3. Enter and edit text

Word is a word-processing app designed primarily for working with text. This can be text that you enter yourself or text that you import from another file.

After you have entered or imported text into a document, you can select and edit it as needed. For example, you can select a word, a sentence, a line, or a paragraph. You can select one of these elements at a time, or you can select several at the same time. These words, sentences, lines, or paragraphs can be adjacent (that is, next to each other in your document) or non-adjacent (that is, in different areas of the document). You can also select all the content in a document at the same time.

Word makes it easy to find and replace text—for example, if you realize you made a mistake and want to locate and fix each instance of the error. Word also includes a wide array of reference and research tools.

This chapter guides you through procedures related to entering and importing text; moving, copying, and deleting text; finding and replacing text; and using reference and research tools.

Entering new text in a document is easy

If the text you want to add to the document already exists in other documents, you can import it. Importing documents is an easy way to assemble the content of multiple documents into one document. For example, suppose you want to compile eight departmental reports into a company report. It would be tedious to open each report, select and copy the text, and then paste it into the company report document. Instead, you can have Word import the text from those documents in one easy operation.

There are two fun new ways to add content to a document in Word 2019:

• If you want to use only selected content from another document that is stored on OneDrive or SharePoint and shared with you, you can use the Tap feature to locate and select the online content without ever leaving the document you’re working in.

• If you prefer, you can dictate text into your document rather than typing it. You can tell Word the text that you want to enter and the punctuation you want to use. Then, when you have the content in the document, you can make any necessary corrections. This feature works best when you have a headset with a microphone that will allow Word to hear you clearly.

To enter text by typing

1. Click to position the cursor where you want to add your text, and then begin typing.

2. Press the Enter key at the end of each paragraph to begin a new one.

To import text from another document

1. In the target document, position the cursor where you want to insert the text.

   Tip

   It isn’t necessary to open the source document to complete this operation.

2. On the Insert tab, in the Text group, select the Object arrow (not the button). Then select Text from File to open the Insert File dialog box.

   

   Import entire documents

3. Browse to the file that contains the text you want to insert, select the file, and then select the Insert button to import the text into your document.

To import text from multiple documents

1. In the target document, position the cursor where you want to insert text.

2. On the Insert tab, in the Text group, select the Object arrow (not the button) and then, in the list, select Text from File.

3. In the Insert File dialog box, open the folder that contains the files you want to insert.

4. If the files containing the text you want to import are listed together, select the first file. Then, while pressing the Shift key, select the last file. All the files will be selected. If the files are not listed together, select the first file. Then, while pressing the Ctrl key, select each additional file.

5. Select the Insert button. The content of each file you selected will be added to the target document.

To import selected content from online files

1. Position the insertion point where you want to insert the content.

2. On the Insert tab, in the Tap group, select Document Item to open the Insert From File pane.

3. In the Insert From File pane, scroll, enter text in the search box, or select a filter to locate the document from which you want to insert content.

4. Click the document thumbnail to display the insertable content within it.

   

   First locate the file, and then the item that you want to insert

5. In the Insert From File pane, below the item you want to insert, select Insert Item.

To dictate text into a document

1. Position the cursor where you want to insert the text.

2. On the Home tab, in the Voice group, select the Dictate arrow, and then select the language you will be speaking (if you haven’t already done so).

3. Select Dictate and wait for the Dictate icon to display a red Recording symbol.

   

   Additional dictation languages may be available

4. Begin speaking slowly and clearly. Word enters the text in the document as you speak.

5. Enter punctuation marks by saying any of the following:

   • Period

   • Comma

   • Question mark

   • Exclamation point

   • Exclamation mark

   • New line

   • New paragraph

   • Semicolon

   • Colon

   • Open quote

   • Close quote

   • Open quotes

   • Close quotes

It’s easy to modify a few characters, but if you want to edit more than that efficiently, you need to know how to select text. Selected text appears highlighted on the screen.

You can select content by using the mouse, using the keyboard, tapping, or combining multiple selection tools. Some methods of selecting use an area of the document’s left margin called the selection area. When the mouse pointer is in the selection area, it changes to an arrow that points toward the upper-right corner of the page.

You can select an entire line of text with just one click

You can move or copy selected text within a document or between documents by using these methods:

• You can drag a selection from one location to another. This method is easiest to use when you can display the original location and destination on the screen at the same time. (You can create a copy by holding down the Ctrl key while dragging.)

• You can cut or copy the text from the original location to the Clipboard and then paste it from the Clipboard into the new location. There are multiple methods for cutting, copying, and pasting text. No matter which method you use, when you cut text, Word removes it from its original location. When you copy text, Word leaves the original text intact.

