Punctuation and layout
Punctuation and layout,
spoken.
Dictation that only produces a wall of text leaves you doing the layout afterwards, which is most of the work. Say the symbol and you get the symbol. Say the shape of the document and you get the shape.
Symbols, on a signal
The shipped list covers what people actually dictate, and you can edit it. The signal is what keeps the ordinary word an ordinary word.
- colon space
- :
- open quote the usual terms close quote
- “the usual terms”
- backslash
- \
- open paren see attached close paren
- (see attached)
Lines and paragraphs
The two you will use most, and the reason a dictated email stops looking dictated.
- new line
- a line break
- new paragraph
- a blank line, then the next paragraph
Lists
Say the list phrase and the numbering looks after itself. Bulleted or numbered, and the Oxford comma is a switch rather than an argument.
- number one call the supplier number two confirm the dates
- 1. Call the supplier 2. Confirm the dates
Rendered on separate lines in the document itself.
A whole email
Greeting, body and sign-off, laid out, from one pass of dictation.
- compose email to Gary
- Gary, (blank line) (your body) Thanks,
Questions
Will it type the word “colon” when I mean the word?
No. Ordinary uses stay as words. The symbol needs a signal, such as saying “colon space”, so a sentence about the colon in a sentence survives intact.
Can I change what the phrases are?
Yes. The list ships filled in and you can edit any of it, which matters if you dictate in a trade with its own shorthand.
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