Microsoft Word 2010 : Proofing a Document - Working with AutoCorrect

4/13/2013 4:05:09 AM

As its name implies, Word’s AutoCorrect feature can automatically correct errors in a document as soon as you type them. For example, if you type siad, Word can instantly change it to said because AutoCorrect works hand-in-hand with Word’s spelling dictionary. When AutoCorrect runs the way you want it to, it can drastically reduce the number of minor errors in your documents.

That said, AutoCorrect can also be a pain. Suppose, for example, that you frequently use the characters (c) in your documents—perhaps for professional reasons. If so, you may get annoyed if Word always changes those characters to the © symbol. This is an example of a “correction” that isn’t exactly correct, and AutoCorrect makes it by default.

Luckily, you aren’t stuck with AutoCorrect. When it makes an on-the-fly correction you don’t like, you can reject the change and keep moving. You can customize AutoCorrect by adding your own common misspellings and typing errors to its list, and by removing items from the list if you don’t want them to be changed. If you find that AutoCorrect is just a headache, you can disable it completely.

If you’re new to Word, it’s a good idea to watch AutoCorrect in action for a while before changing or disabling it. It’s configured to catch and fix many of the most common typographical errors. AutoCorrect also corrects certain oversights, such as capitalizing the names of days when you forget to.

Rejecting a Change Made by AutoCorrect

Suppose you’re typing a list, and for stylistic reasons you don’t want to capitalize the first letter of each sentence in the list. (Hey, writers do stranger things than this on purpose.) After you type the first word of a sentence and press the spacebar, however, AutoCorrect flies into action and capitalizes the word’s first letter. Here’s how to reject the change and restore the word to its noncapitalized state:

1.	Hover the mouse pointer over the word that AutoCorrect changed. A small blue rectangle appears under the word’s first letter.
2.	Point to the blue rectangle. The rectangle changes to the AutoCorrect Options button, as shown in Figure 1. Figure 1. Using the AutoCorrect Options button to reject a change.
3.	Click the button’s drop-down arrow to open a menu of options.
4.	Do one of the following: Click the Undo option to undo this instance of the change. Word will make the same type of change in the future. Click the Stop option to stop Word from making this change again. This creates an exception in AutoCorrect, which prevents Word from treating your original action as an error. Click Control AutoCorrect Options to open the AutoCorrect dialog box. (We’ll explore this dialog box in the next section, “Changing AutoCorrect Settings.”)

Word accepts your change, and you can resume typing.

To simply undo an AutoCorrect change without using the options button, press Ctrl+Z to issue the Undo command. However, you must use Undo immediately after the AutoCorrect change appears; otherwise, you’ll undo any other action you took since the automatic correction was made.

Changing AutoCorrect Settings

When you open the AutoCorrect dialog box, you see that you can control many of the feature’s actions. Study the AutoCorrect options to determine which ones you like and don’t like; then turn them on or off accordingly. You can also add and delete specific exceptions to some of AutoCorrect’s rules, which is handy if you want to force Word to accept certain spellings or capitalizations.

Changing AutoCorrect’s Capitalization Settings

By default, AutoCorrect automatically capitalizes words under several different circumstances. If you don’t like any of these capitalization settings, here’s how to change them:

1.	Click the File tab.
2.	Click Options to open the Word Options window.
3.	Click Proofing to view Word’s proofing options.
4.	Click the AutoCorrect Options button. The AutoCorrect dialog box opens with the AutoCorrect tab visible, as shown in Figure 2. Figure 2. The AutoCorrect dialog box, with the default settings shown.
5.	Clear the Show AutoCorrect Options Buttons check box if you want Word to stop displaying these buttons in your documents.
6.	Clear any of the next five check boxes to deactivate a capitalization setting. For example, if you prefer that Word never automatically capitalize the first letter of your sentences, clear the Capitalize First Letter of Sentences check box.
7.	Click OK.

Creating Exceptions to AutoCorrect’s Rules

AutoCorrect is flexible about enforcing its rules for capitalization and spelling. In fact, Word has dozens of predefined exceptions to these rules. You can create your own exceptions or delete existing ones. Here’s how:

1.	Open the AutoCorrect dialog box.
2.	Click the Exceptions button to open the AutoCorrect Exceptions dialog box, as shown in Figure 3. This dialog box lets you create specific exceptions for Word’s automatic capitalization rules. Here’s how the dialog box’s three tabs work: The First Letter tab lists commonly used abbreviations that end with a period, such as “approx.” and “etc.” Because you typically would not capitalize a word immediately following one of these abbreviations, Word does not do so automatically. The INitial CAps tab lists abbreviations or words whose first two letters are typically capitalized, such as “IDs.” When Word encounters a word or abbreviation included in this list, AutoCorrect does not change the capitalization. The Other Corrections tab provides a blank list where you can create your own exceptions. Typically, you would use this tab to tell Word to accept spellings that it would ordinarily correct. For example, if you want Word to accept the British spelling “behaviour” instead of changing it to the American “behavior,” you can add the British spelling to this list. Figure 3. The AutoCorrect Exceptions dialog box.
3.	To add your own abbreviation or word to any of the lists of exceptions, type it in the Don’t Capitalize After box or the Don’t Correct box; then click Add.
4.	To remove an entry from the list, click it, and then click the Delete button.
5.	Click OK twice to close both dialog boxes.

Adding and Deleting AutoCorrect Entries

If you frequently misspell a word and Word doesn’t automatically correct it for you, your particular misspelling might not be covered by AutoCorrect. If that’s the case, you can create a new AutoCorrect entry to correct the misspelling for you. You can also delete existing AutoCorrect entries.

Creating a New AutoCorrect Entry

Suppose you often type diapslay when you mean to type display. Word flags the misspelled word with a wavy red underline but does not correct it automatically. Here’s how to create a new AutoCorrect entry for this misspelling:

1.	Open the AutoCorrect dialog box, and click the AutoCorrect tab if necessary.
2.	Click in the Replace box to place the insertion point there.
3.	Type your misspelling (such as diapslay).
4.	Click in the With box.
5.	Type the correct spelling (such as display), as shown in Figure 4. Figure 4. Creating a new AutoCorrect entry to replace a misspelled word.
6.	Make sure that the Replace Text as You Type check box is checked. (It should be, by default.)
7.	Click the Add button to add your new entry to the list.
8.	Click the OK button to close the dialog box.

To make sure your new entry works, open a document, purposely type the misspelled word, and press the spacebar. AutoCorrect should replace the misspelled word with the correct spelling.

AutoCorrect doesn’t make a correction until you “complete” the entry. That is, Word waits for you to press the spacebar, Enter, some other key that causes the insertion point to move to a new word, paragraph, table cell, and so on. At that point, AutoCorrect kicks into gear and makes its change.

Deleting an AutoCorrect Entry

If you decide you don’t need a specific AutoCorrect entry, you can remove it from the list of automatic corrections. Word might still flag the text as a misspelling but should no longer apply the AutoCorrect change. Here’s how to delete an entry:

1.	Open the AutoCorrect dialog box, and click the AutoCorrect tab if necessary.
2.	Scroll through the list of errors and corrections to find the entry you want to delete.
3.	Click the entry to select it.
4.	Click the Delete button.
5.	Click the OK button to close the dialog box.

Disabling AutoCorrect

If you just can’t stand dealing with the whole AutoCorrect thing, turn it off. To do this, open the AutoCorrect dialog box, clear all the check boxes on the AutoCorrect tab—especially the Replace Text as You Type check box—then click OK. Word won’t replace anything else you type, ever again. To enable AutoCorrect again, just go back and recheck those check boxes.