THERE’S no big secret to making a document look good. Basically you want the look and feel of your pages to fit the style your audience is expecting, leave plenty of white space to give the reader’s eye a rest, include interesting visuals, such as photos, tables, or diagrams where they fit, and use colors that are easy on the eye.
Simple, right?
Well, as any professional designer will tell you, there’s quite a bit of work behind what appears to be a simple design. Efficiency, consistency, and connection are all important if you want your design to help readers get the message you’re trying to convey in your document. And if you want to inspire your readers to a particular action—inviting them to make a donation to your fundraising campaign, for example, or deciding to order your product online—you need to make sure you’ve considered the format and presentation of your document from a number of important angles.
The last chapter focused on proofing the content you’ve added to your document and extending it by adding references to your work. This chapter helps you improve the way your content looks by working with all kinds of formatting controls at the paragraph level.
Tip
As you’ve probably noticed, Word 2010 offers all kinds of tools for formatting at various levels. You can format the entire page; arrange specific sections; change the look of paragraphs, words, and headings; and format individual words. This chapter focuses on working with formats at the paragraph level, which includes formats for lists, alignments, spacing, and hyphenation.
When you think of the word paragraph, is a block of text the first thing that comes to mind? Actually, the paragraph mark at the end of a paragraph is the primary component—the text is secondary. It’s the paragraph mark (¶) that holds formatting information, such as the style, alignment, and indents. When it comes to formatting and editing documents, the more you understand the role of the paragraph mark, the more control you will have over your Word documents.
Each time you press Enter after a character, heading, graphic, table, chart, list item, or any other element, you create a paragraph. If you press Enter to create a blank “line” between paragraphs, you insert a paragraph mark and create what is considered an empty paragraph because it does not contain text or any other element. You can display paragraph marks (along with other hidden text) in your documents by clicking Show/ Hide on the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, shown here.
Figure 11-1 illustrates the concept of various paragraph elements in Word. Notice the paragraph mark after each bulleted list item, each paragraph of, each heading, and the empty paragraph toward the top of the page.
Figure 11-1. In Word, any content followed by a paragraph mark is considered a paragraph, even if it does not contain content.
Before you begin changing the formats in your document, let’s review an important consideration—the efficiency of your formatting. In Word 2010, you can format paragraphs by setting the following paragraph formatting parameters:
Paragraph alignment
Indentation
Spacing between lines
Spacing before and after paragraphs
Tabs
Line and page breaks
Hyphenation
You can apply these formats to every single instance that you want them to appear, but if you find you need to change an indent throughout your document, do you want to painstakingly select every instance of the indent and change it? Or would you rather specify your preferred indent setting in a single change and have the indents update automatically throughout the document?
If the latter sounds more appealing, then for primary formats—such as the main formatting of individual paragraphs—consider using styles. Styles provide flexibility not only by enabling you to modify document formats simply by modifying the style (covered in Chapter 12), but they also enable you to format content more efficiently by applying many formats to text with a single click of the mouse. Whether your formatting plan is to create or modify styles for your formatting needs (which can be accomplished by picking up formats already in use in your document), or to apply direct formatting throughout your document without implementing styles, paragraph formatting will be fundamentally the same.
Word includes a number of automatic formatting features that are meant to make your life easier. But sometimes instead of streamlining formatting tasks, the automatic features confuse things by indenting lists you don’t want indented or inserting numbers in places you’d rather not have them.
But the good news is that you have control over these automatic features. You can turn each feature on and off and control the items you want Word to change on the fly. This section explores the ins and outs of AutoFormat and shows you how to master the various settings so that it behaves the way you want it to—as a help and not a hindrance.
One of the first confusing aspects is that you actually control AutoFormat choices in two different places in Word. The AutoFormat tab of the AutoCorrect dialog box (see Figure 11-2) contains the commands that AutoFormat corrects by default while you’re using the program. The AutoFormat As You Type tab (see Figure 11-3) shows you the elements that will be corrected automatically as you type new content. For users who are having a difficult time getting the format just the way they want it in their documents, it’s the settings in the AutoFormat As You Type tab that confound them.
Note
If you have other languages and/or keyboards installed on your system, you might see additional choices displayed in the AutoFormat dialog box.
Figure 11-3. AutoFormat As You Type shows you the elements that are adjusted as you enter content on the page.
Note
Like AutoCorrect, when Word automatically makes a formatting change, an AutoCorrect Options button displays and provides the Undo and Stop options. If the AutoCorrect Options button does not disappear, press Esc to dismiss it.
To display the AutoFormat settings, on the File tab, click Options and choose Proofing in the Word Options dialog box. Next, click the AutoCorrect Options button (the AutoCorrect dialog box appears) then click AutoFormat.
The settings in this dialog box enable you to choose the elements Word 2010 will change as a matter of course in your documents. Depending on the settings that are selected, Word will automatically perform for the following:
Apply built-in heading styles, list styles, automatic bulleted lists, and other paragraph styles
Replace straight quotes with smart quotes, ordinals with superscript, fractions with actual fraction characters, hyphens with dashes, *bold* and _italic_ with real formatting, web links with hyperlinks
Preserve the styles in your document
AutoFormat plain text e-mail documents
If you want to turn off the AutoFormat feature for any of these items, simply clear the check box for the option you want to remove. Note however that if you clear the setting (for example “Fractions (1/2) with fraction characters (½)”) in the AutoFormat tab, it will not be reformatted in the document, even if you click the option in the AutoFormat As You Type tab.
The AutoFormat As You Type tab is also found in the AutoCorrect dialog box (Alt+T+A). You’ll notice that many of the settings are the same or similar to the ones available in the AutoFormat tab. The difference here is that you’re controlling which of the elements will be changed as you enter content in the document. Table 11-1 provides a description of each setting in the AutoFormat As You Type tab of the AutoCorrect dialog box.
