How to Perform the Period-14 Trick to Make Your Paper or Essay Longer

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If you discovered that your term paper is a bit shorter than the minimum number of pages required, you can "pad" your paper by using the "Period-14" trick. This simple trick will make any paper or essay that you have to write for school noticeably longer. Teachers and professors usually won't be able to tell the difference between your paper and a "normal" paper. The instructions are for Microsoft Word. However, the procedure is similar in other word processing applications.

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Step 1

After completing your writing assignment in the word processor application of your choice, go to the "Edit" menu and select "Replace" from the drop-down menu. The Find and Replace dialog appears.

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Step 2

In the "Find what" box, type "."

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Step 3

In the "Replace with" box, type "."

Step 4

Click the "More" button. More options subsequently appear.

Step 5

Select the "Format" button at the bottom of the dialog.

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Step 6

Select "Font" from the drop-down menu.

Step 7

Select font-size "14" (If your paper assignment requires the main body of your text to be something other than 12-point font, select two font sizes above the required size. For example, if your instructor wants you to write in 10-point font, select font-size 12 for your new periods). Click "OK."

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Step 8

Click the "Replace All" button. In Microsoft Word, a dialog will prompt you how many replacements it made. Click "OK." Your paper should be noticeably longer. Bear in mind that the more periods you have, the longer your paper will appear.

Step 9

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