Type, select, undo, and redo

Click in the white edit window and start typing. Word wraps the text to the next line when you reach the end of a line, so you do not need to press Enter at the end of every line. Press Enter when you want a new paragraph — a greeting on its own line, a blank line before a new idea, or the start of a list you will format in Lesson 4.

Type slowly at first. If letters appear in the wrong place, click where you want them and try again. The cursor (a blinking line) shows where the next letter will go. Backspace deletes to the left of the cursor. If you are using an on-screen keyboard on a tablet that has Word, tap in the page first so the cursor appears, then type — the same idea as tapping a box before you type on a phone.

Use Canadian spelling as you practise, such as *centre*, *colour*, and *cheque*. You will ask Word to check spelling in Lesson 7. Do not type passwords, SINs, bank numbers, or other private details into a practice file on a shared computer. Write about your week, a greeting, or the sample sentences in the practice document instead.

If the page looks too small or too large, use the zoom control from Lesson 1. Zoom changes only how large the page looks; it does not change the printed size of the words.

Microsoft says that before you edit or format text, you must first select it. The steps are: place the cursor at the beginning of the text you want to change; press and hold the left mouse button; then move the mouse to the right (Microsoft calls this dragging). A background colour appears on the selected words so you can see the range. Then you can delete the selection, type replacement words, or apply formatting (Lesson 4). To remove the selection, click once somewhere else on the page.

On a trackpad, the same idea holds: press and drag across the words. If you drag too far, keep the button down and move back, or click away and try again. Selecting a whole paragraph is easier if you start just before the first word.

A common mix-up is to click Bold or another button with nothing selected. Then Word may wait to apply the look to the next letters you type, or it may seem to do nothing. The habit that saves time is: select first, then choose the command. If you selected too much, click once on the page to clear the highlight and drag again. You do not need keyboard shortcuts to select text today; dragging is the method Microsoft’s new-user guide describes. A tutor can show extra tricks later if your hands find dragging hard. On a shared computer, select only your own practice words — never someone else’s letter that happens to be open.

Microsoft says you can undo, redo, or repeat many actions in Word. To undo, press Ctrl+Z or select Undo on the Quick Access Toolbar. You can use Undo (or Ctrl+Z) more than once to step backward. To undo several actions at the same time, Microsoft says you can select the arrow next to Undo, choose the actions in the list, then select the list.

Some actions cannot be undone. Microsoft names commands on the File tab and saving a file as examples. If Word cannot undo, the command changes to Can't Undo. You can still undo many typing and formatting changes even after you have saved, and then save again, as long as you are within the undo limit (Microsoft says Office stores the last 100 undoable actions by default). You do not need to change that limit.

To redo something you have just undone, press Ctrl+Y or F4, or select Redo on the Quick Access Toolbar. Microsoft notes that the Redo button appears only after you have undone an action, and that F4 may need an F-Lock or Fn key on some keyboards. Repeat (also Ctrl+Y or F4) can repeat a simple action such as a paste. If you are on a Mac, Microsoft lists Command+Z for undo and Command+Y for redo.

Undo is not a reason to skip saving. It is a way to fix a recent slip without starting the page over. If Undo does not bring back what you hoped, stop and ask a tutor before you keep clicking — you may have already used a File-tab command that cannot be undone.

In the blank practice document (or a new page):

1. Type two short paragraphs. Press Enter only when you want a new paragraph.
2. Select one sentence by dragging, then replace it with a different sentence.
3. Undo that change with the Quick Access Toolbar or Ctrl+Z, then Redo if you want the new sentence back.
4. Do not type private numbers.

What is easier on the machine in front of you — dragging with a mouse, or with a trackpad? What would make Undo a habit after a slip?