A linear equation is drawn as a straight line on a set of axes. To draw the graph we need coordinates. We generate these coordinates by substituting values into the linear equation.

If pinpoint accuracy is not important, you can simply draw a curve shape to create a graph. Excel offers options for drawing a variety of shapes with circles, curves and straight lines.

Learning to draw a graph or create an MS Word diagram makes it easy to add all types of graphs to your document, including pie charts, scatter plots, line graphs and more.

To do so, click the Line tool and then hold down the Shift key while you click and drag to insert the line. Doing so forces Excel to draw a straight line between the two clicked points.