The Clipboard is a temporary storage area shared by the Office apps. You can display items that have been cut or copied to the Clipboard in the Clipboard pane.

The Clipboard stores items that have been cut or copied from any Microsoft Office app

You can cut and copy content to the Clipboard and paste the most recent item from the Clipboard without displaying the Clipboard pane. If you want to work with items other than the most recent, you can display the Clipboard pane and then do so.

If you make a change to a document and then realize that you made a mistake, you can easily reverse, or undo, one or more recent changes. You can redo changes that you’ve undone or repeat your most recent action elsewhere in the document.

In addition to moving and copying text, you can also simply delete it. The easiest way to do this is by using the Delete key or the Backspace key. However, when you delete text by using one of these keys, the text is not saved to the Clipboard and you can’t paste it elsewhere.

To select text

• To select adjacent words, lines, or paragraphs, drag through the text.

• Position the cursor at the beginning of the text you want to select, and then do any of the following:

  • To select one character at a time, hold down the Shift key and then press the Left Arrow or Right Arrow key.

  • To select one word at a time, hold down the Shift and Ctrl keys and then press the Left Arrow or Right Arrow key.

  • To select one line at a time, hold down the Shift key and then press the Up Arrow or Down Arrow key.

  • To select any amount of adjacent content, hold down the Shift key and then click at the end of the content that you want to select.

• To select a word, double-click anywhere in the word. Word selects the word and the space immediately after the word, but not any punctuation after the word.

• To select a sentence, hold down the Ctrl key and click anywhere in the sentence. Word selects all the characters in the sentence, from the first character through the space following the ending punctuation mark.

  Important

  You cannot select a sentence by using this technique if other text is already selected. This activates the non-adjacent multi-selection functionality described in a later procedure.

• To select a line, click in the selection area to the left of the line.

• To select a paragraph, do either of the following:

  • Triple-click anywhere in the paragraph.

  • Double-click in the selection area to the left of the paragraph.

  Word selects the text of the paragraph and the paragraph mark.

  Tip

  Paragraph marks are nonprinting characters that are usually hidden. For information about displaying nonprinting characters, see “Display different views of documents” in Chapter 2, “Create and manage documents.”

• To select non-adjacent words, lines, or paragraphs, select the first text segment and then hold down the Ctrl key while selecting the next text segment.

• To select all the content in a document, text box, shape, or other text container, do either of the following:

  • Triple-click in the selection area.

  • Press Ctrl+A.

To release a selection

• Click anywhere in the window other than the selection area.

To cut text to the Clipboard

• Select the text, and then do any of the following:

  • On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, select the Cut button.

  • Right-click the selection, and then select Cut.

  • Press Ctrl+X.

To copy text to the Clipboard

• Select the text, and then do any of the following:

  • On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, select the Copy button.

  • Right-click the selection, and then select Copy.

  • Press Ctrl+C.

To paste the most recent item from the Clipboard

• Position the cursor where you want to insert the text, and then do either of the following:

  • On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, select the Paste button.

  • Press Ctrl+V.

• Right-click where you want to insert the text, and then in the Paste Options section of the menu, select a paste option.

To move text

• Cut the text from the original location, and then paste it into the new location.

• Select the text, and then drag it to the new location.

To copy text from one location to another

• Copy the text from the original location, and then paste it into the new location.

• Select the text, hold down the Ctrl key, and then drag the text to the new location.

  Tip

  To drag selected text, point to it, hold down the mouse button and move the pointer to the insertion location (indicated by a thick vertical line), and then release the mouse button.

To display the Clipboard pane

• On the Home tab, select the Clipboard dialog box launcher.

To manage cut and copied items in the Clipboard pane

• To paste an individual item at the cursor, select the item, or point to the item, select the arrow that appears, and then select Paste.

• To paste all the items stored on the Clipboard at the same location, select Paste All at the top of the Clipboard pane.

• To remove an item from the Clipboard, point to the item in the Clipboard pane, select the arrow that appears, and then select Delete.

• To remove all items from the Clipboard, select Clear All at the top of the Clipboard pane.

To control the behavior of the Clipboard pane

• At the bottom of the pane, select Options, and then select the display option you want.

  

  Clipboard pane display options

To undo your last editing action

• On the Quick Access Toolbar, select the Undo button.

• Press Ctrl+Z.

To undo two or more actions

• On the Quick Access Toolbar, in the Undo list, select the first action you want to undo. Word reverts that action and all those that follow.

• Press Ctrl+Z multiple times until the actions are undone.

