Dragon Systems DRAGON NATURALLYSPEAKING PROFESSIONAL 4 User manual

NaturallySpeaking
Dragon
TM
Quick Start
Quick Start
03-201-40-01

August 1999. Version 4.0.
Dragon Systems® may have patents or pending patent applications covering subject matter in this document. The furnishing of this
document does not give you any license to these patents. The software is subject to one or more of these U.S. patents: 4,783,803; 4,803,729;
4,805,218; 4,805,219; 4,829,576; 4,829,578; 4,837,831; 4,866,778; 4,903,305; 4,914,703; 5,027,406; 5,202,952; 5,428,707; 5,526,463; 5,680,511;
5,715,367; 5,754,972; 5,765,132; 5,794,189; 5,799,279; 5,809,453; 5,818,423; 5,822,730; 5,850,627; 5,903,864; 5,909,666; 5,915,236; 5,920,836;
5,920,837.
© Copyright 1999 Dragon Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
No part of this manual or software may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without the express written consent of Dragon Systems, Inc.
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those
designations appear in this book, and where Dragon Systems is aware of the trademark, the first occurrence of the designation is printed
with a trademark (™) or registered trademark (®) symbol.
Dragon Systems, the Dragon Systems logo, and NaturallySpeaking are registered trademarks and BestMatch, Select-and-Say, Vocabulary
Builder, and Vocabulary Editor are trademarks of Dragon Systems, Inc.
Corel and WordPerfect are registered trademarks of Corel Corporation.
GoldMine is a registered trademark of GoldMine Software Corporation.
Lotus and Lotus Notes are registered trademarks of Lotus Development Corporation.
Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks and Outlook is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
03-201-40-01
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Dragon NaturallySpeaking iii
Contents
Starting Dragon NaturallySpeaking the first time 1
Welcome 2
Creating a user 2
Selecting a user type 3
Adjusting your microphone 4
Training Dragon NaturallySpeaking 6
Starting to Dictate 7
Preparing to dictate 7
Dictating 9
What is that small yellow box? 10
How do I add punctuation? 10
How do I start a new paragraph or line? 11
How do I erase the last thing I said? 11
How do I correct mistakes? 12
How do I Select-and-Say to revise text? 21
How do I undo an unwanted change? 22
How do I select the same text again? 22
How do I “unselect” words? 23
How do I go to the end or beginning of the page? 23
How do I capitalize a word? 23
How do I bold, italicize, or underline words? 24
How do I copy text to another program? 25
How do I exit the program? 25
How do I become an expert? 26
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1
QUICK START
Dragon NaturallySpeaking
Dragon NaturallySpeaking®lets you talk to
almost any Windows®program instead of
typing. As you speak, your words are
transcribed onto your screen and into your
document.
With Dragon NaturallySpeaking, you can also
start programs, open menus, and click buttons
by using your voice.
This booklet helps you get started quickly. It
describes the steps you need to complete the
first time you start the program, and then
explains the basics of dictating in “Starting to
Dictate” on page 7.
Starting Dragon
NaturallySpeaking
the first time
Start Dragon NaturallySpeaking from the
Windows Start menu.
▲ The name of your specific product edition (for
example, NaturallySpeaking Preferred) appears on your
Start menu. The NaturallySpeaking menu may contain
other items not pictured here.
The first time you start Dragon
NaturallySpeaking, you need to create a
“user” before you can begin talking to the
computer. A user stores information the
program needs to recognize your speech (for
example, information about how you
pronounce different words).
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2
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Dragon NaturallySpeaking
Welcome
The New User Wizard guides you through the
steps of creating a user. You may be able to
complete these steps without difficulty, but if
you have trouble you can find answers to
common questions in the following sections.
▲ The “Select user type” step appears only in Dragon
NaturallySpeaking Preferred and Professional.
Q: How long does it take to create a “user”?
Completing the New User Wizard usually
takes about 45 minutes.
The step in which you “train” Dragon
NaturallySpeaking for your voice may take
only a few minutes or up to 30 minutes,
depending on the speed of your computer.