Table 11-1. AutoFormat As You Type Settings
AutoFormat Setting | Description and Use |
|---|---|
“Straight Quotes” With “Smart Quotes” | Converts typed quotes and apostrophes to smart, or curly, quotes |
Fractions (1/2) With Fraction Character (½) | Replaces full-sized typed fractions, such as 1/2, with the fraction symbol; this only works for common fractions such as ¼, ½, and ¾ |
*Bold* And _Italic_ With Real Formatting | A word surrounded by asterisks or underscores is formatted as bold and italic, respectively; the asterisks and underscores are removed |
Internet And Network Paths With Hyperlinks | Automatically converts recognized URLs, network paths, and e-mail addresses to hyperlinks |
Ordinals (1st) With Superscript | Inserts ordinals (such as 1st, 2nd, 3rd) when you type full-sized ordinals |
Hyphens (--) With Dash (—) | Replaces two consecutive hyphens (--) with an em dash (—); for an en dash (–), type a space before and after two consecutive hyphens ( -- ) |
Automatic Bulleted Lists | An asterisk (*) followed by a tab at the beginning of a line is converted to a bulleted list |
Border Lines | Three consecutive symbols, such as ~,#,*, -,_,= at the beginning of a line are converted to borders |
Built-In Heading Styles | Automatically formats short paragraphs (without a period) with Heading styles after pressing Enter twice; a short paragraph at the beginning of the line is formatted with Heading 1, a tab preceding a short paragraph is formatted with Heading 2, two tabs followed by a short paragraph is formatted with Heading 3, and so on |
Automatic Numbered Lists | A number followed by a period and a tab or space at the beginning of a line is converted to a numbered list; numbers not followed by a period, along with a tab or at least two spaces, can be converted to a numbered list after pressing Enter |
Tables | A series of vertical bars ( | ) and underscores ( _ ) are converted to tables after pressing Enter; entry must start and end with a vertical bar |
Format Beginning Of List Item Like The One Before It | Applies identical formatting to the second and consecutive items in a list; formatting of last character, even a space, determines format |
Set Left And First Indent With Tabs And Backspace | Pressing Tab at the beginning of a previously typed paragraph formats the paragraph with a First Line Indent; pressing Backspace after Tab formats the paragraph with a Left Indent |
Define Styles Based On Your Formatting | Applies built-in styles that match paragraph formatting; it is recommended that this option be left turned off because it doesn’t always function and, when it does, you have no control over which style is applied |
One of the most common paragraph-level formatting tasks is aligning paragraphs within a document. But alignment matters don’t stop with setting line ending attributes, such as left, center, right, and justified—you can also specify paragraph alignment and indentation as well. Table 11-2 lists the various tools and shortcuts you can use to align and format paragraphs.
Table 11-2. Paragraph Align and Formatting Tools
Button | Keyboard shortcut | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|
Align Left | Ctrl+L | Aligns text and other elements along the left margin of the page or specified area, with a ragged right (non-aligned) edge | |
Align Center | Ctrl+E | Aligns the midpoint of each line with the horizontal center of the page or area | |
Align Right | Ctrl+R | Aligns text and other elements along the right margin of the page or specified area, with a ragged left edge | |
Justify | Ctrl+J | Aligns text flush with both the left and right margins of the page or specified area | |
Decrease Indent | Ctrl+Shift+M | Decreases a paragraph’s indent by one tab stop. By default, automatic tab stops are set every 0.5 inch | |
Increase Indent | Ctrl+M | Increases a paragraph’s indent by one tab stop. By default, automatic tab stops are set every 0.5 inch |
To apply these paragraph alignments and formats, simply click in the paragraph you want to change and click the tool to apply the setting. Note that you can use the alignment tools together with the Decrease Indent and Increase Indent tools to achieve the effect you want for the selected paragraph.
It’s easy to align paragraphs and set indent levels using the tools on the Home tab, but when you want to be precise about the way your text aligns, you can use the ruler to set format rules. To display the ruler, on the View tab, select the Ruler check box. You can also display the ruler by clicking the View Ruler button at the top of the vertical scrollbar. After you choose to display the ruler, you’ll be able to see it in Draft, Web Layout, and Print Layout views. Note that the 0 (zero) mark on the ruler corresponds to the left margin setting, as shown in Figure 11-4. By default, the left and right margins are set to 1 inch, or 2.54 centimeters, for Letter paper size. Thus, the default setup provides 6.5 inches, or 16.51 centimeters, between the margins for content.
Note
To change the unit of measure displayed on your ruler, click Options on the File tab then click Advanced. In the Display area, change the unit in the Show Measurements In Units Of list.
To use the ruler to adjust left and right indents, click within the paragraph or select the paragraphs you want to adjust then drag the Left Indent or Right Indent marker on the ruler. If you find that the divisions and tick marks on the ruler are difficult to use when you need precise alignment, you can obtain more accuracy by holding Alt (or press and hold both mouse buttons) as you as drag the indent marks as shown here:
Note that when you drag the Left Indent marker, the First Line Indent and Hanging Indent marker will also move.
You can use the ruler to create a hanging indent or a first line indent, as illustrated below. To do so, click in the paragraph you want to format (or select multiple paragraphs) and then drag the First Line Indent marker (the one on top) left or right to the desired location, as shown here:
Tip
You can press Ctrl+T to create a hanging indent that aligns body text with the first tab marker. (By default, tabs are set every 0.5 inch, or 1.27 centimeters.) To “unhang” an indent, you can press Ctrl+Shift+T, regardless of how the hanging indent was created. If the paragraph contains a first line indent, pressing Ctrl+T will create a Left Indent.
Another way you can align the paragraphs in your document is to use the Paragraph dialog box, which offers its own set of advantages. For example, as shown in Figure 11-5, because the Paragraph box provides a number of settings in one convenient place, you can set multiple paragraph formatting options easily at one time.
To display the Paragraph dialog box, on the Home tab, click the dialog launcher in the lower-right corner of the Paragraph group. Alternatively, you can right-click a paragraph (or selected paragraphs) then click Paragraph.
Tip
You can also display the Paragraph dialog box by using the dialog launcher found in the Paragraph group on the Page Layout tab.
Figure 11-5. The Paragraph dialog box provides precise and complete control of paragraph formatting.
The Indents And Spacing tab offers the following paragraph alignment options:
Alignment. Sets the position of paragraph contents relative to the margins. Available alignment options are Left, Centered, Right, and Justified. The options in this list correspond to the alignment buttons on the Ribbon.
Outline level. Sets the level of the paragraph (for example, Heading 1, Heading 2, or Body Text), which might change the indent of the text at the cursor position.
Left Indentation. Indents the paragraph from the left by the amount you specify. To display text or graphics within the left margin, enter a negative number in the Left text box.
Right Indentation. Indents the paragraph from the right margin by the amount you specify. To display text or graphics within the right margin, enter a negative number in the Right text box.
Special and By. Controls the paragraph’s first line and hanging indentation. The Special list box has three options: (None), First Line, and Hanging. The (None) option is selected by default. To specify the first line indent, enter a value in the By text box. The Special list box changes to display First Line automatically. For a hanging indent, select Hanging from the Special list and enter a value in the By text box.
