You can change the format of entire paragraphs of text, such as the line spacing, justification, and indention of text. You can apply that format to selected paragraphs or to all the paragraphs in your document.
You can set up a paragraph format before typing a paragraph, and Writer applies the format to the newly typed paragraph.
One of the most common ways to format a paragraph is to
align it. Writer supports these justification options:
Alignment Determine the paragraph text's position in relation to the right and left margins.
Left Aligns (makes even) text with the left margin. Personal and business letters are often left-justified.
Center Centers text between the left and right margins. Titles and letterheads are often centered atop a document.
13. Apply Paragraph Formatting
Right Aligns text with the right margin, and the left margin's text is not kept straight.
Justified Aligns text with both the left and right margins. Newspaper and magazine columns are usually justified; the text aligns with the left and right margins evenly.
Writer provides many additional ways to format your paragraphs, such as the capability to put a border around them and indent the first lines.
1. | Select Text Select the text you want to format. As 11 About Paragraph Breaks and Tabs explains, Writer considers all text up to the next nonprinting paragraph symbol to be one paragraph. If you apply a paragraph format to any part of a paragraph, the entire paragraph changes to reflect the new format. You can format multiple paragraphs at once by selecting multiple paragraphs before changing the format.11 About Paragraph Breaks and Tabs ). The Drop Caps page lets you specify a drop cap letter format to start your paragraphs with. The Borders page enables you to create borders around paragraphs, color them, and add drop shadows. Drop cap A large starting letter or word, sometimes twice the size of the other letters in the same paragraph, that provides a visual starting point for paragraphs of text.14 Set Up Page Formatting explains how to create such a border. As you change values throughout the Paragraph dialog box, many of the box's pages display a thumbnail image that changes to show you what effect your new paragraph format will have on the selected paragraphs. |
7. | Review the Border Once you've set up a bordered paragraph, click OK to close the Paragraph dialog box and review the bordered paragraph to ensure you've got the right effect. Remember to reserve your use of borders, shadowing, and other special effects for those times when you want to emphasize a title or a statement. Don't overdo the use of special formats. Your document can look too busy with too many formats, making it difficult to read. |
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