Two ways:
1. Type out what you want it to actually look like, my case African-American
2. Highlight that text
3. Go to Tools; then select AutoCorrect Options ... (Older versions I believe just say AutoCorrect)
4. Type in what you want to type, my case afam
5. Click on Add
6. Click OK
Other way
1. Go to tools and open the AutoCorrect dialog box by clicking on the AutoCorrect options. ...
2. Type in abbreviated form and the way you want it to look
3. Hit add
4. Either add more autocorrect things, or click ok to close dialog box
Either way you will now get the machine to correct your type.
afam comes up African-American, but if I want plural, I have to backspace once to add the S, I could put in afams and have it come up as the plural.
This section will hold a HUGE amount of data. I used to have whole forms stored in there so that they automatically popped up.
Caveat,
I never type my name because I just enter my initials and my name displays. My sister's initials are CAN and she does not want to have her name appear each time she writes the word "can" so she has to use something else. Be sure that whatever you enter is not a real word, and be sure it is spelled correctly!
You can go back and modify your entries. They can be deleted, too.
Best of luck. This makes typing so much easier for me and I hate to type. I love to write, tho. <<< In Word that would have come out though.