red squiggly line under the name Schwartzenoffer. This red underline means that Word's built-in spell checker does not recognize the word. Word tries to check the spelling of every word you type, but it is not aware of proper nouns like people's names or companies unless they are in its dictionary. In this case, Schwartzenoffer is a last name, so it's not a mistake even though Word thinks it might be.

If the red squiggly line under a name or word bothers you, you can right-click on the word, and from the pop-up menu, select Ignore. This tells Word to stop marking that word as misspelled for now. This can help you focus on your writing without distractions.

After finishing the greeting, move your cursor to the bottom of the document where you want to continue typing. Start your first paragraph with a sentence like this:

Enclosed is the quote we discussed for your new computer system. I am sure you will find the price is well within

As you continue to type, you will see that Microsoft Word automatically moves your text to the next line once you reach the end of the current line. This happens without you needing to press the Enter key. This feature is called word wrap. It is designed so you can type without worrying about where the line ends Word takes care of moving your text onto the next line for you.

This is different from a manual typewriter, where you had to press Enter or Return at the end of every line. In Word, you only need to press Enter at the end of a paragraph. Let the program handle the line breaks for you. This makes your document formatting much cleaner and easier to edit.

If you make a spelling mistake, such as accidentally typing "withen" instead of "within," Word's spell checker will underline the misspelled word with a red squiggly line. To correct it, right-click on the word, and you will see a list of suggestions that Word thinks you might have meant. You can simply click on "within" or the correct word, and Word will automatically make the change in your document.

Once you have corrected any spelling errors and want to continue, click at the end of the last sentence to move your cursor there and start typing again. For example, you might continue with:

As you can see, I have added the extra memory and hard drive you requested. I have also added extra cooling fans to your case.

Remember, as you type, Word will continue to wrap text automatically. Only press Enter when you reach the end of a paragraph, not at the end of every line. This practice will help your documents maintain proper formatting and make editing much easier in the future.

By following these steps, you can enter and edit text efficiently in Microsoft Word, take advantage of the spell check and word wrap features, and produce professional-looking documents with minimal effort.

Primary Topics

text entry, spell check on the fly, word wrap, use of Enter key in Word, ignoring spell check suggestions, correcting typos in real time, paragraph formatting

Secondary Topics

manual typewriter habits, mouse and cursor usage, right-click context menu