Locked lesson.
About this lesson
Learn how to spellcheck, find a better word, or count the total words in a document.
Lesson versions
Multiple versions of this lesson are available, choose the appropriate version for you:
Exercise files
Download the ‘before’ and ‘after’ Word documents from the video tutorial and try the lesson yourself.
Proofing.docx172.9 KB Proofing - Solution.docx
175.2 KB
Quick reference
Proofing Tools
Learn the importance of the features included in spellcheck, find a better word, or count the total words in a document.
When to use
It is very important to proofread your document before it leaves your computer. Misspellings and grammatical errors are viewed as unprofessional.
Instructions
Spelling and Grammar check
- Right Click any word with a red or blue underline and make your selections
- OR, click the Review Ribbon, , Spelling & Grammar
- A right-hand pane appears and provides a few more options.
- One feature is the “speaker” to listen to the pronunciation of a word.
Thesaurus
- Click the Review Ribbon, , Thesaurus
- Click the word you would like to replace
- Click the Thesaurus button (or press Shift + F7)
- The Thesaurus pane appears on the right side of the screen.
- Choose the arrow by the new word and click Insert.
Word Count
- If you need a count of total words in your document, click the Review Ribbon, , Word Count
Smart Lookup
- Click the Review Ribbon, , Smart Lookup
- A right-hand pane appears and provides a Bing lookup of the word, its meaning and origin.
- A much faster option would be to go to Google, type “Define:” enter the word to see a dictionary definition.
Kincaid Readability Statistics
- File Ribbon, , Options , Proofing
- Put a checkmark into
- This will show a grade-level review of your document. Keep in mind, it is measured by word count, word length, sentence length and paragraph length.
- For general business letters a 6th to 7th grade level is very good because it is short, simple and gets to the point. A college level paper should be anywhere above a 10th grade level
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