ESL Podcast 608 - Formatting Text

formatting - the way words are displayed in printed or electronic documents; the visible style of written words

The magazine's formatting requirements for article submissions include double- spaced text and 1.2" margins.

standard - basic; normal; ordinary; expected

Did you buy a standard telephone, or one with a lot of extra features?

text - written words; what one has written

There is about 2,000 words of text on each page of this newsletter.

border - lines or artwork around text or other images, usually in a rectangular shape

Let's put a dotted-line border around each coupon so people know where they should cut it out of the newspaper.

shading - a gray area behind text or objects, used for emphasis and visual interest

Our poster would attract more attention if we put shading around the title.

to center - to put text in the center of each horizontal line; to put text in the middle of each line, not starting at the left edge or ending at the right edge

Our teacher wants us to center only the report title and headings.

flush - immediately next to something else; adjacent to

If you're listing dollar amounts, print them flush right so that the decimal points are lined up.

readability - the ease of reading something; the characteristic that makes it quick and easy for people to read something without much effort

Some people think using big words makes their writing more professional, but really it just reduces readability.

presentation - the way something is shared with or shown to other people

They bought a simple gift, but it had a beautiful presentation, wrapped in a large box covered with beautiful wrapping paper and many ribbons and bows.

caps - uppercase or capital (ABC) letters, not lowercase (abc) letters

If you write an email in caps, people think you're shouting at them.

to underline - to draw a thin, horizontal line underneath a word, phrase, or sentence, usually for emphasis

As Claire studied, she underlined the main ideas in her textbook.

bullet - a small mark, usually a round circle, used at the beginning of each item in a list, especially in a report

Each sample sentence in the glossaries for ESL Podcast Learning Guides begins with a bullet.

bold - with letters that are thicker and darker than usual, used for emphasis

Words in bold in the ESL Podcast scripts are defined in the Learning Guides.

italics - with letters printed at an angle, more like handwriting, used for emphasis

Most style guides recommend using italics for the names of songs and books.

intended effect - the result one wants to achieve; what one plans to do or hopes to have happen as the result of one's actions

They thought praising her daughter would encourage her to do well in school, but it didn't have the intended effect. Instead, she became overly confident and stopped studying.

off (one's) rocker - crazy; no longer thinking clearly or rationally

Are you off your rocker? Why did you think you'd be able to fly if you jumped off the roof?

stodgy - old-fashioned and very conservative; unwilling or unable to accept new ideas or new ways of doing things

Marcus is too stodgy to do anything fun, like snowboarding or skiing. He'd rather just watch other people have fun.

clip art - small electronic drawings and other images that are put into electronic documents to make them more interesting or entertaining

Jasmina put a lot of clip art in her PowerPoint presentation to try to make it more interesting, but it really just made it look childish.

to jazz (something) up - to make something more exciting, more interesting, or fancier

They're trying to jazz up their exercise routine by participating in a dance aerobics class twice a week.