You can configure other paragraph settings in the Paragraph dialog box, including paragraph spacing parameters, as you’ll see next.
The default spacing in Word 2010 uses 10 points of space after each paragraph and 1.15 lines of space between the lines of a paragraph. This spacing makes documents easier to read online. Interestingly, if you are accustomed to using single spacing and adding an empty paragraph mark to create space between paragraphs, if you use the new defaults instead of single spacing and empty paragraphs, approximately three additional lines are added per page.
Note
If your documents aren’t required to follow a specific standard, consider giving the new spacing defaults a few days prior to deciding if you prefer them or not. You might find that you prefer the extra space once you get used to it—and giving readers’ eyes a break on a text-filled page is always a good way to encourage them to keep reading.
Additionally, using empty paragraphs to create empty lines can end up causing you more work in the end—especially when you are sorting, copying, and pasting content. When you sort multiple paragraphs, the empty paragraph marks are sorted to the top of your sorted paragraphs, and you need to delete them and manually add them back. And when you copy and paste paragraphs, you might need to manually add and remove the empty paragraph marks.
Long gone are the days when you had to press Enter twice at the end of each paragraph or use tricks such as selecting a paragraph mark and changing the font size to add or increase the space between paragraphs. As you will see in the section Adjusting Spacing Above and Below Paragraphs, adding paragraph spacing is a simple matter of configuring paragraph settings the way you want them. You can easily adjust paragraph spacing at any time in your documents—before, during, or after you enter text—to help improve readability. In particular, you can control line spacing within paragraphs as well as specify the amount of space above and below paragraphs.
If you want to omit space between some paragraphs—such as for an address block—insert a manual line break by pressing Shift+Enter after each line in the address block instead of pressing Enter to begin a new paragraph.
Note
If you want to change the new default spacing for the entire document, or for all new documents based on the Normal template, you can use styles to do the trick. See Chapter 12 for more about creating and working with styles.
Tip
If you have several documents in which you need to clean up multiple paragraph marks, consider recording a macro using your Find And Replace steps. For more on how to record macros and add them to your Quick Access Toolbar or assign a keyboard shortcut, see Chapter 28.
In Word, you can adjust line spacing in several ways, including using the Ribbon, keyboard shortcuts, and the Paragraph dialog box. One quick way to configure a paragraph’s line spacing is to click in the paragraph you want to configure (or select multiple paragraphs) and then click the Line Spacing tool (on the Home tab, in the Paragraph group). Line Spacing offers the following options: 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0. Selecting a number instantly adjusts the selected paragraphs’ line spacing. If you select Line Spacing Options, the Paragraph dialog box appears.
You can use the Paragraph dialog box to adjust paragraph line spacing to a precise 1/10 of a point by using the Line Spacing option in conjunction with the At text box on the Indents And Spacing tab (shown previously in Figure 11-5). The Line Spacing list box provides the following options:
Single. Accommodates the largest font per line plus a small amount of extra space to create the appearance of a single-spaced paragraph.
1.5 Lines. Inserts 1.5 times the space allotted for a single line space to the selected paragraph(s).
Double. Inserts twice the space allotted for a single line space to the selected paragraph(s).
At Least. Sets a minimum amount of space for each line as specified in the At text box. When Word encounters a larger font size or a graphic that won’t fit in the minimum space, it increases that line’s spacing to accommodate the text or graphic.
Exactly. Forces Word to apply an exact line spacing, as specified in the At text box, regardless of what size text or graphics Word encounters. (Otherwise, Word accommodates the largest text or graphic in a line by default.) If Word encounters text or graphics too large to fit in the allotted line space, the text or graphics will appear cut off in your document.
Multiple. Enables you to use the At text box to specify a line spacing setting from 0.06 through 132 lines, in increments of 1/100 of a line. This option provides extra-fine control over line spacing.
Last but not least, you can quickly adjust a paragraph’s line spacing by clicking in a paragraph or selecting multiple paragraphs and then pressing any of the following keyboard shortcuts:
Ctrl+1 applies single-line spacing to selected paragraphs.
Ctrl+2 applies double-line spacing to selected paragraphs.
Ctrl+5 applies 1.5-line spacing to selected paragraphs.
In addition to adjusting spacing between lines within paragraphs, you can configure the space displayed above and below paragraphs instead of adding an empty paragraph mark. By using this method to add space, you’re not limited to separating paragraphs by one or two lines; you can separate paragraphs by 0.5 inch, 3 points, and so forth. In addition, if you use spacing consistently within your document, and you find that your document (or a section within your document) runs a little long or comes up a little short, you can select the entire document, a section, or a few paragraphs, and adjust the paragraph spacing options by using the Paragraph dialog box to tighten up or lengthen your document in just a few steps. For additional tips on fitting text, see Chapter 14.
To add spacing above and below selected paragraphs, follow these steps:
Click in the paragraph you want to configure, or select multiple paragraphs.
On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click the dialog launcher then click Indents And Spacing.
Enter values in the Before and After text boxes in the Spacing section then click OK. The Before and After spacing options require you to specify in points how much space to insert before and after paragraphs. Keep in mind that 72 points equals 1 inch.
Note
You can also type other units of measure after the value, and they will be converted to points. Use cm for centimeters, in for inches, and li for line. For example, .6 li will be converted to 7.2 points.
If you create styles for your documents, you’ll want to consider configuring the Before and After settings when you create paragraph styles. When you add before and after spacing to paragraph styles, you help to ensure that spacing will be applied consistently and automatically throughout your document.
Back in the days of the typewriter, tabs were used for all types of alignment such as tabbed tables, charts, and columns. Word offers a variety of text alignment tools with which you can create columns, Word tables (instead of tabbed tables), and even charts and diagrams. And yet, with all the advanced formatting features Word 2010 offers, tabs continue to play a key role in aligning text and performing other tab-related activities. You’ll use tabs for all sorts of things—from positioning content on a line where you want it, to adding prices in a column on the right side of the page, to centering a heading on a page. Figure 11-6 shows a variety of tab types in action. When you have formatting marks turned on in your document, the tab characters appear as right pointing arrows.
Tip
Instead of using a tabbed table to separate data in your document, you can use a borderless Word table instead. This will provide the appearance of a tabbed table but give you more control over the alignment of your information. Creating a table in this way also helps keep your table from getting bumped out of alignment when an extra space or tab is added. In a table, you can see and fix formatting mistakes easily. For more on Word tables, see Chapter 15.
