Word processing is the most used computer skill in government offices, so MS Word questions appear in almost every Lok Sewa computer paper and practical test. This note covers the Word screen, ribbon tabs, formatting, page setup, tables, mail merge, Nepali typing and the shortcuts you must remember.
1. Word processing and MS Word
A word processor is application software used to type, edit, format and print documents such as letters, notices and reports. Microsoft Word is part of the Microsoft Office package. Other word processors are LibreOffice Writer, Google Docs and WordPad.
- Default file extension from Word 2007 onwards: .docx (older versions: .doc).
- Word template: .dotx. A template is a ready-made pattern for new documents.
- Word can also save a document as PDF.
2. Parts of the Word window
| Part | Use |
|---|---|
| Title bar | Shows the document name, at the top |
| Quick Access Toolbar | Small toolbar for Save, Undo and Redo |
| Ribbon | Tabs with groups of commands (introduced in Office 2007) |
| Ruler | Sets margins, indents and tab stops |
| Status bar | Shows the page number, word count and language, at the bottom |
| Scroll bars | Move up, down or sideways in the document |
| Zoom slider | Makes the view bigger or smaller (does not change the print size) |
| Insertion point (cursor) | The blinking line where text will be typed |
3. Ribbon tabs and what they contain
| Tab | Main commands |
|---|---|
| File (Backstage view) | New, Open, Save, Save As, Print, Share, Export |
| Home | Clipboard (cut, copy, paste, Format Painter), Font, Paragraph, Styles, Find and Replace |
| Insert | Table, Pictures, Shapes, SmartArt, Chart, Header, Footer, Page Number, Text Box, WordArt, Symbol, Equation, Hyperlink |
| Design | Themes, page colour, page borders, watermark |
| Layout | Margins, Orientation, Size, Columns, Breaks, Indent and Spacing |
| References | Table of Contents, Footnote, Endnote, Citations, Captions |
| Mailings | Envelopes, Labels, Mail Merge |
| Review | Spelling and Grammar, Word Count, Comments, Track Changes, Protect |
| View | Read Mode, Print Layout, Web Layout, Outline, Draft, Ruler, Zoom |
Format Painter (the brush icon on the Home tab) copies formatting from one piece of text to another.
4. Formatting text, paragraphs and pages
- Character formatting: font, font size, bold, italic, underline, colour, highlight, subscript (H₂O) and superscript (x²).
- Paragraph formatting: alignment (left, centre, right, justify), line spacing, indentation, bullets and numbering.
- Page setup: margins, orientation (Portrait is tall, Landscape is wide) and paper size (A4 is 210 × 297 mm).
- Page break starts a new page; section break allows different layouts in one document.
- Drop Cap makes the first letter of a paragraph large.
- Watermark is faint text or a picture behind the page, for example “DRAFT” or “CONFIDENTIAL”.
5. Header, footer, footnote and endnote
A header is text repeated at the top of every page and a footer at the bottom; page numbers usually go here. A footnote appears at the bottom of the same page, while an endnote appears at the end of the document or section. Both are inserted from the References tab.
6. Tables in Word
Tables are inserted from Insert → Table. A table is made of rows (horizontal) and columns (vertical); the box where they meet is a cell. Merge Cells joins cells into one and Split Cells divides one cell into many. Word can also sort table data and do simple sums with a formula.
7. Mail merge
Mail merge creates many personalised letters, envelopes or labels from one main letter. It is found on the Mailings tab. It needs two things:
- Main document: the letter that is the same for everyone.
- Data source: a list of names and addresses, for example an Excel sheet or Access table.
- Merge fields such as «Name» are placed in the main document, and Word fills them in for each person.
8. Typing in Nepali
Modern Nepali typing uses Unicode, a standard that gives every character of every language a unique number, so the text shows correctly on any computer and on the internet. Common Nepali Unicode fonts are Kalimati and Mangal. Preeti is an older non-Unicode font: text typed in Preeti looks wrong if that font is not installed. Keyboards used are Nepali Romanized and Nepali Traditional.
9. Must-know MS Word shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + N / Ctrl + O | New document / Open |
| Ctrl + S / F12 | Save / Save As |
| Ctrl + P | |
| Ctrl + B / I / U | Bold / Italic / Underline |
| Ctrl + L / E / R / J | Align left / centre / right / justify |
| Ctrl + F / Ctrl + H | Find / Replace |
| Ctrl + K | Insert hyperlink |
| Ctrl + Enter | Page break |
| Ctrl + ] / Ctrl + [ | Increase / decrease font size by 1 point |
| Shift + F3 | Change case (UPPERCASE, lowercase, Capitalize Each Word) |
| F7 | Spelling and Grammar check |
| Ctrl + Home / Ctrl + End | Go to the start / end of the document |
| Ctrl + Z / Ctrl + Y | Undo / Redo |
📌 Key points to remember
- Word saves as .docx (2007 onwards); templates are .dotx.
- The Ribbon has tabs; Mail Merge is on Mailings, Table of Contents and Footnote on References, Spelling and Word Count on Review.
- Format Painter copies formatting.
- Portrait is tall and Landscape is wide; set them on the Layout tab.
- A footnote is at the bottom of the page; an endnote is at the end of the document.
- Mail merge needs a main document and a data source.
- Unicode fonts such as Kalimati show Nepali correctly everywhere; Preeti is non-Unicode.
- Ctrl + E centre, Ctrl + J justify, F7 spelling, F12 Save As, Ctrl + Enter page break, Shift + F3 change case.
Test yourself: MS Word Notes
50 questions on Word processing and MS Word, Header, footer, footnote and endnote and Must-know MS Word shortcuts. Each attempt picks 25 at random.