Be able to apply text alignment including left, right, centre, fully justified

Topic 14 – Styles (ICT 0417)

Learning Objectives

• Define styles and distinguish between paragraph and character styles.
• Create, edit and apply both paragraph and character styles.
• Apply the four text‑alignment options (left, right, centre, fully justified) as part of a paragraph style.
• Explain when each alignment is appropriate and how it fits into a corporate/house‑style guide.
• Use style inheritance (“Based on …”) and understand the hierarchy between paragraph and character styles.
• Demonstrate the effect of a global style change on an entire document.
• Export/print a document while preserving all style formatting.

1. What Is a Style?

A style is a stored set of formatting attributes (font, size, colour, line‑spacing, indentation, alignment, bullets, borders, etc.) that can be applied to text with a single command. In the document’s style table the definition is saved once, so any change to the style updates every piece of text that uses it.

Why Use Styles?

• Consistency: identical formatting throughout the document.
• Speed: one change → all linked text updates.
• Compliance: meet corporate or exam‑style briefs automatically.
• Efficiency in the exam: you can apply a required style without re‑formatting each paragraph manually.

2. Types of Styles

Important hierarchy note

• Paragraph styles are applied first; they set the overall layout of a paragraph.
• Character styles are layered on top and can override only the attributes they contain (they cannot change alignment or line‑spacing).
• When a character style and a paragraph style both specify a font, the character style wins for the selected text.

3. Creating & Editing Styles

3.1 Paragraph Style (Word‑Processor example)

1. Open the Styles pane – Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S or via the Ribbon ► Home ► Styles.
2. Click New Style ► give it a name (e.g., Body‑Left).
3. Set the required attributes:

   • Based on: Normal (or another existing style).
   • Style type: Paragraph.
   • Font: Calibri 11 pt.
   • Alignment: Left (or Right, Centre, Justified).
   • Line spacing: 1.15 lines.
   • Spacing before/after: 6 pt.

4. Press OK. The new style appears in the style list.
5. To modify later, right‑click the style ► Modify… and adjust any attribute.

3.2 Character Style

1. In the Styles pane choose New Style.
2. Name the style (e.g., Emphasis‑Red).
3. Set Style type to Character.
4. Define only character‑level attributes, for example:

   • Font colour: Red.
   • Bold: Yes.
   • Italic: No.

5. Click OK. Apply by selecting the text and clicking the style name.

3.3 “Based on” Relationships (Inheritance)

• When you create a new style, you can choose an existing style as its base. The new style inherits all attributes of the base style and you only need to change the ones that differ.
• Example: Body‑Justify “Based on” Body‑Left – it inherits font, size, spacing, then you only change the alignment to Justified.
• This mirrors the way corporate style guides are built: a core “Body” style with specialised variants.

4. Applying Styles Quickly

• Place the cursor in a paragraph (or select several paragraphs) and click the desired style in the Styles pane.
• Keyboard shortcut: Alt+Ctrl+Shift+S opens the pane; then use the arrow keys and Enter to apply.
• Right‑click selected text ► Styles ► choose the style – useful when you cannot see the pane.

5. Text Alignment – A Paragraph‑Level Attribute

Alignment determines how the text line‑edges relate to the left and right margins. It is stored only in paragraph styles.

• Left‑aligned – ragged right edge.
• Right‑aligned – ragged left edge.
• Centre‑aligned – centred between the margins.
• Fully justified – both edges straight; may create “rivers” of white space in narrow columns.

CSS equivalents (for HTML‑based documents)

/* Left‑aligned paragraph */
.left   { text-align: left; }
/* Right‑aligned paragraph */
.right  { text-align: right; }
/* Centre‑aligned paragraph */
.center { text-align: center; }
/* Fully justified paragraph */
.justify{ text-align: justify; }

HTML example

<p class="left">Left‑aligned paragraph.</p>
<p class="right">Right‑aligned paragraph.</p>
<p class="center">Centre‑aligned paragraph.</p>
<p class="justify">Fully justified paragraph giving a clean block on both sides.</p>

6. When to Use Each Alignment

7. Styles in a Corporate / House‑Style Guide

Most organisations supply a style guide that specifies:

• Font family and size for body text and headings.
• Line‑spacing, paragraph spacing, and indentation.
• Exact alignment for each element (e.g., body = left, headings = centre, tables = justified).
• Colour palette, logo placement, header/footer layout.

In the exam you may be given a brief such as:

“All body text must use the ‘Body‑Left’ style (Calibri 11 pt, left‑aligned). Headings must be centred, bold, 14 pt.”

Creating a style that matches the brief ensures the whole document automatically complies.

8. Styles for Headings, Lists & Tables

Headings

• Create separate paragraph styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, …) that set font size, weight, colour, and alignment.
• Example: Heading‑1 – Calibri 14 pt, bold, centre‑aligned, “Based on” Body‑Left.

Lists

1. Open the Multilevel List or Bullets and Numbering dialog.
2. Choose “Define New List Style”. Give it a name (e.g., Bullet‑Body).
3. Set the bullet character, indentation, and inherit the paragraph alignment from the linked paragraph style.
4. Apply the list style to a paragraph; the alignment will follow the underlying paragraph style.

Tables

• Select the table → Table Tools ► Design → Table Styles → “New Table Style”.
• Define borders, shading, and default cell alignment (e.g., centre‑aligned headings, left‑aligned data).
• Table styles are stored separately but can be linked to a paragraph style for the caption.

9. Global Change – What Happens?

When you modify a style definition, every piece of text that uses that style updates instantly. This is a key exam requirement: “Change the ‘Body‑Left’ style to 12 pt and show that all body paragraphs change automatically.”

10. Exporting / Printing with Styles Preserved

• Save the document as .docx to retain the style table.
• Export to PDF (File ► Export ► Create PDF/XPS). The PDF reflects the exact layout, alignment and spacing.
• In the exam, always preview in “Print Layout” view before printing or exporting to ensure the document matches the brief.

11. Practice Activity – Applying Styles & Alignment

1. Open a new document in your preferred word processor.
2. Create four paragraph styles:

   • Body‑Left – left‑aligned, Calibri 11 pt.
   • Body‑Right – right‑aligned, same font.
   • Body‑Centre – centre‑aligned.
   • Body‑Justify – fully justified.

3. Type four short paragraphs (3–4 sentences each) on any topic.
4. Apply a different style to each paragraph.
5. Insert a heading using a “Heading 1” style that is centre‑aligned, bold, 14 pt.
6. Save the file as Alignment‑Practice‑YourName.docx and also export it as PDF.
7. In a separate document answer the questions:

   • Which alignment looked most readable for the body text? Why?
   • Did any justified paragraph show “rivers”? How could you reduce them (e.g., hyphenation, adjusting character spacing)?
   • How did changing the “Body‑Left” style affect all paragraphs that used it?

12. Quick‑Reference Checklist (What You Must Be Able to Do)

• Define a style and differentiate paragraph vs. character styles.
• Create a new paragraph style, set font, size, line‑spacing and alignment.
• Create a character style that changes colour, bold/italic, but cannot change alignment.
• Use the Based on option to inherit attributes from an existing style.
• Apply a style via the Styles pane, keyboard shortcut, or right‑click menu.
• Demonstrate that a global change to a style updates every instance.
• Identify the most appropriate alignment for body text, headings, captions, and formal reports.
• Apply styles to headings, lists and tables, and modify their default alignment where required.
• Export the document as PDF and verify that alignment and other style attributes are retained.

Suggested Diagram (Insert on the next slide)