Vocabulary

Section: Vocabulary


WYSIWYG

What You See Is What You Get. A capability often found on higher-level word processing programs. The screen mimics the output of the printer, so the typist can see pretty much what the final output of the document will be.


font

The combination of character set and size that defines how an individual character looks. Most word processing packages allow the user to choose from many fonts.


grammar checker

A feature in word processing programs that checks a document for common grammatical errors. Grammar checkers can also grade documents for readability and complexity. Sometimes grammar checkers are separate programs.


headers, footers

Special areas at the top and bottom of w0word processing documents. These sections are reserved for information that will appear on each page of the document. Usually page numbers, document name, or document author will be in the header / footer area. The footer is also useful for holding footnotes.


justification

The way the lines of text are arranged on the page. The usual options are left - justified, right - justified, centered, and both - justified.


point

A point is a type setter's measurement of character size. Officially, there are 72.25 points to an inch.


spell checker

A feature of higher - end word processing programs that compares each word in a document to a dictionary of proper spellings. Most spell checkers 'guess' which word the user was trying to type and give the user some guesses to choose from.


word wrap

A behavior of word processing programs which automatically moves words too large to fit the current line onto a new line. Eliminates the need to press 'return' at the end of each line.


word processing

A type of software that specializes in handling text. Word processing programs typically contain commands for handling and formatting text documents.


rms@cs.oberlin.edu