A word processor like MS Word lets you type, fix and decorate text on the computer — much easier than writing by hand because you can change anything without rubbing out! This chapter teaches the everyday tools.
🔵Selecting, cut, copy & paste
Before you change text, you usually select it — drag the mouse over it so it turns a colour. Then you can move it around:
| Tool | What it does | Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Cut | Removes the selected text to move it elsewhere | Ctrl+X |
| Copy | Makes a duplicate (the original stays) | Ctrl+C |
| Paste | Drops the cut/copied text in a new place | Ctrl+V |
🤖 Vidi's Key Points
- Select text by dragging the mouse over it before you change it.
- Cut (Ctrl+X) moves text; Copy (Ctrl+C) duplicates it; Paste (Ctrl+V) drops it in a new place.
- Cut removes the original; Copy keeps it.
⚡Quick Challenge: Which tool makes a DUPLICATE of text, keeping the original?
🟢Making text look good
Changing how text looks is called formatting. With the selected text you can:
- Change the font style (the shape of the letters, e.g. Arial, Comic Sans).
- Change the font size (bigger or smaller numbers).
- Change the font colour, or highlight it (a colour behind the text, like a marker pen).
Three special buttons
| Button | Makes text… | Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| B — Bold | thick and dark | Ctrl+B |
| I — Italic | slanted | Ctrl+I |
| U — Underline | have a line under it | Ctrl+U |
🤖 Vidi's Key Points
- Formatting changes how text looks: font style, size and colour, and highlighting.
- Bold (Ctrl+B) makes text thick, Italic (Ctrl+I) slants it, Underline (Ctrl+U) adds a line under it.
- Highlight puts a colour behind text, like a marker pen.
⚡Quick Challenge: The shortcut to PASTE text is…
🟣Alignment & the spell checker
Alignment decides where your lines sit on the page:
| Alignment | Text sits… |
|---|---|
| Left | against the left edge (the usual one) |
| Center | in the middle — good for titles |
| Right | against the right edge — good for dates |
| Justified | spread to touch both edges neatly |
Spelling & Grammar checker
Word can check your work for you. It draws a red wavy line under a word it thinks is spelt wrong and a blue/green line under a grammar mistake. Right-click the word to see suggestions and fix it.
🤖 Vidi's Key Points
- Alignment places text: Left (usual), Center (titles), Right (dates), Justified (touches both edges).
- The Spelling & Grammar checker underlines mistakes — red for spelling, blue/green for grammar.
- Right-click an underlined word for suggestions; still read your own work, as the checker isn't perfect.
⚡Quick Challenge: Which button makes text slanted?
🛠️Practical: type and decorate a note
In Word, type a short note about your favourite festival, then:
- Center the title and make it Bold with a bigger font size.
- Make one important word Italic and highlight it in yellow.
- Copy a sentence and paste it at the end, then change its colour.
- Run the spelling check and fix any underlined words.
🎯 Mission Quiz
Answer a few questions to complete this mission and win the ✨ Word Wizard Badge!
Start the Mission Quiz →