How to Activate Writing Style Assistance in Word or Outlook

For a long time, MS Office has had spellcheck and grammar checking tool. Recently, the tech giant has expanded it and added various features. Now, Word comes with brand-new writing style options that help users develop their written voice.

Several new features are turned off by default. Users can customize each one of them so that they can use specific writing style tools while keeping the others disabled. The abilities get applied when working on Microsoft Word and Outlook.

To begin with, open either Word or Outlook. Make sure that you have Microsoft Office 2019 or have subscribed to Office 365. After opening the app, click on File at the upper left corner. After that, move to the end of the left pane and click on Options.

When the Options screen appears, select the Proofing option from the left. Choose the settings you want to tweak. In this case, you need to click on When correcting spelling & grammar in word/Outlook. Select whether you wish to enable spellcheck, grammar, and confused words prompt. Here are the options that you will be given:

• Check spelling as you type
• Mark grammar errors as you type
• Frequently confused words
• Check grammar with spelling
• Show readability statistics

After enabling Readability Stats, hit F7 for opening its popup. There you will be able to see the average words per sentence and other statistics. You can also check out the Flesch Reading ease score along with the passive voice percent. To improve your readability, you can use these stats.

Go to the Proofing options and click on the Writing Style. You can select the writing style suggestion. Also, you can customize it by going to Settings. All the proofreading options will appear. You can choose which ones to enable and which ones to disable.

The number of options shown on the screen will be too many. Every heading will have 5-1o options. Carefully go through the entire list, starting with the default selection. Some abilities are basic, while others are advanced.

Microsoft comes pre-enabled with a number of grammar error detection abilities. More advanced tools and writing style checks are disabled by default so that the users do not get annoyed with a large number of prompts.

If you use any grammar app such as Grammarly, then you will be glad to know that Word offers similar capabilities.

Opening the Grammar Settings prompt

Outlook

1. First, create any email or open an existing item.
2. Now, click on the File tab.
3. Click on Options from the drop-down menu.
4. After that, you need to click on Mail.
5. Choose Editor Options.
6. Click on Proofing.
7. After that, click on Settings.

Word

1. Open Microsoft Word on your computer.
2. Click on File.
3. Select Options.
4. Click on Proofing from the list.
5. Now, you need to click on Settings.
6. Select whichever option you like.
7. Click on Grammar and Refinements.

Writing Style Assistance Options

Here are the options you will get:

Spacing

• Adding space after punctuation
• Adding space before punctuation.
• Changing the punctuation placement
• Changing space before or after punctuation
• Removing extra space between two words.

Clarity

• Adverb Placement
• Complex Words
• Double Negation
• Jargon
• Sentence Structure

Conciseness

• Conjunction overuse
• Nominalizations
• Wordiness

Formality

• Colloquialism
• Contractions
• Informal language
• Slang

Vocabulary

• Cliches
• Vague Adjectives
• Weak Verbs
• Collective Nouns

Grammar

• Academic degrees
• Noun phrase agreements
• Capitalization.
• Comma splice
• Commonly confused phrases
• Commonly confused words.
• Data formatting
• Hyphenation
• Indefinite Article
• Misheard phrases
• Missing comma
• Punctuation
• Subject-Verb Agreement, etc.

Source :- http://ennorton.uk/how-to-activate-writing-style-assistance-in-word-or-outlook/

Kellie Minton  is a self-professed security expert; he has been making the people aware of the security threats. His passion is to write about Cyber security, cryptography, malware, social engineering, internet and new media. He writes for Norton security products at norton.com/setup.

5 Best Outlook Tips and Tricks for Enhanced Productivity

There are millions of people who use Microsoft Outlook for managing their email and calendar. However, users are not entirely aware of its advanced functions and features. Gaining some tips and tricks regarding Outlook will help you in synchronizing your work efficiently. Here are the tips, which will help you handle emails and appointments conveniently.

Tips and Tricks for Boosting Efficiency

• Try to avoid repeated typing:

Quick Parts is a better option available in Outlook to save time from using the same text over and over again. To do so, all you need to do is highlight your text in the composer window. Now, move it to the Insert tab and tap on the Quick parts. Select the Save selection option to the Quick part gallery. In doing so, you will be able to see a popup suggestion of using the text. Make sure to use it and save your time by typing quickly.

• Show the group message together:

Tracking down a piece of relevant news is a difficult task when you receive tons of emails together. But Outlook can help you in the hard part just by grouping email into the conversation. So, you can locate messages according to your desire quickly. Apart from this, users can also allocate third-party apps to make a custom inbox to prioritize messages. It also allows filtering essential emails if they are placed in different folders.

• Automatic recurring filing and tasks:

Create a single home tab with the help of Quick steps and save time by performing your daily task on Outlook. It allows users to fabricate a custom series of steps, which can delete, categorize as well as flag messages in a single click of the mouse.

• Schedule Outlook messages or emails: 

Outlook has a feature that allows you to send messages in the near future. For that, all you need to do is type your email, and then choose the Options tab to select the Delay Delivery button. A dialogue box will appear on your screen where you need to enter the date and time accordingly. At last, hit the send button and your email will be held until the specified time and date for delivery.

• Send text SMS from Outlook:

People can send text messages directly from Outlook to your contacts. It just needs to register with a third-party messaging service to activate the option. To utilize this option, tap on the New Items present in the Home tab, then choose Text Message. In doing so, a new dialog box will appear on the screen. Click on it to locate text messaging service for your mobile phone operator.  

Find relevant emails using the filter option:

You can easily find your specific email by using the filter option. Just go to the Home tab and click on the Filter email option. After that, select menu option that will display filters such as attachments, unread, specific date, or time. It is one of the best options that one can utilize to locate relevant emails without facing too many problems.

Source :- http://ennorton.uk/5-best-outlook-tips-and-tricks-for-enhanced-productivity/

Kellie Minton  is a self-professed security expert; he has been making the people aware of the security threats. His passion is to write about Cyber security, cryptography, malware, social engineering, internet and new media. He writes for Norton security products at norton.com/setup.