Office 2013 Bible: The Comprehensive Tutorial Resource

Chapter 6

Paragraph Formatting

IN THIS CHAPTER

Working with paragraph styles or direct formatting

Finding and applying paragraph formatting tools

Indenting and aligning paragraphs

Adding spacing around and within paragraphs

Lining up text with tabs

Applying numbering, bullets, shading, and borders to emphasize paragraphs

Everything you type in Word exists in paragraphs. Even if you type nothing at all every Word document — even one that you believe is completely empty — contains at least one blank paragraph that already has formatting settings assigned to it. You can think of each paragraph as another type of formatting unit.

This chapter goes into detail about the numerous paragraph formatting choices available in Word, including indentation, alignment, spacing, list formats, shading, and borders. You’ll also learn about the interaction between selected Word options and the nuances of paragraph formatting.

Choosing between Styles and Paragraph Formatting

When it comes to document design and formatting, you can often achieve a similar look using totally different tools in Word 2013. For any given paragraph, however, only one way is the most efficient. After you learn about the various ways to format paragraphs, developing the habit of using the most efficient tools will serve you well, especially when much of your workday involves creating documents.

As with character formatting, when you are formatting paragraphs, you have to choose between applying direct formatting and using ...