Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Compound List Formatting.

Compound List Formatting

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 21, 2018)
This tip applies to Word 2000, 2002, and 2003


It is often quite handy to create lists of information that can be used in your documents. One sign of how popular (and common) lists are is Word's inclusion of the Numbering and Bullets tools on the formatting toolbar.

You may, however, want to create what I call a "compound format" for your lists. For instance, you may want the first word, phrase or sentence of each list item shown in bold, or in bold italics. This is very common when using list items to define terms, such as in a glossary. The term being defined is shown in bold type, followed by a period, and then followed by a definition in regular type.

The next time you have a need to create lists that use "compound formatting" of this type, try out the following steps. (These steps will only work in Word 2000 or later versions.)

  1. Position the insertion point where you want to start your list.
  2. Choose Paragraph from the Format menu. Word displays the Paragraph dialog box. (See Figure 1.)
  3. Figure 1. The Paragraph dialog box.

  4. In the Special drop-down list, choose Hanging.
  5. In the By box to the right of the Special drop-down list, type a value that indicates what sort of hanging indent you want. If you don't really want a hanging indent, then enter the value .001. (It is important you do this, even if you don't want a hanging indent.)
  6. Click on OK to dismiss the Paragraph dialog box.
  7. Select the formatting you want applied to the word, phrase, or term. For instance, click on the Bold formatting tool.
  8. Type the word, phrase, or term. Terminate the word, phrase or term with a period, colon, semi-colon, exclamation mark, question mark, or dash.
  9. Turn off the formatting you turned on in step 6.
  10. Type the rest of your list item. For instance, type the definition for the word, phrase, or sentence you typed earlier. This typing should appear in your regular typeface.
  11. At the end of the item, press Enter.

Now, when you start typing again, the first word, phrase, or sentence of the next list item—everything up to a valid terminator (see step 7)—uses the formatting you set in step 6, and the rest of the list item uses regular type.

If you try these steps on your system and they do not work, then check this out:

  1. Choose AutoCorrect (or AutoCorrect Options) from the Tools menu. Word displays the AutoCorrect dialog box.
  2. Click on the AutoFormat As You Type tab. (See Figure 2.)
  3. Figure 2. The AutoFormat As You Type tab of the AutoCorrect dialog box.

  4. Make sure the Format Beginning of List Item Like the One Before It check box is selected.
  5. Click on OK.

If the check box noted in step 3 is not selected, the steps presented earlier in this tip will not work.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1565) applies to Microsoft Word 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Compound List Formatting.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Changing the Office Assistant

The Office Assistant is part of the Help system available in Excel. If you want, you can change which Office Assistant ...

Discover More

Jumping to the Real Last Cell

Jumping to the last cell in a worksheet should be easy, but you may not always get the results that you expect. This tip ...

Discover More

Saving an Envelope for Future Use

It can take a while to get an envelope to appear just the way you need. Why throw your work away when you are done with ...

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 365 applications with VBA programming. Written in clear terms and understandable language, the book includes systematic tutorials and contains both intermediate and advanced content for experienced VB developers. Designed to be comprehensive, the book addresses not just one Office application, but the entire Office suite. Check out Mastering VBA for Microsoft Office 365 today!

More WordTips (menu)

Making All Lines in a Paragraph the Same Height

If the line spacing in a paragraph appears uneven it may result of the combination of a larger character or object pasted ...

Discover More

Keeping Part of a Paragraph with the Next Block of Text

If you are a WordPerfect user, you may be very familiar with the block-protect feature and wonder if there is a similar ...

Discover More

Creating a Hanging Indent

One of the more common formatting tasks for paragraphs is to create hanging indents. This tip explains what they are and ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 6 + 9?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.