Here is a list of some commonly used HTML tags. The table lists the tag, whether the tag is used in pairs (an opening and closing tag), what the tag does, and whether the tag accepts arguments. Arguments are additional words and symbols that change the results of the tag. For example, the body tag accepts an argument - bgcolor - that allows you to set the background color of the page. Unless you set the background color yourself, you get the color that the browser sets. The color will always be pleasing but it may not be exactly what you want. The argument is always part of the opening tag.There can be more than one arguement.
| Tag | Pairs? | Use | Arguments | < html > | Yes | Starts and ends a web page | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| <head> | Yes | Starts and ends a section used for information about the web page (Optional) | No but the head section can contain other tags |
| <title> | Yes | The line of text between the title tags is placed on the top line of the browser. The title tags are placed in the head section or before the body section if there is no head section | No |
| <body> | Yes | Starts and ends the portion of a web page that you want the user to see | Yes - link, background, and text colors can be set, a background graphic can be set, etc. |
| <p> | Usually, No but Yes if you use style tags | Starts a new paragraph | Usually No but Yes if style tags are used |
| <br> | No | Starts a new line | No |
| <b> | Yes | Makes the text between the tags appear in bold face | No |
| <u> | Yes | Underlines the text between the tags | No |
| <i> | Yes | Italicizes the text between the tags | No |
| <center> | Yes | Centers the items between the tags | No |
| <img> | No | Places a graphic on the page | Yes - argument must be src = "name of file" |
| <a> | Yes | Creates a link to another site, page, or resource | Yes - must be href = "URL" |