To delete only one or a few characters

1. Position the cursor immediately to the left of the text you want to delete.

2. Press the Delete key once for each character you want to delete.

Or

1. Position the cursor immediately to the right of the text you want to delete.

2. Press the Backspace key once for each character you want to delete.

To delete any amount of text

1. Select the text you want to delete.

2. Press the Delete key or the Backspace key.

You can use the search box at the top of the Navigation pane to locate all instances of a specific word, phrase, or formatting mark in the current document. When you enter characters in the search box at the top of the pane, Word highlights all occurrences of those characters in the document and displays them on the Results page of the Navigation pane. When you point to a search result on the Results page, a ScreenTip displays the number of the page on which that result appears and the name of the heading preceding the search result. You can select a search result in the pane to move directly to that location in the document, or you can select the Next and Previous arrows to move between results.

The Results page of the Navigation pane displays each instance of the search term in context

If you want to be more specific about the text you are looking for—for example, if you want to look for occurrences that match the exact capitalization of your search term—you can do so from the Find tab of the Find And Replace dialog box.

You can make a search more specific by using the criteria in the Search Options area of the Find tab

If you want to substitute a specific word or phrase for another, you can use the Replace function. As on the Find tab, the Replace tab contains options you can use to carry out more complicated replacement operations. Note that the settings in the Search Options area apply to the search term and not to its replacement.

Correcting errors and inconsistencies is easy when you use the Replace feature

You can evaluate and decide whether to replace individual instances of the search term, or you can replace all occurrences of the search term in the document at the same time.

To display the Results page of the Navigation pane

• On the Home tab, in the Editing group, select the Find button.

• On the View tab, in the Show group, select the Navigation Pane check box and then, at the top of the Navigation pane, select Results.

• Press Ctrl+F.

To search for text

• On the Results page of the Navigation pane, enter the text you want to find in the search box.

To find a search result in the document

1. On the Results page of the Navigation pane, point to a search result to display a ScreenTip with the number of the page on which that result appears and the name of the heading that precedes that search result.

2. Select the search result to move directly to that location in the document.

To display the Find tab of the Find And Replace dialog box

• In the Navigation pane, select the Search for more things arrow at the right end of the search box, and then select Advanced Find.

• On the Home tab, in the Editing group, in the Find list, select Advanced Find.

To conduct a more specific search

1. Display the Find tab of the Find and Replace dialog box.

2. Select More in the lower-left corner of the dialog box to display additional search options.

3. Do one of the following:

   • In the Find what box, enter the text you want to search for.

   • Select Special and then select the symbol or formatting symbol you want to locate.

4. Modify your search by selecting any of the following options in the expanded dialog box:

   • Guide the direction of the search by selecting Down, Up, or All from the Search list.

   • Locate only text that matches the capitalization of the search term by selecting the Match case check box.

   • Exclude occurrences of the search term that appear within other words by selecting the Find whole words only check box. (For example, if you’re searching for the word pan, selecting this check box prevents Word from listing search results such as pane, span, repanel, and so on.)

   • Find two similar words, such as effect and affect, by selecting the Use wildcards check box and then including one or more wildcard characters in the search term.

     Tip

     The two most common wildcard characters are ?, which represents any single character in this location in the Find What text, and *, which represents any number of characters in this location in the Find What text. For a list of the available wildcards, select the Use Wildcards check box and then select the Special button.

   • Find occurrences of the search text that sound the same but are spelled differently, such as there and their, by selecting the Sounds like check box.

   • Find occurrences of a particular word in any form, such as try, tries, and tried, by selecting the Find all word forms check box.

   • Locate formatting, such as bold, or special characters, such as tabs, by selecting them from the Format or Special list.

   • Locate words with the same beginning or end as the search term by selecting the Match prefix or Match suffix check box.

   • Locate words with different hyphenation or spacing by selecting the Ignore punctuation characters or Ignore white-space characters check box.

5. Select the Find Next button to find the next instance of the search term in the document.

   Tip

   You can conduct a more specific search directly from the Navigation pane by selecting the Search For More Things arrow at the right end of the search box and then selecting Options. The Find Options dialog box opens, where you can select many of these same settings while continuing to use the Results page of the Navigation pane to conduct your search.

To display the Replace tab of the Find And Replace dialog box

• If the Find and Replace dialog box is already open, select the Replace tab.

• If the Navigation pane is open, select the Search for more things arrow at the right end of the search box, and then select Replace.

• On the Home tab, in the Editing group, select the Replace button.

• Press Ctrl+H.

