<p>Whether asking or answering a question, you will be typing into a textbox with a menu bar at its head.  At the very right of that menu bar is a "?" icon which when clicked produces this interface:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/dCAO8.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/dCAO8.png" alt="Figure 1"></a></p>

<p>Use the icons, the menus, or the "advanced help" to get more information.</p>

<p>When <em>asking</em> a question, you will see more information in a panel appearing to the right:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/InAfxm.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/InAfxm.png" alt="Figure 2"></a></p>

<p>One trick I use, especially for formatting comments, is to <em>start asking a question</em> (follow the "Ask Question" link at the upper right of any page) so I can avail myself of these features as well as the WYSIWIG rendering of the text.  I then copy the text and <em>abandon the page without posting the question</em> (this is important!).</p>
