Case

Setting up Microsoft Word to check grammar and style (by Dr. Rodger Morrison) NOTE: This document is for Microsoft Word 2007. (NOTE: Earlier versions of Microsoft Word are similar. To access the same area in Microsoft Word XP or 2003, click on “Tools”, then “Options”. Menus are similar to those shown below.)

1. Open Microsoft Word and maximize the screen.

2. Click on the “Office Button” in the top left corner.

3. Click on “Word Options” in the bottom right corner of the window that opens.

4. Click on “Proofing”

5. Set Microsoft Word to look like the following:

6. Next, click on “Settings…”

7. In the window that opens, change the settings to look like the following: (Pay particular attention to the “Writing style:” drop down box, that it should say, “Grammar & Style”. Also, note all three things under “Require” should be set as shown; “always”, “inside”, and “2”.

8. Note the checkboxes under “Grammar”. There is a scroll bar on the right side of this window. Make sure all boxes are checked under each section. Depending on what you are doing, some rules should be enforced and some don’t matter. Therefore, check everything. When you run a spell/grammar/style check, you can ignore those rules that you don’t need as they pop up.

9. Click “OK”

10. Click “Recheck Document”, then click “Yes”. This will reset the entire document so that the open document is evaluated against all rules again.

11. Click “OK” to close Microsoft Word Options.

12. Once this has been done, press “F7” to recheck the open document. Now, Microsoft Word will perform both a Grammar and a Style check whenever “F7” is pressed to run a Spell check. Correct any errors that need to be corrected. (NOTE: To check only a portion of a document, simply highlight the portion to be checked and press the “F7” key).

13. When you are finished, the “Readability Statistics” will be given. Note in particular the number of words, which often must fit some criteria (less than or greater than a particular number) before turning in the work. The other number you should pay particular attention to is the last line, “Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level.” This provides a rough indication of the level of your composition. For example, a “9” would indicate a 9th grade reading level of work. A “14” would represent sophomore level college work. For most undergraduate students, a grade level of at least “10” is sufficient. For graduate students, a minimum of “12” is usually sufficient. Note, however, that for academic journals, a grade level in excess of 15 or more is not uncommon. A higher number does not necessarily equate to a better paper, rather, it is only a rough estimate of the author’s composition ability on that particular paper. The example below reflects a grade level of “14.3”, which should be sufficient for most graduate work.

14. Click “OK” to return to your document.

15. That being said, the normal setup for a document is as follows (unless you need to follow a particular style guide):

a. Font style is “Times New Roman” b. Font size is “12 point” c. Margins are 1” on all 4 sides d. Headers and footers should be set to 0.5” from the edge. e. Document size is 8.5” x 11”, Portrait layout. f. Spacing for most academic work should be double spaced g. Justification should be left (ragged spacing on the right margin) h. Paragraph indents should be set to 0.5” i. Don’t add an additional line between paragraphs of the same style