New documents based on the default Normal template include automatic tab stops every 0.5 inch, or 1.27 centimeters, but these tab stops don’t appear in the ruler. You can adjust the default tab stop setting, add custom tabs, clear all tabs, and create tabs with leader lines. To adjust tabs, use the ruler or Tabs dialog box, as discussed in the following sections.
Troubleshooting
My text keeps shifting to the next tab stop.
If you have used tabs to align text and have needed to add a few more text characters within the tabbed text, you might find that the text shifts to the next tab stop even though there appears to be ample room. The underlying issue is too many automatic tabs or a combination of spaces and tabs to align the text. An example of text aligned at the 3-inch mark on the ruler using automatic tabs is shown here:
Note the 6 tab characters preceding the text (spaces weren’t added for this example). Each time the default automatic tabs are set and you press the Tab key, 0.5 inch of space will be reserved for each tab character. If you add text at the beginning of the line, and if it exceeds 0.5 inch, then the text following the tab, or tabs, will shift as shown here:
To resolve this issue, use a manual tab instead of multiple automatic tabs. In this example, a manual Left tab has been set at 3 inches on the ruler:
As a result, there is a total of 3 inches of space available for text between the left margin and the manual tab stop. This space can be used before the text will shift to the next tab stop. In addition, pressing Tab once is far easier than adding multiple tabs and multiple spaces to align text. For more on setting manual tabs, see the next section.
You can set manual tabs by using the horizontal ruler in Word. Using the ruler has a couple of advantages: You get visual feedback as soon as you set the tabs, and you can drag the ruler tabs to the left or right until you’re satisfied with their positions. (You can even drag tabs off the ruler to delete them.) As soon as you set a manual tab on the ruler, selected text preceded by a tab character moves to reflect the setting. To use the ruler to add manual tabs, complete the following steps:
Click in the paragraph(s) in which you want to set tabs, or position the insertion point at the location where you want to create a new paragraph containing the tab settings.
Select the tab type you want to add by clicking the button in the top-left corner of the work area; this is called the tab selector. Each click of your mouse will cycle through the available tab types. Table 11-3 shows how each of the tab types appear in the tab selector and other available indent markers. Figure 11-6 (shown previously) shows the various tab types in action.
After you select a tab type, click in the lower portion of the ruler (in the white space below the numbers) to insert a manual tab. If you position a manual tab incorrectly, you can drag it off the ruler to delete it or drag it left or right to reposition it.
Table 11-3. Tab and Indent Types
Name | Description | |
|---|---|---|
Left Tab | Text begins at the tab stop and continues right. This is the most commonly used tab type. | |
Center Tab | Text is centered on the tab stop. | |
Right Tab | Text aligns at the tab stop and moves left. | |
Decimal Tab | Aligns a number on the decimal point, or where the decimal point would appear if the number does not show a decimal. When used in a Word table, numbers do not need to be preceded by a Tab character. | |
Bar Tab | Creates a vertical line. With this setting, you can draw vertical lines that span any number of horizontal lines of text. This tab type is not used for aligning text in a document. | |
First Line Indent | Activates the First Line Indent feature. Allows you to create a first line indent with a single click instead of dragging the indent marker. | |
Hanging Indent | Activates the Hanging Indent feature. Using this method, you can create a hanging indent with a single click instead of dragging the indent marker. |
In addition to using the ruler to create tabs, you can use the Tabs dialog box, which you display by clicking the Tabs button in the Indents And Spacing tab of the Paragraph dialog box. The Tabs dialog box enables you to use precise measurements to set tabs. You can also create tabs that use leader lines. Leaders insert characters—such as dots or dashes (see Figure 11-6 for examples)—in the space before the tab stop; they act as a visual guide, leading the eye to the tabbed text.
Neither of these tasks can be accomplished using the ruler. The main drawback of creating tabs by using the Tabs dialog box is that you won’t be able to see how your tabs affect your text until after you close the dialog box and view your document. To display the Tabs dialog box, perform any of the following actions:
Press Alt+O+T.
Double-click an existing tab in the horizontal ruler.
Click Tabs in the Paragraph dialog box.
Figure 11-7 shows the Tabs dialog box. If the currently selected paragraph contains manual tabs, when you display the Tabs dialog box, the tab positions will be listed in the Tab Stop Position list box. Notice that the Default Tab Stops option is set to 0.5 inches (or 1.27 if your preferred unit of measure is centimeters) by default.
To use the Tabs dialog box to set manual tabs, follow these steps:
Click in the paragraph(s) in which you want to set tabs, or position your insertion point at the location where you want to create a new paragraph containing the tab settings.
Display the Tabs dialog box (press Alt+O+T or double-click an existing manual tab on the ruler).
Type a tab location—such as 1.75 (inches) or 4.45 (centimeters)—in the Tab Stop Position text box.
In the Alignment section, specify whether you want to create a left, center, right, decimal, or bar tab by choosing the respective option.
Select a leader line style, if desired, and then click Set. The manual tab will be listed in the Tab Stop Position list box.
Add more manual tabs, if desired, by repeating steps 3–5. Then click OK to close the Tabs dialog box when you’ve finished.
To change the default tab and indent setting (used when you click Increase Indent or Decrease Indent on the Home tab), you can type a new setting in the Default Tab Stops text box in the Tabs dialog box. For example, you could change the default 0.5-inch setting to 0.75 inch. The default setting is used if manual tabs aren’t set when you press Tab or click the Increase Indent and Decrease Indent buttons.
Just as you can add manual tabs using the horizontal ruler and the Tabs dialog box, you can also clear manual tabs using these same tools. You can even clear all tabs at one time if you want to remove all the tabs you’ve set previously and start again. To remove tabs, select the paragraph(s) you want to modify, and then perform one of the following procedures:
Drag the tab markers off the ruler. (Simply click a tab marker and drag it down into the document area.)
Display the Tabs dialog box (press Alt+O+T or double-click an existing tab marker in the Ruler), select the tab you want to delete, and then click Clear.
Display the Tabs dialog box and click Clear All.
In Chapter 5, you learned about working with pages and sections, and you discovered that Word 2010 can help you keep important paragraphs and lists together on the same page. You control these types of paragraph considerations using the Line And Page Breaks tab in the Paragraph dialog box, shown in Figure 11-8.
Figure 11-8. Use the Line And Page Breaks tab of the Paragraph dialog box to instruct Word to keep specific paragraphs together on a page.
