This sounds like it was sent through an e-mail program. If an e-mail program
converted all the soft returns to hard returns, then decided to wrap at a
value less then the number of characters in each line, it would insert a
return after every N characters.
I've seen this a great deal in e-mail correspondence with older e-mail
servers. If this is what you're seeing (I'm not really saying that it WAS
passed through e-mail, just that the result is similar), then the bad news
is that you've got a bunch of rogue hard returns in your document, and
you're going to have to get rid of them.
There's an easy way to check. Highlight the area that is doing it, and set
first line indent to some different value from the left margin. If the hard
returns ARE in there, the lines with one or two words will be indented just
as if it was a new paragraph. If the lines with one or two words don't
indent, then the problem I'm describing is not what we're talking about (and
I'm not sure what could cause what you're seeing other then the hard
returns.)
Whenever I needed to do this, what I would do is create a macro to press end
then delete. Then, I'd bind that to a keyboard command, and keep hitting
that combination until my paragraph is together, then hit down arrow to jump
to the next paragraph. (If you hold DOWN the keyboard command, you'd
eventually delete the hard returns at the ends of your paragraphs that you
WANT to keep).
(Please note that I'm using Office 2003, your milage may vary if you have a
different Office)
To record the Macro:
Under Tools select Macro then Record New Macro
Name the macro something. I used "DelHardReturn"
Click Keyboard, and assign it to some keystroke. I used Ctrl-Shift-Alt-Z
(since I knew that wouldn't be in use). Be careful here, because if you used
Ctrl-C for instance, you'd me overriding Copy.
Hit Ok, and the Macro toolbox will appear.
Press End, then delete.
Click the stop button in the Macro button.
Now, every time you hit the keystroke you specified (Like I used
Ctrl-Shift-Alt-Z), it will delete one hard return.
I'm really curious what happened to your file to make it do this before. As
I said, I've never seen this happen outside of a e-mail server messing with
it.
Anyway, I hope this helps!
--
Dante Gagne
Software Design Engineer/Test
Developer Division
Microsoft Corporation
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
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