HTML is a small set of codes for turning ordinary text into a web page. Think of it as giving a browser a set of labels and instructions: this is a heading, this is a paragraph, these are list items, and this phrase is a link. The browser reads those instructions and renders the page for people to read. section 1.1 section 1.2
The name is less scary when split apart. Hypertext refers to links that point from one web page to another. Markup means typed instructions added to a text document for the web. Language does not mean programming here; it means a small collection of words for identifying parts of a page. section 1.1
HTML helps organize a page into meaningful pieces, including:
- Main headings and smaller subheadings, which make a page’s hierarchy clear. section 1.2 section 1.3
- Paragraphs, bulleted lists, and numbered lists. section 1.1 section 1.2
- Images, links, and quotations that help readers navigate or understand the content. section 1.3
A tag wraps the text it affects
A heading can be made by placing an opening tag before the words and a closing tag after them: <h1>How New Words Are Created</h1> The tags tell the browser that the enclosed words are a first-level heading, so it displays them as a prominent heading rather than regular page text. The same wrapping idea can mark a second-level heading such as “Combining.” section 1.15
Without HTML, a browser can show plain text as an undifferentiated wall that is difficult to read. Adding headings, links, an image, a quotation, and a list makes the same content easier to read, navigate, and understand. HTML supplies the underlying structure; text-formatting flourish is usually handled by CSS. section 1.3 section 2.1
<h1>How New Words Are Created</h1> #1 #2 #3
Inspect the heading listing to spot the three parts of a simple HTML element: opening tag, text, and closing tag. section 1.15