To apply the line and page break settings, select the text you want to format, display the Line And Page Breaks tab, and then select the appropriate check boxes. The following line and page break options are available:
Widow/Orphan Control. Ensures that the last line of a paragraph doesn’t appear by itself at the top of a new page (a widow) or that the first line of a paragraph doesn’t appear by itself at the bottom of a page (an orphan). Widow/Orphan Control is selected by default.
Keep Lines Together. Prevents page breaks from occurring within a paragraph. If a page break is needed, Word moves the entire paragraph to the next page.
Keep With Next. Prevents a page break from occurring between the selected paragraph and the following paragraph. This feature can be useful when you’re using paragraphs that work together to create a single element, such as a table and a table caption or a heading and the following paragraph. (Note that the Heading styles use this format by default.)
Page Break Before. Inserts a page break before the selected paragraph. Typically this format is used in a style, such as Heading 1, used for chapter headings so that each chapter will automatically start on a new page when the Heading 1 style is applied. For more on styles, see Chapter 12.
The Tight Wrap option affects the way in which paragraphs wrap around text boxes. When you select a text box in your document, the Tight Wrap list offers choices you use to control the way the text wraps around the box:
You can experiment with the text flows around the selected text box to see the effects of the different choices. You can also select Tight Wrap options in addition to the other settings on the Line And Page Breaks tab to keep important information together.
Once upon a time, long before Word 2010 was a glimmer in anyone’s eye, writers and editors had to insert hyphens at the appropriate points when words broke from one line to the next in a document. Thank goodness that for several Word incarnations now, hyphenation has been handled automatically for us. However, there might be times when you want to control whether—and how—hyphenation is used in your document. You might need to decide, for example, whether you’re going to hyphenate words at the ends of lines to create an evenly aligned right edge, or you want to bump the whole word to the next line, producing a more ragged look.
If you prefer, you can activate Word’s built-in Hyphenation feature to eliminate white space and gaps along the edges of your text. When you use the Hyphenation feature, you can opt to apply hyphenation manually or automatically, as follows:
Automatic hyphenation. Word automatically hyphenates an entire document. If you later change the document’s contents, Word rehyphenates the document as needed, while you work.
Manual hyphenation. Word searches for instances in which hyphenation is needed; you then manually decide whether to add a hyphen at each instance. If you later modify the document, Word displays and prints only the hyphens that fall at the ends of lines. To rehyphenate the document, repeat the manual hyphenation process.
Note
If you want to apply hyphenation to text that’s written in a language other than the Microsoft Office default language, you need to ensure that the language is enabled for editing (through the Microsoft Office 2010 Language Settings), and you need to use Set Proofing Language (go to the Language tab on the Review tab) to set up the proofing tools for that language. You can learn more about translation features and setting up languages in Chapter 9.
Either way, the process of adding hyphenation begins with Hyphenation on the Page Layout tab, as shown here:
To automatically hyphenate an entire document, on the Page Layout tab, in the Page Setup group, click Hyphenation and then click Automatic. To configure the automatic hyphenation settings, click Hyphenation Options to display the Hyphenation dialog box, shown in Figure 11-9.
Figure 11-9. Use the Hyphenation dialog box to control hyphenation settings for automatic or manual hyphenation.
Tip
You can format nonbreaking hyphens to prevent a hyphenated word, number, or phrase from breaking if it falls at the end of a line. For example, you might not want to break a phone number at the end of a line. To insert a nonbreaking hyphen, on the Insert Tab, click Symbol, click More Symbols, and then click Special Characters. Alternatively, press Ctrl+Shift+Hyphen.
In the Hyphenation Zone text box, enter the amount of acceptable white space to leave between the end of the last word in a line and the right margin. If you want fewer hyphens, make the Hyphenation Zone value larger. If you want to reduce ragged edges, make the value smaller.
In the Limit Consecutive Hyphens To text box, type the maximum number of consecutive lines that can end with a hyphen and then click OK.
If you want to turn off the automatic hyphenation feature as well as remove automatically inserted hyphens, on the Page Layout tab, click Hyphenation and then click None.
When you hyphenate a document manually, you can hyphenate the entire document, or you can select part of the document before you display the Hyphenation dialog box. To hyphenate text manually, either select the text you want to hyphenate or ensure that no text is selected if you want to hyphenate the entire document. On the Page Layout tab, click Hyphenation and then click Manual.
When Word identifies a word or phrase that should be hyphenated, the Manual Hyphenation dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 11-10. You can click Yes to insert the suggested hyphen; use the arrow keys or mouse to reposition the hyphen location and then click Yes; click No to ignore the suggestion and move to the next word; or click Cancel to end the hyphenation process.
A popular design feature frequently associated with introductory paragraphs is drop caps. Drop caps are the large letters that appear at the very beginning of chapters or sections, and they can give the opening of your document a creative, stylized look.
Word 2010 provides an easy way for you to add drop caps to paragraphs. When you use the Drop Cap feature, Word increases the font size of the first letter of a paragraph and places it in a frame. After the drop cap is automatically created and situated, you can further modify it. To create a drop cap, follow these steps:
Click in the paragraph that you want to customize with a drop cap, or, if you want to enlarge more than just the first letter in the paragraph, select the letters or word(s) you want to format as drop caps.
On the Insert tab, in the Text group, click Drop Cap to display the Drop Cap gallery (see Figure 11-11).
Select Dropped or In Margin to add the drop cap to your paragraph. To control drop cap settings, click Drop Cap Options to display the Drop Cap dialog box, as shown in Figure 11-12.
If you decide not to display a drop cap in your paragraph, you can easily remove the formatting. To do so, click in the paragraph containing the drop cap, display the Drop Cap gallery, and then click None.
Finally, note that drop caps appear above your paragraph in Normal view and Outline view. To see the drop cap effect on the screen as it actually appears, view documents in Web Page Layout, Print Layout, or Reading Layout views.
In our time-pressured work world, everybody loves lists. Lists give people reading your document an easy way to understand what you think are the most important points to remember. A list might outline key thoughts, reinforce main topics, describe a process, or capsulize memorable concepts. Adding bulleted and numbered lists to your document can go a long way toward making your document more readable, which is something for which your readers will be grateful.
Throughout this book, both bulleted and numbered lists are referred to simply as lists because they behave the same way. When you choose a bullet, of course, you’re using a special symbol, character, or graphic to start a line. When you use a number, you’re selecting the font, size, and color of the numeral you want to use. In addition, you can use roman numerals, letters, and other line identifiers in numbered lists.