To replace text

1. Display the Replace tab of the Find and Replace dialog box.

2. In the Find what box, enter the text you want to replace.

   Tip

   Select the More button in the lower-left corner to expand the dialog box to display the Search Options area, which contains additional search options.

3. In the Replace with box, enter the replacement text.

4. Do one of the following:

   • Select Replace to find the next occurrence of the text in the Find what box, replace it with the text in the Replace with box, and move to the next occurrence.

   • Select Replace All to replace all occurrences of the text in the Find what box with the text in the Replace with box.

     Tip

     Before selecting Replace All, ensure that the replacement is clearly defined. For example, if you want to change trip to journey, be sure to tell Word to find only the whole word trip; otherwise, the word triple, for example, could become journeyle.

   • Select Find Next to find the first occurrence of the text in the Find What box or to leave the selected occurrence as it is and locate the next one.

You can display definitions of words in the Smart Lookup pane. By default, this pane displays dictionary definitions from online sources.

The Smart Lookup pane displays information about the selected word

You can also install free dictionaries from the Microsoft Office Store. After you install a dictionary, you can display synonyms and definitions in the Thesaurus pane when you’re online or offline.

Installing a dictionary makes definitions available at any time

Sometimes it’s difficult to think of the best word to use in a specific situation. You can display a list of synonyms (words that have the same meaning) and usually an antonym (a word that has the opposite meaning) from the shortcut menu that appears when you right-click a selected word. You can display a more comprehensive list of synonyms in the Thesaurus pane. You can select any synonym in the Thesaurus pane to display the synonyms and definition of that word, until you find the word that best suits your needs.

You can use the Microsoft Translator tool to translate words, phrases, or even entire documents into other languages. When you translate a word or phrase, Word displays the translation and associated tools in the Translator pane. When you translate a document, Word creates a new document.

Using the Mini Translator is the quickest way to obtain the translation of a selection

You can translate from and to many languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish. You set which languages you want to use in the Translation Language Options dialog box.

To display the definition of a word while online

1. Select the word that you want the definition of.

2. Open the Smart Lookup pane by doing either of the following:

   • On the References tab, in the Research group, select Smart Lookup.

   • Right-click the word and then select Smart Lookup.

3. Select the Define link in the Smart Lookup pane to display the Define page, which provides various definitions of the word.

To add a dictionary

1. On the Insert tab, in the Add-ins group, select Get Add-ins to display the Store tab of the Office Add-ins dialog box.

2. In the search box in the dialog box, enter dictionary to display a list of available dictionaries.

3. Select the dictionary you want to install. The dialog box displays information about the dictionary.

4. Select the Back button to display the list of available dictionaries again, and then select the Add button to install the one you want. A pane with the added dictionary’s name opens on the right.

To display synonyms for a word

• Right-click the word, and then select Synonyms.

To display synonyms, antonyms, and the definition of a word

• Right-click the word, select Synonyms, and then on the submenu, select Thesaurus.

• Select the word. Then do either of the following:

  • On the Review tab, in the Proofing group, select the Thesaurus button.

  • Press Shift+F7.

To replace a word with a synonym

• Display the list of synonyms, and then select the synonym you want to use.

• Display the Thesaurus pane, point to the synonym you want to use, select the arrow that appears, and then select Insert.

To change the languages used by the translator tool

1. On the Review tab, in the Language group, select Translate, and then select Set Document Translation Language to display the Translator pane.

2. In the Translator pane, from the Selection or Document page, do the following:

   • In the From list, select the original language.

   • In the To list, select the translation language.

To translate text within Word

1. Select the word or phrase you want to translate.

2. On the Review tab, in the Language group, select Translate, and then select Translate Selection to open the Translator pane.

3. The From and To boxes display the currently selected original and translation languages. If either language is incorrect, you can change it.

4. If you want to replace the selected text with the translation, select Insert.

To translate a word or phrase that does not appear in the text of a document

1. In the Translate pane, in the From box, enter the word or phrase you want to translate.

2. Microsoft Translator automatically detects the language. If the detected language is incorrect, in the From list, select the original language of the text you want to translate.

3. In the To list, select the language to which the text should be translated.

4. If you want to insert the translated text at the location of your cursor, select Insert.

To translate an entire document

1. Open the document you want to translate in Word.

2. On the Review tab, in the Language group, select Translate, and then select Translate Document.

3. On the Document page of the Translator pane, confirm or change the From and To languages, and then select Translate. Word creates a translation of the document in a new file.

   

   You can use the free Microsoft Translator service to translate a document into more than 40 languages

The introduction includes a complete list of practice files and download instructions.

