11.5

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Dictating Special Text: Numbers, Dates, Addresses, Units…
As you saw in your first dictation, Dragon NaturallySpeaking automatically inserts spaces between words. It also
follows spacing and capitalization rules: for example, it inserts a space after close quote but none after open
quote, and it capitalizes at the beginning of sentences and paragraphs.
In this lesson, you learn about contextual automatic formatting that allows you to naturally dictate prices,
times, dates, abbreviations, contractions, units of measure, street addresses, e-mail addresses, URLs, ISO
currency codes and other special text. You also learn about Spell Mode and other recognition modes.
Automatic Text Formatting During Normal Dictation
On the Auto-Formatting Options dialog (available from the Tools menu), you can turn Dragon’s rules of
automatic formatting off and on, as desired. For example, you can choose to have Dragon:
- Transcribe numbers greater than two
as numerals. (By default, Dragon
follows the rule that small integers
should be written as words unless in
contexts such as a unit or address.)
Use the drop-down list on this dialog.
- automatically expand contractions
(such as “won’t” and “didn’t”).
- insert two spaces after periods.
Please see the Help for details.
TIP The Vocabulary Editor’s Word
Properties dialog offers related capabilities.
It lets you obtain contextual formatting: you
can ask that numerals always be used after a
particular word (as in “version 4”) and you
can set alternate written forms (for
instance, if you prefer “figure” to be written
“Fig.” before numbers, as in “Fig. 3”).
Note: The Vocabulary Editor also lets you
change the properties of Dictation Commands
(for instance, you may wish “new line” to
trigger capitalization, as “new paragraph”
does).
Please see Vocabulary Customization.
Exercise 1: Dictate some phone numbers, with and without area code; no need to say "hyphen".
Please call 607-585-3926 instead of 587-1239. Toll free directory: 1-800-555-1212
TIP By default, Dragon applies its automatic formatting rules even if you pause within the segment (the
option “Allow pauses in formatted phrases” lets you turn this off.) If you need to dictate sequences of 7, 10
or 11 digits and do NOT want them formatted as phone numbers, one trick is to say “numeral” just before.