Word gives you the capacity to create bulleted lists with a number of looks. For instance, you can select bullet characters, colors, and indents. Further, you can place bulleted lists side by side in a multicolumn format. Here are some guidelines to remember when you create bulleted lists:
Be concise. Fewer words make a larger impact. Unless you must include paragraphs of text for each bullet item, pare your prose down to fewer than three sentences, if you can.
Stick to the point. A general rule is one point, one bullet. Don’t try to cram more than one idea into each bullet item.
Be clear. Flowery language isn’t necessary—clear and simple is best.
Don’t overdo it. Bullets can be so much fun (and easier to write than big blocks of text) that you might be tempted to use them liberally throughout your document. Resist the temptation to overuse bullets in your work and use them only when they bring clarity to your content.
Choose a bullet that makes sense. If your report is about a new drive train your company is manufacturing, would baby-bottle bullet characters really make sense? Probably not. Be sure to fit the bullet characters you choose to the style and expectations of your audience.
Don’t use too many at once. Don’t make your lists burdensome for your readers. If possible, say what you need to say in five to seven bullet points and move back to paragraph style.
The type of content you include determines whether you need numbered lists in your documents. If you’re writing a how-to manual about fly-fishing, you might have quite a few numbered steps, explaining important procedures for preparing equipment, finding the right spot, and setting up for your first cast. If you’re creating a marketing plan with a timeline and an action sequence, your steps will define a process that builds a bigger promotions system. Whatever the purpose of your numbered list, you can make sure it’s most effective in these ways:
Use numbers that fit your tone. In an upbeat publication, you might want to use specialty numbers or a casual font with oversized numbers. In a more serious piece, you’ll want the numbers you select to carry a more purposeful tone.
Keep steps clear. Most often, numbered steps are used to describe a process. Conveniently enough, steps can add clarity to a complex procedure. Therefore, don’t muddy the waters by overburdening a numbered step with too much information. Include one or two instructions per step and then move on to the next numbered step.
Remember the white space. Whether you’re working with bulleted or numbered lists, the white space in your document is as important as the text on the page—it might be a humbling statement, but it’s true. White space gives your readers’ eyes a rest, so space list items and avoid crowding steps too closely.
Align by design. As with spacing for bulleted and numbered lists, the alignment of lists matters. Make sure the indents in the second line of the list item align with the first character of text, and ensure that all of the lists throughout your document present a consistent alignment pattern.
Word makes it easy for you to create both numbered and bulleted lists from existing text and as you type. To create a list from existing text, select the text and then click either Bullets or Numbering on the Home tab in the Paragraph group. Each selected paragraph will be formatted as a single numbered or bulleted list item. As mentioned, you can also create lists while you type. To create a quick list while you type, follow these steps:
Place the insertion point where you want to add the list.
Click the Numbering button if you want to create a numbered list, or click Bullets if you want to create a bulleted list. Both are shown in Figure 11-13.
The list item is added. Type your first item then press Enter. The next bullet or number is added automatically.
Continue entering your list items, pressing Enter after each item.
If you are using a numbered list, when you add or delete an item in the list, the list items will automatically renumber accordingly.
Tip
If you want to start a new paragraph within a bulleted or numbered list, but you’re not yet ready for the next bullet or number, press Shift+Enter instead of just Enter. Pressing Shift+Enter ensures that the added information appears as a paragraph but will still be part of the current bulleted or numbered item. When you press Enter later to continue your list, a bullet or number will appear.
You can also create lists while you type by using the AutoFormat As You Type features found in the AutoCorrect dialog box. These options are turned on by default, but to verify them, display Word Options, click Proofing, and then click the AutoCorrect Options button. (Alternatively, press Alt+T+A to display the AutoCorrect dialog box.) On the AutoFormat As You Type tab, verify Automatic Bulleted Lists and Automatic Numbered Lists are selected.
If you are creating complex numbering schemes or using multiple numbered lists in a document, this method is not recommended due to the lack of control you have over lists that are automatically generated by Word. With this in mind, you can use the following to create bulleted or numbered lists as you type.
To create a bulleted list in Word, type an asterisk (*), press Tab, type a list entry, and then press Enter. By default, Word will change the asterisk to a bullet and the AutoCorrect Options button will appear, enabling you to control the automatic bulleted list feature. If you want to create the bulleted list, simply continue to type, and the AutoCorrect Options button will disappear.
Similarly, if you have Automatic Numbered Lists selected in your AutoFormat options, to create a numbered list while you type, enter a number (you can enter any number, but generally, you’d probably want to start with the number 1), press Tab, enter text, and press Enter. Word will format the entry as a numbered list item and display the AutoCorrect Options button with which you can control the creation of the list. Again, to continue creating the numbered list, simply continue to type the next numbered list entry.
Tip
If you want space added between the list items, rather than pressing Enter twice to add an empty paragraph between the list items, use formatted space before or after each paragraph, as described in the section titled Adjusting Spacing Above and Below Paragraphs.
One of the challenges users often face with bulleted and numbered lists is that the lists seem to want to go on forever. After you press Enter on your last list entry, yet another bullet (or number) shows up. Get rid of the extra bullet or number by doing one of three things:
Click the Bullets or Numbering button to turn off the feature.
Press Backspace twice to delete the number or bullet and place your cursor at the left margin. The first time you press Backspace, the cursor will line up below the text of the previous list item (as opposed to lining up under the number in previous versions of Word). If your list is indented, continue to press Backspace until your cursor reaches the desired position.
Press Enter twice after the last item, instead of once.
Note
See the section titled Creating and Using Multilevel Lists to see how Word 2010 responds when you use Enter and Backspace in a multilevel list.
The default Word settings for bulleted and numbered lists are fine when you’re creating a quick, simple document that will be passed around the office and eventually end up in the dumpster. But what about those special reports you create or the procedure manuals that others rely on? Those need to have a more professional look and feel; the treatment of lists in your document suddenly become more important.
You can improve a basic bulleted list in several ways. You might want to customize your list by choosing your bullet from the Bullet gallery, selecting a picture bullet, creating your own bullets, or changing indents and spacing for your bullet items.
Word provides a gallery of preset bullet styles to choose from and a virtually unlimited supply of bullet options that you can pull from symbol typefaces, graphics libraries, and more. To choose a new bullet character for a list, follow these steps:
Select the list items with the bullets you want to change or position your cursor where you want to add a list.
