Before you can format a word, paragraph, graphic, etc., you have to select (highlight) it first so the software will know which item to work on. Here are some shortcuts that will help you finish quicker in Word.

Select a Word. Click once inside the word (it will not highlight but it’s selected), or double-click it. (In Word 2003, if clicking once inside a word doesn’t work, turn this feature on. Click the Tools menu, Options, the Edit tab, and tick the When selecting, automatically select entire word box.)

Select a Sentence. Press Ctrl, and click anywhere in the sentence.

Select a Paragraph. Triple-click anywhere in the paragraph.

Select an Entire Document. Press Ctrl+A.

Select Vertical Text. Hold down the Alt key, then click and drag across and straight down as in a column with the mouse (doesn’t work inside a table).

Select a Large Block of Text. Click where you want the selection to start, then hold the Shift key down, and click where you want the selection to end.

Select from Certain Point in a Document to the End. Click where you want the selection to begin, then press Ctrl+Shift+End. From the first click to the end of the document will become selected. (To go from a certain point of the document to the beginning, click Home key instead of End.)