A common definition of a tool is "anything used as a
means of accomplishing a task or purpose." Today
many of us use communication tools such as PCs,
PDAs, Blackberrys, or cell phones because they are
quick and efficient.
These tools give us access to others that ensure our
writing is clear, concise, and correct.
Most of us know about (and I hope use diligently!)
spelling check and maybe even grammar check.
Here
are a few others in Microsoft Word that go beyond
checking your spelling and basic grammar in your
Word and e-mail documents:
Grammar and Style
Check will identify
opportunities to revise passive voice construction,
wordy phrases, or awkward constructions.
Click on Tools; then click on
Options.
Click on the Spelling & Grammar
tab.
Select Grammar & Style on the bottom
half of
the screen in the Grammar section, on the right where
you see Writing Style.
Click on the Settings button and check off
everything that would be helpful to you. As you type,
you will see squiggly lines under what text to
reconsider. Then when you do a spelling
and grammar check, you will see suggested
revisions. You can accept the revisions or
click on the Explain button to open the Office
Assistant dialog box for a detailed explanation of the
grammatical error. You have to be careful, however,
because
sometimes Word doesn't grasp your intended context
and recommends something inappropriate.
Readability Statistics will give
you helpful information about the reading ease of your
document, which you may want to consider for
different audiences.
Click on Tools; then click on
Options.
Click on the Spelling & Grammar
tab.
Check off
Show Readability Statistics on the bottom half
of that
screen
in the Grammar section. After every spelling and
grammar check a screen will appear with statistics
such as the number of words in your document,
percentage of passive sentences, and Flesch-Kincaid
grade level.
The grade level refers to the level at
which a reader should be able to understand the
document. For example, a score of 7.1 would indicate
that anyone with at least a 7th grade education would
understand what you have written. The lengths of
words, sentences, and paragraphs determine the
reading level. Shorter words, sentences, and
paragraphs lower the reading level; longer words,
sentences, and paragraphs raise the reading
level.
Auto Correct will allow you to
add words, abbreviations, or other terms you misspell
or use
frequently.
Click on Tools; then click on Auto
Correct Options.
Click on the Auto Correct tab.
Check off all the boxes
you think would be helpful to you.
Scroll through the list of auto corrections at the
bottom of the screen.
Add your own frequent misspellings in
the "Replace" "With" boxes. For example, if you tend to
misspell "guidelines" as "giudelines,"
type "giudelines" in the "Replace" box and "guidelines"
in the "With" box. Going forward, every time you
mistype the word, auto correct will fix it for
you.
Use the steps in #5 above to have Auto Correct
type out abbreviations or commonly used terms for
you. For example, replace "APB" with "All Points
Bulletin." This will save you time as you type.
Consider exploring the other tabs in the Tools
screens to see what else might be useful to you.
Each one provides a not-to-be-missed opportunity to
facilitate the writing, editing, and proofing process.
And who doesn't want to write better and faster!
If you missed or want to
review any of our
previous newsletters, now you can find them archived
at www.ima-associates.com.