On the Home tab, click the arrow next to Bullets to display the Bullet gallery, as shown previously in Figure 11-13.
Browse the gallery and select another symbol or picture to use as a bullet.
A quick way to access the Bullet gallery is to select your list, right-click, point at Bullets, and then select a new bullet from the gallery.
If you don’t like any of the bullets in the Bullet gallery, you can select a new bullet by clicking Define New Bullet. The Define New Bullet dialog box appears (see Figure 11-14). If you like to be creative in your documents, you’ll enjoy this feature—just a small and subtle change can make a big different in how your content looks on the page.
Figure 11-14. The Define New Bullet dialog box gives you the means to change the font and character you use for bullets. You can also change bullet position here.
Click the Symbol and Picture buttons to access additional bullets; use the Font button to modify the font formatting of your bullet. You learn more about these options in the sections that follow.
When you click Font in the Define New Bullet dialog box, the Font dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 11-15. Here you can select a typeface and change font settings for bullet characters. Symbol is the default font selected for bullets, which offers you a variety of shapes and symbols you can apply as a bullet character. You might want to choose one of the Wingdings fonts or another symbols font you have installed on your computer. This enables you to select the bullet character you want to use from the variety of symbols included in the font.
Figure 11-15. The Font dialog box enables you to change a bullet character’s typeface, style, color, and text effects.
In addition to selecting a bullet font, you can also choose the size, color, and effects of the font you define. Click your options in the various setting boxes and preview the selection in the Preview box at the bottom of the dialog box. You can click OK to save your settings and return to the Define New Bullet dialog box. You’ll be able to see the effects of your changes in the preview window there.
An easy way to customize the look and feel of your document involves changing the symbol used for the bullets in your lists. To customize bullets, click Symbol in the Define New Bullet dialog box to display the Symbol dialog box, as shown in Figure 11-16.
Figure 11-16. Click the symbol you want to select as a new bullet character. If you need to be consistent with lists in other documents, make note of the character code of the item you select.
The Symbol dialog box displays the available characters for the selected font. You can scroll through the list using the vertical scroll bar to find a symbol you want to add or click the symbol you like from the Recently Used Symbols row. Click OK to add the symbol.
If you don’t see the bullet symbol you were looking for, you can choose a different font by clicking the Font arrow and selecting a new symbol font from the list. Now scroll through the new symbols to find the one you want.
Notice that you can see the numeric character code in either decimal or hexadecimal format for each character you select in the Symbol dialog box. This enables you to be sure you’ve used the same bullet throughout this document and in other documents that need a consistent style.
For documents that can be a little more creative than your run-of-the-mill business prospectus, who wouldn’t love picture bullets? A good picture bullet that fits your document can add a splash of visual interest that might help to keep your reader reading.
What is a picture bullet? It’s a graphic image that’s small enough to use as a bullet character. Word offers a range of picture bullet styles and shapes, including animated bullets that you can use in documents that will be used online. To display the Picture Bullet dialog box and see the available offerings, click the arrow next to Bullet on the Home tab, click Define New Bullet, and then click Picture. The Picture Bullet dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 11-17.
To select a picture bullet, you simply click the one you want and click OK. Word adds the picture bullet to the Bullet gallery.
If you don’t see a picture bullet that you want to use in the Picture Bullet dialog box, enter text in the Search Text box and click Go. Word will search clip art and online files. Online bullet options appear with an image of the world in the lower-left corner of the preview picture. Further, animated bullets (bullets that have small movements, size changes, or color changes when the bullet is viewed online on a Web page) appear with a star in the lower-right corner of a preview picture, as you see in the top-left bullet in Figure 11-17.
Like bulleted lists, numbered lists enable you to make your own choices about the look and format of the numerals used. Many procedures you use to customize bulleted lists can also be used to fine-tune numbered lists. Most notably, in numbered lists, you can make modifications by specifying a font, selecting the number style you want, and choosing the number and text position of the items in your list.
The style of your numbers can add character to numbered lists. Depending on the nature of your publication, you might use simple traditional characters or larger, colorful characters. Begin by selecting the numbered list you want to change, or position your cursor in an empty paragraph in which you want to start your list, and on the Home tab, click the arrow next to Numbering, and then click a numbering format. Figure 11-18 shows the Numbering gallery.
If you aren’t particularly happy with the available numbering styles, you can define a new number format or choose from one of the styles not displayed in the gallery. To create a new number format, display the Numbering gallery and then click Define New Number Format. The Define New Number Format dialog box appears, providing formatting options for numbered lists (see Figure 11-19).
Figure 11-19. The Define New Number Format dialog box gives you the means to create a new number format and change number position.
To select a new number style, click the Number Style list to see the available style choices. Depending on the nature of your document, you might want to select roman numeral style, alphanumeric characters, or even numbers that are spelled out as text. Here is the range of choices for the number styles you can select:
1, 2, 3
I, II, III
i, ii, iii
A, B, C
a, b, c
1st, 2nd, 3rd
One, Two Three
First, Second, Third
01, 02, 03
001, 002, 003
0001, 0002, 0003
00001, 00002, 00003
After you select the number style you want, you can determine at which number you want the list to begin by clicking in the Start At text box and then typing the number for the starting point. If you prefer, you can use the up or down arrows on the Start At text box to increase or decrease the number by one.
Tip
If you want to create a list that includes multiple levels, you might find that using a multilevel list instead of a numbered list better fits your content needs. See the section, Creating and Using Multilevel Lists for specific directions.
Note
When you use Numbering, you are using a single style called List Paragraph. If you are using complex numbering or using multiple unique lists in a document, then create a new list style instead. The Define New List Style command is found on the Home tab in the Paragraph group, at the bottom of the Multilevel List gallery.
This method will create a style for each new list and provide more control over editing the list and applying the correct list to the related paragraphs. For more information on creating list styles, see the section titled Creating a New List Style.
Some of your numbered list items might be separated by elements such as charts, explanatory paragraphs, or sidebars. When you click the Numbering button, if Word doesn’t automatically continue with the next numbered step in your process, you can continue numbers in an existing numbered list in several ways:
If the AutoCorrect Options button appears in the document, click it and click Continue Numbering.
Display the Numbering gallery and then click Set Numbering Value. In the Set Numbering Value dialog box, shown in Figure 11-20, select Continue From Previous List. (This option is also available when you right-click a list item.)
Right-click the first incorrect number in a numbered list and then click Continue Numbering.
