Hi,

Is there any way to make DNS Pro 11.5 to use curly for contraction in MS Word 2010?

For example can’t instead of can't.

Thanks

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you can set the option in Word 2010 "in format as you type"

e.g,

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Thanks

The best solution I could find was this macro for MS word.

http://www.editorium.com/14845.htm

Akhavan,

Unfortunately, as good as that solution is, it won't help you with the curly apostrophe in contractions.

John & Akhavan,

Just FYI, by design, dictating what Dragon bypasses the auto correction feature in Microsoft Word. This is why we set up curly quotes in the Vocabulary Editor. It also won't help you with things like automatically changing a hyphen to a dash, etc. However, most of the things that auto correct does when manually typing in Microsoft Word, can be done using the Properties in the Vocabulary Editor.

However, for contractions that are actually listed in the Vocabulary Editor as words, you can make the appropriate change using the "Use alternate written form 1". For example, I modified "can’t" to use the curly apostrophe, or curly single quote, by doing the following:.

1. Locate the contraction in the Vocabulary Editor.

2. Click on Properties and type the word. When you get to the apostrophe or " ' ", press and hold the Alt key and type 0146. Then, finish typing the last letter of the word. You need to type this in manually to be absolutely sure that it takes properly. However, at least in theory, you could dictate the word, then select the apostrophe , highlight it, press and hold the Alt key and type 0146. That should work also, but I don't assume anything with regard to whether or not it will actually work that way. You're better off typing it manually.

3. You can also do this for custom words (custom contractions), such as Lunis' vs. Lunis’, which I just did and if you look closely you'll see the difference.

Try it out and let me know what you get when dictating in Microsoft Word or any application that will except such.

At any rate, thanks to everyone for forcing me to put on my thinking cap. I've always found that there are ways to get around these limitations, but sometimes it takes a slap upside the head (figuratively) to look into these types of situations a little more deeply.

Chuck Runquist
Technical Project Manager
VoiceTeach LLC
Home of VoicePower®: We don't make Dragon NaturallySpeaking, We make it better!

Be careful what you ask for. What you get might not be what you expect, or want. - Aesop (620 BC - 700 BC)

Hi Chucker,

I have tried my solution and it does work for curly apostrophe in contractions in MS word 2010.

Thanks for the alternative way.

Akhavan,

It works probably because it treats corrections as if you were typing manually. By the same token, after the 45 day trial period, it still costs you money. The alternative solution is free and works quite efficiently.

Chuck Runquist
Technical Project Manager
VoiceTeach LLC
Home of VoicePower®: We don't make Dragon NaturallySpeaking, We make it better!

"What you are aware of you are in control of; what you are not aware of is in control of you." - Anthony de Mello

The only way to produce a Smart Quote in Dragon without creating your own command (with Alt+ 0147. Alt+ 0148 etc.) is to "Press/Type Shift 2" in the UK English version of Dragon and "Press/Type Shift Apostrophe" in the US English version of Dragon. This sends the same keystrokes to Word that you use when typing and triggers Auto Format As You Type if the option to Replace "Straight Quotes" with "Smart Quotes" is selected.

This won't help the original poster who wanted a curly quote in a contraction, but I thought it may be useful to him in the case of Smart/Straight Quotes using Dragon.

Cheers

Tiger Feet

| DNS 12 Professional | KnowBrainer 2012 | Windows 7 Professional /64 Bit | Intel Core i7 Quad Core 3840QM (2.80GHz) 8MB | 16GB RAM. | 240GB Intel 520 Series SSD Boot Drive | 750GB 7200 rpm Secondary Drive  | Plantronics Wireless Handsfree Microphone CS60-USB. |

Tiger,

Yes you try and use "press shift 2". However, that's really an extra step in the process. Besides, unless I'm missing something, that command sends the "@". It's easier to create curly quotes in the Vocabulary Editor because doing so makes it a Dictation command and you can dictating without pausing.

Chuck Runquist
Technical Project Manager
VoiceTeach LLC
Home of VoicePower®: We don't make Dragon NaturallySpeaking, we make it better!

"Many of the things you can count, don't count. Many of the things you can't count, really count." Albert Einstein

I must confess, I have never tried it because I never use curly quotes.  I just copied the advice from Graham in the thread below.  Graham's advice only pertains to the UK English version.  In the US English version, I have now been informed by Lindsay that you have to say, 'Press Shift Apostrophe' to get a curly quote in Dragon. 

It does not help in the case of an Apostrophe in a contraction though.

http://www.knowbrainer.com/PubForum/index.cfm?page=viewForumTopic&topicId=13029&listFull#E54291E9-B897-F9F7-10ABF62F216010C4thread69054

Cheers

Tiger Feet

| DNS 12 Professional | KnowBrainer 2012 | Windows 7 Professional /64 Bit | Intel Core i7 Quad Core 3840QM (2.80GHz) 8MB | 16GB RAM. | 240GB Intel 520 Series SSD Boot Drive | 750GB 7200 rpm Secondary Drive  | Plantronics Wireless Handsfree Microphone CS60-USB. |

Tiger,

Thank you for the link. That post was long enough ago that I wasn't about to search for it. However, Graham is mistaken Re: that particular post.