1. Create a new document based on the blank document template.

2. With the cursor at the beginning of the new document, enter Parks Appreciation Day, and then create a new paragraph.

3. Enter Help beautify our city by participating in the annual cleanup of Log Drift Park, Swamp Creek Park, and Tall Tree Park. Volunteers will receive a free T-shirt and barbeque lunch. Bring your own gardening tools and gloves and be ready to have fun!

4. Create a new paragraph, and then enter The Park Service Committee is coordinating group participation in this event. If you are interested in spending time outdoors with family and friends while improving the quality of our parks, contact Nancy Anderson by email at [email protected].

5. Create a new paragraph, and with the cursor in the first blank line, insert the text from the ImportText file from the practice file folder.

6. Save the document as EnterText and close it.

1. Press Ctrl+* to turn on and off the display of formatting marks and hidden text. In the second bullet point under Project Goals, delete the word natural.

2. In the third bullet point, use the arrow keys to select the words and motivate and the following space, and then delete the selection.

3. In the fourth bullet point, select the word Forge, and then replace it by entering Build. Notice that you don’t have to enter a space after Build; Word inserts the space for you.

4. In the middle of page 1, use the selection area to select the entire first bullet point after Questions for Team Leaders.

5. Copy the selection to the Clipboard.

6. At the bottom of page 1, click to the left of What in the first bullet point after Questions for Department Reps. Then, in the Clipboard group, expand the Paste Options menu. Notice that, because you’re pasting a list item into a list, two of the three available buttons have list-related icons.

7. Point to each of the paste option buttons to review how the source text will look with that paste option implemented.

8. Select the Merge List button to paste the copied bullet point into the second list and retain its formatting.

9. On page 2, in the Set Up Team section, select the entire paragraph that begins with Explain the position’s responsibilities.

10. Cut the selection, and then paste it before the preceding paragraph to switch the order of the two paragraphs.

11. In the Undo list, point to the third action (Paste Merge List). Notice that the text at the bottom of the list indicates that three actions will be undone if you select this action.

12. In the Undo list, select Paste Merge List to undo the previous cut-and-paste operation and the pasting of the copied text.

13. In the Pre-Plan Project section, select the If some employee input paragraph.

14. Drag the paragraph to the left of the word If at the beginning of the preceding bullet point to switch the order of the bullet points.

15. Release the selection and move the cursor to the end of the paragraph.

16. Delete the paragraph mark to merge the two bullet points. Add a space to separate the two sentences.

17. If you prefer not to show formatting symbols, turn them off.

18. Save and close the document.

1. With the cursor at the beginning of the document, open the Results page of the Navigation pane.

2. Enter Board in the search box.

3. Select the Next button (the downward-pointing triangle under the search box) to move through the first few search results.

4. Scroll through the document to show other highlighted results. Notice that on page 2, in section 4, Word has highlighted the board portion of skateboards. You need to restrict the search to the whole word Board.

5. Open the Find Options dialog box.

6. Select the Match case and Find whole words only check boxes, and then select OK.

7. Enter Board in the search box again and scroll through the list of results. Notice that the word skateboards is no longer highlighted.

8. Move the cursor to the beginning of the document.

9. Open the Find and Replace dialog box with the Replace tab active. Notice that the Find What box retains the entry from the previous search.

10. Display the Search options area. Notice that the Match Case and Find Whole Words Only check boxes are still selected.

11. In the Search Options area, ensure that Down is selected in the Search list. Then select Less to hide the Search Options area.

12. Enter Association Board in the Replace with box and select Find Next to have Word highlight the first occurrence of Board.

13. Select Replace to have Word replace the selected occurrence of Board with Association Board and then find the next occurrence.

14. Select Replace All. Word tells you how many replacements it made from the starting point forward.

15. Close the Find and Replace dialog box.

16. Close the Navigation pane.

17. Save and close the document.

Open the ResearchText document in Print Layout view, and perform the following tasks:

1. In the second line of the first paragraph, select the word acclaimed.

2. Display a definition of the word acclaimed in the Smart Lookup pane.

3. Display a list of synonyms for the word acclaimed in the Thesaurus pane.

4. Scroll through the list of synonyms. Notice that an antonym appears at the bottom of the list.

5. In the synonym list, select a synonym of acclaimed to replace the word in the search box at the top of the pane.

6. From the synonym list, replace the word acclaimed in the document with one of its synonyms.

7. Close the open panes.

8. In the first line of the first paragraph, select the word mistake, and then display the Translator pane.

9. Translate the word mistake to French.

10. Replace mistake with the word erreur.

11. Close the Translator pane.

12. Translate the entire document to German.

13. Save and close the document.