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In this tutorial, I will be explaining how to perfectly format a précis in Word 2010.
(Steps will be similar in other versions of Word.)
General tips: margins should be one inch and indents half an inch. Everything is double
spaced. The font never changes, nor does its size. There is no space in English 3AP between
3 and AP. In the top right corner, the précis needs
to have the author's last name and the page number. To add page numbers the typical way,
one would usually click "Insert Header," or click in the top margin and type in one's
last name and "1." This method may work for one page assignments but will not suffice
for multi-page ones, since that would be plastered on every page regardless of the page count.
The proper way is to use the "Page Number" feature in the Insert Toolbar and select the
option that puts the header in the top right corner by default with a half an inch margin.
After the page number has been added, simply tack on a last name and each page will update
itself. Word is a little tricky with page numbers. By default, the page number will
be in Calibri 11 pt font. The font should be either Arial or Times New Roman, 12 pt.
Remember to change it! The next section is the header, which should
be flush left. The first line should be the author's name. The second line should be the
teacher's name. The third line should be the class. The fourth line should be the due date.
By default, Word puts an extra space between paragraphs. This leads to an excess of wasted
space in the header. Highlight everything, right click with the mouse, click "Paragraph"
and check the box labeled "Don't add space between paragraphs of the same style." This
changes a fat incorrect heading into a slimmer, correct one. The first line of the title should
be "'Title of the Reading' Précis." The second line should be in the form of "Mode: Insert
Mode Here." For the actual content of the essay, I can't help you.
The final part of the précis is the citation. Simply clicking on the bottom margin of a
page will suffice, or clicking "Footers" in the Insert Toolbar. When the citation is more
than two lines, the second and subsequent lines need indenting. Unfortunately, when
clicking the Tab key, it indents the whole citation rather than just that one line. This
is the solution: separate the two lines by clicking the enter key at the end of the 1st
line. Go to the Page Layout toolbar and indent half an inch at the beginning of the 2nd line.
Voila, a perfectly spaced citation! So after this reading this tutorial, I hope
you have learned how to get a full score on MLA formatting for your English 3AP précis
for Mrs. Duff.