I apologize in that I should have done a little bit more research in terms of responding more clearly. However, I no longer use Microsoft Word 2003 (dead and buried many years ago), but I didn't go back and revisit Graham's suggestion just to be sure what happened specifically in Microsoft Word 2007 and 2010. Additionally, I never even considered trying press/type shift 2 because I've always use the Vocabulary Editor for special symbols and/or punctuation.

All that being said, in Microsoft Word 2007 and 2010 if you say, under any circumstances, "press/type shift 2" you will always get "@". The reason that I'm responding to your last post is that when I was reading everything in this collection of threads I realize that that particular keystroke is exactly the same as if you were to press and hold down the shift key and then press the 2 key. In other words, it's a simple keystroke that would execute the same way in Microsoft Word as it would in any document or anywhere else where text can be dictated. Also, after doing some digging there is nothing in the Microsoft Word help or on MSDN that indicates any way to manually change straight quotes to curley or smart quotes using any kind of control key sequence after dictating such.

Lastly, the same thing occurs in Windows Speech Recognition (WSR). However, Windows Speech Recognition (WSR) has a built-in curly quote command. So, I have always use the Alt+0147/0148 entry in the Vocabulary Editor. Still the most effective way of dealing with certain types of punctuation and symbols of this nature. If anyone needs the procedure, let me know and I will give you a step-by-step for creating such.

This is just FYI.

Chuck Runquist
Technical Project Manager
VoiceTeach LLC
Home of VoicePower®: We don't make Dragon NaturallySpeaking, We make it better!

"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." -- Mark Twain

Chuck,

Tiger Feet

| DNS 12 Professional | KnowBrainer 2012 | Windows 7 Professional /64 Bit | Intel Core i7 Quad Core 3840QM (2.80GHz) 8MB | 16GB RAM. | 240GB Intel 520 Series SSD Boot Drive | 750GB 7200 rpm Secondary Drive  | Plantronics Wireless Handsfree Microphone CS60-USB. |

 In WSR, if you say "open quote" or "close quote" in Microsoft Word, what shows up on the screen is a curly quote. You also get the curly versions if you say "open single quote" or "close single quote." If you are dictating in Notepad you get straight quotes.

Tiger Feet

| DNS 12 Professional | KnowBrainer 2012 | Windows 7 Professional /64 Bit | Intel Core i7 Quad Core 3840QM (2.80GHz) 8MB | 16GB RAM. | 240GB Intel 520 Series SSD Boot Drive | 750GB 7200 rpm Secondary Drive  | Plantronics Wireless Handsfree Microphone CS60-USB. |

Thanks, I've noticed the difference between WSR and Dragon this regard. (The automatic curly quotes is one of the nice things about WSR.) I thought you were asking your previous post how to get curly quotes with WSR in Word, and as you say, that occurs automatically with dictation. Sorry for the confusion.

Tiger Feet

| DNS 12 Professional | KnowBrainer 2012 | Windows 7 Professional /64 Bit | Intel Core i7 Quad Core 3840QM (2.80GHz) 8MB | 16GB RAM. | 240GB Intel 520 Series SSD Boot Drive | 750GB 7200 rpm Secondary Drive  | Plantronics Wireless Handsfree Microphone CS60-USB. |

Tiger Feet

| DNS 12 Professional | KnowBrainer 2012 | Windows 7 Professional /64 Bit | Intel Core i7 Quad Core 3840QM (2.80GHz) 8MB | 16GB RAM. | 240GB Intel 520 Series SSD Boot Drive | 750GB 7200 rpm Secondary Drive  | Plantronics Wireless Handsfree Microphone CS60-USB. |

www.pcbyvoice.com
www.pcbyvoice.co.uk

Tiger Feet

| DNS 12 Professional | KnowBrainer 2012 | Windows 7 Professional /64 Bit | Intel Core i7 Quad Core 3840QM (2.80GHz) 8MB | 16GB RAM. | 240GB Intel 520 Series SSD Boot Drive | 750GB 7200 rpm Secondary Drive  | Plantronics Wireless Handsfree Microphone CS60-USB. |

Lindsay,

Thank you for those distinctions. While it occurred to me that something was not kosher, it never occurred to me that the keyboard might be the difference.

Tiger,

It looks like we were beating each other up over something that was more related to you and I being on opposite sides of the pond.

Yes, when I say "press apostrophe" in Microsoft Word, having always set Microsoft Word up as you have suggested, I do in fact get curly/smart quotes in Microsoft Word.

Sorry about all that confusion.

Chuck Runquist
Technical Project Manager
VoiceTeach LLC
Home of VoicePower®: We don't make Dragon NaturallySpeaking, We make it better!

"About the time we can make the ends meet, somebody moves the ends." Herbert Hoover