Fun and Functional Paragraph Formats

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About this lesson

Apply background colors or borders to paragraphs.

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2013, 2016, 2019/365.

Exercise files

Download the ‘before’ and ‘after’ Word documents from the video tutorial and try the lesson yourself.

Fun and Functional Paragraph Formats.docx
59.3 KB Fun and Functional Paragraph Formats - Solution.docx
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Quick reference

Fun and Functional Paragraph Formats

Apply background colors or borders to paragraphs.


Home Ribbon, Paragraph Group

When to use and Instructions:

  1. The Sort button allows you to quickly alphabetize a list of words to save time rather than manually re-arranging or re-typing the list. 
  1. Select the entire list with the mouse
  2. Click the Sort button
  3. Make the selection whether Ascending (A-Z) or Descending (Z-A)
  4. Click OK
  1. The Shading button will put a solid block of color behind an entire paragraph. An excellent option for creating a banner above a report or flyer.
  2. Click into the paragraph with the mouse
  3.  Click the Shading button
  4. Make the color selection
  1. The Border button will put a line on any side of the paragraph or around the entire paragraph.
  1. Click into the paragraph with the mouse
  2. Click the Border button
  3. Make the selection
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  • 00:03 Hello, in this lesson, I want to show you a couple more paragraph features.
  • 00:04 I'm on my Home ribbon.
  • 00:09 In the Paragraph group, there are three more features.
  • 00:12 This one is called the Shading button, this one is the Borders button, and
  • 00:15 this one is the Sorting button.
  • 00:17 We're going to go ahead and start with our first paragraph on the screen,
  • 00:20 and what we're going to do is apply a background color to this entire paragraph.
  • 00:25 But there's one thing you need to know, the computer actually,
  • 00:28 when you're working with paragraph features, will look for
  • 00:31 the hard return at the end of the paragraph and apply it there.
  • 00:34 Well, if you're confused about well where is that paragraph mark,
  • 00:38 that hard return, let's go ahead and turn on the codes.
  • 00:41 So again, on the Home ribbon,
  • 00:42 in the paragraph group right here is my show codes button.
  • 00:45 When I activate that,
  • 00:47 now you can see a little paragraph mark at the end of each of these paragraphs.
  • 00:50 So paragraph feature will apply to the entire paragraph until it sees
  • 00:55 the paragraph mark.
  • 00:56 I'm gonna go ahead and leave those on for this lesson,
  • 00:58 and we're going to go ahead an apply a background paragraph color.
  • 01:02 All right, so I'm just clicked into the paragraph,
  • 01:03 I don't have to highlight the whole thing.
  • 01:05 And right up here I hit the drop down arrow, and
  • 01:07 watch a paragraph as I float my mouse around these colors, you can
  • 01:10 see the background change accordingly, to whatever color I'm selected on.
  • 01:14 It's really nice because, I'll go ahead and select this one.
  • 01:17 It actually colors even the blink area.
  • 01:19 It does a complete rectangle color shade behind that paragraph,
  • 01:24 great way to highlight a title.
  • 01:26 Now as compared to a line highlighting, so I'll just select this little section.
  • 01:31 And right over here is my highlighter, that just selects certain words,
  • 01:36 will highlight certain words.
  • 01:37 But the paragraph will actually select and highlight the entire paragraph.
  • 01:41 All right, the next one is Borders.
  • 01:43 When I click on this one, same rule.
  • 01:45 I don't have to select the entire paragraph.
  • 01:47 Just have to click into the paragraph because the Border feature will find
  • 01:53 the entire paragraph and apply the border.
  • 01:55 So keep your eye on that second paragraph as I just float my mouse on it.
  • 01:59 As there is a Bottom Border, the Top Border,
  • 02:01 Left Border, Right Border, All Borders, look at this one.
  • 02:05 I'll go ahead and click on All Borders.
  • 02:07 And that is how you put a perfectly nice thin rectangle square.
  • 02:12 Nice thin rectangle around your paragraph.
  • 02:15 Okay, the next one is alphabetize.
  • 02:18 All right, I'm gonna alphabetize this list.
  • 02:20 We used to have to do this manually but
  • 02:22 we have this very awesome sorting tool right here.
  • 02:25 In this particular case because each line ends with a paragraph mark.
  • 02:29 I actually do have to select my entire list that I want to be sorted.
  • 02:35 Now when I let go the mini bar of course pops up, but
  • 02:37 it doesn't have the Sorting button on it and also I color tomatoes and apples.
  • 02:42 I colored those words red so that you will see that they will sort properly.
  • 02:46 All right, it's really easy.
  • 02:47 Home ribbon, paragraph group.
  • 02:50 Sorting button, hit that, and
  • 02:52 notice it says Sort by Paragraphs with a drop down arrow.
  • 02:55 Always click those drop down arrows.
  • 02:57 Continue to learn, continue to read what else is in here.
  • 03:00 You'll become a better computer user.
  • 03:02 Yes I do wanna Sort by Paragraphs.
  • 03:04 I do want to sort text, not numbers or dates, and
  • 03:07 ascending means A to Z, descending would mean Z to A.
  • 03:11 All right, I'll go ahead and click OK, keep your eye on this list,
  • 03:14 and there you go.
  • 03:16 Perfectly sorted without me having to rearrange words manually.
  • 03:20 All right, I hope that helps you, please use those.
  • 03:23 I'll see you in the next video, thank you.

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