Using MS Word macros to produce text manipulation exercises

WELL Workshop - Level 1

Content

This section describes how to obtain, set up and use a series of macros for Word 6.0 and 7.0 for Windows.
A macro is a program which runs inside another program. These macros have been developed to produce exercises in conjunction with Word 6.0 and 7.0 for Windows.
The exercises may be printed out or done on-screen. They may be used with a networked or local version of Word.

The seven macros have the following functions:

  • 1. Change case: convert to upper/lower case.
  • 2. Remove accents: some or all of 30 accented characters in upper and lower case may be selected.
  • 3. Remove spaces between words.
  • 4. Remove punctuation: some or all of 14 punctuation characters (including reverse exclamation and question marks) may be removed.
  • 5. Remove hard returns, so that paragraphs fuse.
  • 6. Scramble a text by sentence or by paragraph.
  • 7. Make a gap-fill exercise. There are a number of user options: frequency of gap, which word to start the exercise from, replace gapped word with same number of dashes as letters in the word or with a standard number throughout the text, append a list of the removed words at the end of the text in alphabetical or random order, auto-save of gapped text with a new filename.
More than one macro may be run on the same text: all accents, punctuation and hard returns, for example, can be stripped from a text.
The macros may be used to produce worksheets, or downloadable exercises accessed over a network with a correct version available alongside for self-correction. Learners can also create exercises using their own selection of source text.

Get a copy

Word macros Once the file has been downloaded, you need to decompress it using PKZIP.If you don't already have a copy, you can get one from http://www.winzip.com

A version of the macros with prompts in French has been prepared by Emile Simonnet.

Installation

In order to install the LANGUAGE.DOT template in Word, do the following:
  • Make sure the disk is in A: or, if you have downloaded the file by ftp, that you know which directory it is in!
  • Load Word.
  • Under the Tools menu, select Macro and then the Organiser button.
  • Click on one of the Close File buttons, which then displays Open File.
  • Click on the Open File button and select A:\LANGUAGE.DOT (or other drive and path if downloaded by ftp).
  • Highlight all macros displayed and click on Copy. This copies them into the NORMAL.DOT template.
  • Click on the Toolbar options page in the Organiser. Highlight LANGUAGE and click on Copy.
  • Close the Organiser box.
  • Under the View menu, select Toolbars. Check the Language box at the bottom of the list and click on the OK button.
  • On leaving Word, the changes to NORMAL.DOT will be saved.