Microsoft Word

Assistance with grammar and changing the default language for your personal computer with a Windows operating system.

Grammar

I'm not sure how widespread this information is, but I guess it couldn't hurt regardless. By the way, this has only been used on Office XP:

Tools.
Options.
Spelling & Grammar (Tab).
Grammar & Style (Under 'Writing Style').

This will allow you check for things like: cliches, colloquialisms, jargon, contractions, fragments, gender-specific words, hyphenated/compound words, misused words, numbers, passive sentences, possessives and plurals (there was a thread about this, Gannon), punctuation, relative clauses, sentence length/structure/beginnings, successive nouns/prepositional phrases, unclear phrasing, verb phrases, wordiness, words in split infinitive

Also, in the Spelling & Grammar tab, there is a way to check readability statistics. The stats are based on two methods. If you would like more information on both of them, visit:

Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test


Language (for our UK'ers)

This will set your system to your selected language, allowing you to never have to reset the language in Word unless you're using something other than what was selected.

Assuming you have XP (though Vista should be similar):

Start.
Control Panel.
Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options.
Regional and Language Options.
English (UK).


International Accent Marks and Diacriticals

This site gives you the character codes to write accented letters, et çetërâ: Starr


Give me props! Haha...

 

To be honest adamant, I already knew most of this- though I learnt largely through trial and error. So it would be useful to people starting out. Well done. I would also like to point out that Word Spelling and Grammar hates me- it keeps insisting on changing the default language to American English. If you could tell me how to sort that then I would be very grateful

 

Actually, that link regarding the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test was very interesting. I've always wondered what it was...

 

lol, Banzia go to "tools" then "langauage" then "set language" then scroll through and find which one you want.

and yeah, i know about most of the things you can do on Microsoft Word, like Banzai said, it is a case of sitting bored for an hour flicking through all of the menus and finding all the cool little tricks it can do.
Heather

 

Though I'm not 100% sure this would work, I would recommend changing the 'regional language' in the Windows settings.

Assuming you have XP:

Start.
Control Panel.
Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options.
Regional and Language Options.
English (UK).

 

Tried that already. For some reason, as soon as I start writing anything it reverts back to American (AKA wrong ) English.

Oh, and I found this, which amused me:

 

Eh... I killed that stupid paper clip long ago. Though I once saw a little cartoon depicting it as asking to help a writer on his ransom letter.

 

Writing ransom letters is the most lucritive part of the writing industry...

 

So that's how Bill Gates made all that money? Go through Windows, kidnap people, make a fortune (annoying them severely in the process, yet simultaneously claiming how necessary it is to do so). It would be a get-rich-quick scheme if only it didn't work so well.

 

And then, just because kidnap isn't enough, release a bug-riddled OS!

 

i love the little help thingy. although i neva use it i like to set it as the dog or cat and watch it do lots of funny things. i am easily ammused. and Banzia, have you selected your language and then clicked "default", as that should make it the default language. i have a simliar problem actually, i want mine to be in French, but i does not have a spell check so i do not know whether what i am typing is correct or not, lol.
Heather

 

I can guarentee it's more correct than it would be if I was writing it. I'm useless at french. Obwohl, ich kann ziemlich gut Deutsch sprechen.

 

Heather, go to the original post, I've included a way to change the system's default language. However, you seem only want to write in French at certain times. Therefore I would suggest downloading the languages from either the Windows CD or the Microsoft website. From there, you would need to highlight whatever should be checked by the French dictionary.

 

German??

thanks hun, i'll try that

 

Ja, Deutsch. Ich habe seit sechs Jarhre Deutche gelernt, und dieses ist alles ich kann sagen.

When I'm doing German homework in Word, I just turn spellchecker off. If I make any effort to switch it to German, it just gets supremely confused with the grammar.

 

You know what I sincerely hate about America? The fact that so much of Europe can speak multiple languages; yet we only speak one, despite proclaiming ourselves as a 'melting pot'.

I want to be able to yell at people in German on the highway. Though they probably have no words for bad drivers in Deutschland due to the fact that they can actually commandeer a vehicle.

*pout*


"Obwohl, ich kann ziemlich gut Deutsch sprechen."

And while that may be true Banzai, I can use a German-English dictionary equally as well.

 

Ah, touche!

Is it not mandatory to learn a language at school in the US?

 

I think it's recommended at most currently. And the conservative bunch has been pushing for the US to only have Ënglî§h for everything.

 

I think that's probably counter-productive really. It would only lead to increasing isolation. In Britain it is (I think) a legal requirement that secondary school pupils have to learn a foreign language. Most commonly French, German or Spanish, but I have seen Italian, Mandarin and Arabic.

 

Yes it would be. But then again, when those are they same people on a worldwide conquest, I guess it doesn't much matter.

For some reason I like using a faux-British accent and some of their grammar. Yep, I'm weird. And that really had nothing to do with anything.

You've a fuzzy head. First time I've seen your picture, haha.

 

Wow. We really have run out of things to say, haven't we?

 

Hmm... time to refuel, perhaps? I'm going to hit the hay, gotta wake up for yard work tomorrow. See the world when I wake up in the morning, stars are asleep and the sun is snoring, but all's well if it's not pouring.

Actually, Fresno is in somewhat of a drought, so it'd be best if we did have some rain.

 

Heh. You can have some of ours. Wimbledon has been practically rained off, this year.

 

God, wimblodon is sooo boring. my mam and dad sit with it on for hours and think it is actually interesting. it proper grinds on me, lol. and the weather has been appauling, seriously terrible. i hate the rain
Heather

 

I don't find it interesting either, to be honest Heather. Apart from the old clips with John McEnroe Those are funny.