Restarting numbered lists is similar to continuing numbered lists. The main difference is that you’ll choose the Restart Numbering option instead of the Continue Numbering option. To restart a numbered list with the number 1, take any of the following actions:
Click the AutoCorrect Options button and then click Restart Numbering. (If available.)
Display the Numbering gallery and then click Set Numbering Value. In the dialog box, select Start New List and type 1 (one) in the Set Value To text box. (This option is also available when you right-click a list item.)
In a numbered list, right-click the number that you want to change to the number 1 and click Restart At 1.
If you want to restart a list with a number other than 1 (but you don’t want to continue the preceding list), select Set Numbering Value from the Numbering gallery. Enter a number in the Set Value To text box and then click OK.
You can easily convert bulleted lists to numbered lists and vice versa. To do so, simply select the list and then click either the Bullets button or the Numbering button on the Home tab. After you convert a list, you can tweak the list’s appearance and settings while the list is selected by using the methods previously described in this chapter.
Use the Adjust List Indents dialog box to modify the number position, text indent, or change the character that follows a number or bullet. To display the dialog box, right-click a list item and click Adjust List Indents. Figure 11-21 displays the Adjust List Indents dialog box.
Figure 11-21. The Adjust List Indents dialog box is where you modify the number position, indent, and change the character following a number or bullet.
The Adjust List Indents dialog box includes the following options:
Number Position. Changes the position of the number or bullet’s indent from the left margin
Text Indent. Changes the amount of space between the number or bullet and the beginning of the text
Follow Number With. Changes the default Tab character following the number to a space or nothing
Add Tab Stop At. If using a Tab character following the bullet or number, this option adds a manual tab stop at the selected position
Caution
When you change list indents by using the Adjust List Indents dialog box or using the indent methods described previously in this chapter, such as using the ruler or Paragraph dialog box, you apply direct formatting on top of the list, which can result in list instabilities. Consider creating a list style instead of using direct formatting, which is discussed in the section titled Creating a New List Style.
Some of your documents might require more than a simple bulleted or numbered list. Perhaps you want to incorporate a fairly sophisticated outline in your document, or you want to spell out a technique process that essentially nests lists within lists. Word 2010 includes a feature known as multilevel lists that enable you to define up to nine numbering levels. You can mix numerals and letters, uppercase and lowercase letters, and a variety of styles to create the type of list that best fits the needs of your document. If you don’t see a multilevel list style in the gallery that fits what you’re looking for, you can create a new list style that directly maps to the requirements of your content.
You access the Multilevel List gallery by clicking the Multilevel List tool to the right of the Numbering tool in the Paragraph group of the Home tab. The Multilevel List gallery is shown in Figure 11-22.
You create a multilevel list using the same methods as you would to add bullets or numbering. The main difference is that you are working with multiple list levels, as opposed to a single list level. When using a multilevel list, you can change the list level by using any of the following methods:
To promote a list level, press Enter. Continuing to press Enter will promote the list item to the highest level, at which point the list will end.
Press Tab to demote the list level, which moved the text at the cursor position to the right, Shift+Tab to promote the list level, which moves the text out toward the left margin.
On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click Increase Indent to demote the list level, or Decrease Indent to promote the list level.
Right-click the list item then click Increase Indent to demote the list level, or Decrease Indent to promote the list level.
Click Multilevel List, then at the bottom of the gallery, point at Change List Level, and then click the correct list level from the list of choices.
The Multilevel List gallery includes two options for creating a new multilevel list: Define New Multilevel List and Define New List Style. The Define New Multilevel List command is for creating a list that you won’t ever change. The Define New List Style command essentially provides “packaging” for a multilevel list that can be easily modified and shared with other documents. Thus, the best practice is to define a new list style as opposed to defining a new multilevel list.
When you create a new list style, you have more control over the list. For example, you can apply the correct list to related list items; format the list style, such as modifying indents; and delete unneeded list styles from your document.
In the next two sections, you learn more about creating list styles.
When you’re looking for a specific type of list that doesn’t appear in the Multilevel List gallery, Word 2010 gives you the option of creating the new list yourself. To Begin the process of creating a new list style, on the Home tab, click the arrow to the right of Multilevel List in the Paragraph group. At the bottom of the gallery, click Define New List Style. The Define New List Style dialog box will appear, as you see in Figure 11-23.
To complete your new list style, follow these steps:
In the Name text box, type a name for your style.
For a simple list, use the formatting options provided in the Define New List Style dialog box.
For example, select a number format or bullet for each level of your list. For a more complex list, or to adjust the list indents, click the Format button at the bottom of the dialog box and then click Numbering. The Modify Multilevel list dialog box is shown in Figure 11-24.
In Click Level To Modify, verify level 1 is selected and then set the following options in the order provided here (the order provided is based on the best method to follow, not the order the options appear in the dialog box):
Number Format. Select a Number Style from the Number Style For This Level list. If creating a multilevel list style using bullets, scroll to the bottom of the list to view bullet and picture options.
Enter Formatting For Number. Modify the character preceding or following the previously selected number or bullet. For example, replace a parenthesis with a period, or add text preceding the number, such as Chapter or Heading.
Font. Click the Font button to change the font formatting for the list number or character.
Include level number from. This option is enabled for levels 2 through 9. It provides the ability to include the number from the previous level, such as 2a), a format that is often used in technical documents.
Note
To use legal style numbering, such as 2.1.1, click More and select the Legal Style Numbering option. The Number list will be disabled, and each level will use legal style numbering. In the Include Level Number From list, select each level of numbering you want to include. For example, for Level 3, select Level 1 and then select Level 2.
If you want periods to appear between the numbers, type them in the Enter formatting for number text box after you select each level from the Include level number from list.
Position. Change the Number Alignment, if necessary. In the Aligned At text box, type a value for the space between the left margin and the number (Left Indent). In the Text Indent At text box, type a value for the space between the number and list text (Hanging Indent).
Select the next list level and modify the formatting options using the recommended order provided in step 3. Repeat for any additional list levels.
When you are finished defining your list style, click OK to close the Multilevel List Style dialog box. Then click OK to close the Define New List Style dialog box and create your new list style.
After you have created your list style, you can use it as you would any other list in the Multilevel List gallery. Your new list style will appear in the section titled List Styles.
This chapter was all about formatting paragraphs, whether you’re interested in aligning, spacing, or hyphenating them or arranging them in all sorts of lists. The next chapter looks closely at the ways you can use all this formatting power to your advantage by creating, modifying, and applying Quick Styles in your Word 2010 documents.