Creating selections
The most common method of selecting text is to hold down the left mouse button while you drag the cursor across the text to be selected. However, you can also use the keyboard, by using the shift key to begin selecting and then use the arrow keys to move the cursor across the text to be selected.
You can select words and paragraphs by double-clicking or treble-clicking them respectively.
You can select the entire document by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + A.
Selection methods
| Operation | Method |
|---|---|
| Select a word | Double-click anywhere in the word. |
| Select one or more lines | Click in the margin to select a line. Drag down the margin with the left-mouse button to select several lines. |
| Select a sentence | Hold down Ctrl and click anywhere in the sentence. |
| Select a paragraph | Triple-click anywhere in the paragraph. |
| Select the entire document | From the Select menu in the Editing group, choose Select All. Or use the keyboard shortcut, Ctrl+A. |
| Select a large block of text | Click at the beginning of the text, scroll down to the text you want to select, then hold down bShift while you click. |
| Select all text from current location to the beginning of the document | Position the cursor at the start point, then press Ctrl+Shift+Home. |
| Select all text from current location to the end of the document | Position the cursor at the start point, then press Ctrl+Shift+End. |
| Select non-adjacent text | Select the first piece of text, then hold down Ctrl while you select another piece of text. |
| Select a rectangular area of text | Hold down the Alt key while you drag across the text. |
Removing text from selections
And you can remove words or paragraphs from existing selections by holding down the Ctrl key before double or treble-clicking.