When you’re using Rich Text Format or HTML, you can also take advantage of some of Microsoft Word’s great features. There are dozens of these features; right now we’re only going to talk about the ones that you’ll probably use the most.

 

1)    Spelling and grammar check:

If this option is turned on (which it is by default), Word will automatically check for spelling errors. If it thinks an item is misspelled, it will underline it with a wavy red line. If it thinks a sentence has a grammar error, it will underline it with a wavy green line. You can right-click on either item to see Word’s suggestions for fixing your spelling and grammar.

 

 

You can also run a complete spelling and grammar check by pressing F7 on your keyboard, or by clicking the Tools menu and clicking on Spelling and Grammar.

 

Always remember that Microsoft Word is great at picking up spelling and grammar errors, but it’s not human. At times, it will make mistakes, suggest you correct items that are already correct, or not pick up on mistakes. You should always re-read your e-mail to make sure everything looks correct before you send it.

 

2)    AutoText

Do you get tired of typing the same text over and over again? There’s a neat feature in Microsoft Word called AutoText. In a new mail message, if you click on Insert, and choose AutoText, you will see the menu pictured below.

 

 

There are lots of options to choose from; you can even choose the AutoText option to add your own or modify the current AutoText items. If you have a word or phrase selected, you can click New to add it to AutoText.

 

To select one of the pre-existing AutoText items, just select one of the topics from the AutoText menu (for example, Attention Line), and from the sub-menu that pops up, click on one of the phrases. You’ll then see the phrase appear in your e-mail!

 

As a side note, you may also see AutoText pop up on its own while you’re typing.

 

In the picture above, you can see that after typing the letters “ate,” a small gold window popped up saying “Attention: (Press Enter to Insert).” This is AutoText! If you do as the window asks and press Enter, it will type in the rest of the word for you. This is really handy for saving time, especially with common phrases like, “To Whom it May Concern.”

 

3)    Signatures:

Similar to AutoText, you can tell Outlook to add a specific set of text to your e-mail. This is called a signature, because it contains information that’s uniquely yours!

 

To set up a signature, open a new mail message, click the ▼ next to Options, and choose E-mail Signature. The window pictured to the right will open.

 

You’ll notice that this is the same box we set themes and stationery in; it’s just a different tab.

 

To create a new signature, type the title of your signature in the first text box (marked with a 1). No one but you will see this; it’s just so you can identify your signature easily if you have multiple ones set up. (If you did have other signatures set up, they would be listed by their title in the box labelled with a 2.)

 

Next, type your text in the box in the box labelled with a 3. Just above the box, you’ll notice the Word formatting options, including fonts, bold, italic, underline, alignment, and colour. The last two buttons will allow you to insert a picture or insert a hyperlink. (These options will be covered in more detail in our intermediate lessons.) Then click OK.

 

Last, we need to tell Outlook to use your signature for new messages. Click on Options and choose E-mail Signature again. In the second drop-down box under the box where you typed text (it’s marked with a 4 in the picture above).

 

Click OK and your signature will be added to all your new mail messages!