Basic CSS Syntax: Introduction

CSS does NOT use the same syntax as HTML; it is a completely separate language. In CSS, you redefine the appearance of HTML tags using PROPERTIES; these properties follow a specific syntax, which I will outline momentarily.

When you redefine an HTML tag's appearance using CSS properties, you override the web browser's default settings; conversely, any property which you do NOT define reverts to the browser's default setting. For instance, if you redefine the B (bold) tag to be green 48 point Arial, but you do NOT specify its boldness (font-weight) property, the browser will automatically revert to its default setting for boldness, displaying the B tag as BOLD green 48 point Arial. In another example, if you do NOT define the H1 tag's appearance in CSS, the H1 tag will display using the browser's default settings.

Again, anything you define using CSS will override the web browser's default appearance settings; anything which you do NOT define will display using the browser's default settings.

Before we talk precisely about how you redefine an HTML tag in CSS, let's talk a little bit about CSS property syntax itself.

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