Word 2000

Introduction

By the end of this lesson, learners should be able to:

• Select text using different methods

The Word Window

When creating a document, you might want to change the way text appears.

Before you can change the font style, size, or color, replace or delete text, you must first select it.

Here's a quick rule of thumb:

1. First, select what you want to change.
2. Then, make your changes.

There are many different selection techniques. Soon you'll be selecting and manipulating text like an old pro!

First Method: Click and Drag to Select Text

• Move your pointer until the I-Beam (insertion point) is next to the text you want to edit.
• Click the left mouse button.
• Without releasing the mouse button, drag the insertion point to select text.
• Release the left mouse button when you have selected the text you want to change.

Pros:

• Highlights letters, words, and even entire documents.
• Lots of control with individual letters, words, and phrases.

Cons:

• Lack of control may cause:

• "Speedy selecting," which selects an entire document when you don't want to.
• "Backward selecting." If the pointer moves slightly when you click, you end up selecting text to the right when you want to select to the left and vice versa.

Second Method: Use the Pointer to Select the Entire Line of Text

To Select a Single Line of Text:

• Move the I-Beam to the left margin until it becomes a right-slanted white pointer:
• Position the pointer to the left of the line that you want to highlight.
• Click once to highlight a single line.
• Click and Drag up or down to select as many lines as you want to edit.

Pros:

• Quick and easy.

Cons:

• Selects the whole line of text when you may not want it to.
• May take some practice to position the pointer correctly.

Third Method: Double and Triple Clicking Text

Double-clicking and triple-clicking have different effects.

• Double-clicking directly on text selects that text.
• Triple-clicking directly on text selects the entire line.

The Double Click Method:

• Place your mouse pointer directly over the word or phrase you want to select.
• Double-click.

The Triple Click Method:

• Place your mouse pointer anywhere in the line you want to select.
• Triple-click.

Pros:

• Easy, lots of control.

Cons:

• Not for selecting large portions of text.

Fourth Method: Select All

Select All is a very helpful feature.

To Select an Entire Document:

• Choose Edit Select All from the menu bar.

All the text in your document is selected instantly. Click anywhere outside selected text to de-select the text.

Pros:

• Great when you need to quickly select all text in a document (great for changing font style or size).

Cons:

• Selects all text.

Warning! While text is selected, pressing any key on the keyboard will delete your text. Click the Undo button on the Standard toolbar to reverse this common mistake.

Fifth Method: Use the Keyboard

Many people use the keyboard to select text.

Did You Know?

Troubleshooting "Speedy Selecting"

When using the click and drag method to select text, have you ever selected LOTS of text without meaning to? You've experienced "speedy selecting."

What can you do to avoid this frustration?

• Use Select All in the Edit menu.OR
• Use the Shift Key:
  • Click once at the starting point of the text you desire to be selected.
  • Then, hold down the Shift key while clicking again at the ending point of the text you desire to be selected.
  • The text in between those two points should be selected.

Keep in mind that when text is selected, pressing any key deletes it. The Undo button often comes in handy for this common mistake!

Learn more about deleting and inserting text in the next lesson.