While completing the wizard, you can take as
many breaks as you want. Just leave the
wizard running (and click the Pause button if
you’re training the program) and continue
when you’re ready.
Creating a user
On the Create User page, enter a name for
your user speech files and choose a speech
model and vocabulary.
Your speech files store all the information
Dragon NaturallySpeaking gathers about you,
such as how you pronounce different words
and which words you use most frequently.
Q: I don’t know which “speech model” to
choose.
A speech model provides Dragon
NaturallySpeaking with acoustical data about
the sound patterns that make up different
words. The wizard chooses a speech model for
you based on your computer’s speed and
available memory (RAM). The
“BestMatch™” speech models can make the
product more accurate but require more
computer memory and a faster processor.
We recommend that you accept the speech
model the program chooses; however, if
you’re age 9 to 15 (or have a high voice), you
should select the “Student” version of the
recommended speech model. Student models
are designed for recognizing higher-pitched
voices.
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3
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Dragon NaturallySpeaking
Q: I don’t know which “vocabulary” to
choose.
A vocabulary consists of the words the program
will recognize when you say them and data
about how often different words are used.
The wizard chooses a vocabulary for you
based on your computer’s speed and available
memory (RAM). The “BestMatch”
vocabularies can make the product more
accurate but require more computer memory
and a faster processor.
We recommend that you accept the
vocabulary the program chooses; however, if
you’re age 9 to 15, you should select the
“Student” version of the recommended
vocabulary. Student vocabularies contain more
of the words younger speakers use and
different statistics about how often words are
used.
Selecting a user type
If you have Dragon NaturallySpeaking
Preferred or Professional, the wizard asks you
to select a “user type” to specify how you
intend to dictate.
If you’ll be speaking into a microphone
connected to your computer, choose “Directly
to the computer.”
The other option applies when you’re setting
up Dragon NaturallySpeaking for use with a
portable recorder. If you’re interested in doing
this, you can learn how after you become more
familiar with the program. See your Dragon
NaturallySpeaking User’s Guide for more
information.
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4
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Dragon NaturallySpeaking
Adjusting your
microphone
The Audio Setup Wizard shows you how to
position your microphone and tests that your
voice can be heard loud and clear.
Your software package may include a headset
microphone or a handheld microphone. The
Audio Setup Wizard prompts you to select the
type of microphone you’ll be using.
If you switch to a different microphone, you
should run the Audio Setup Wizard again to recalibrate
the computer’s audio settings. (On the Dragon
NaturallySpeaking Tools menu, click Audio Setup
Wizard.)
Q: How should I hold my handheld
microphone?
If you’re using a handheld microphone, here
are some tips for positioning it correctly:
■Hold the microphone one to three inches
from your mouth.
■Point the microphone at the side of your
mouth, not at the front (so it won’t pick
up the sounds of your breathing).
■If the volume meter (in the Results box
on the screen) turns red, try holding the
microphone slightly farther from your
mouth.
The next section provides tips for positioning
a headset microphone.
NOTE
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5
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Dragon NaturallySpeaking
Q: How should I position my headset microphone?
The pictures below show how to position a headset microphone.
Position the microphone in front of
your mouth and a little off to the
side. The microphone should not
touch your mouth, but it can be
almost touching (about a half inch
from your lips).
The side of the microphone that
you should speak into may be
marked with a colored dot or
the word “Talk.”
If you need to move the
microphone out of the way, you
can lift the “boom” up and over
your head, rather than bending it
out of position or removing the
headset.
Whenever you talk to your computer, start by making
sure your microphone is in the right position.
If the microphone is out of place, the program won’t
be able to hear you as clearly and may make more
mistakes.
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Dragon NaturallySpeaking
Training Dragon
NaturallySpeaking
No two people sound exactly alike, so you
have to spend some time training Dragon
NaturallySpeaking to understand your
pronunciation.
You do this by reading part of a book or a story
aloud into your microphone (you can choose
from several texts). As you read, the program
learns how you pronounce different sounds
and saves this information in your speech
files.
▲ A yellow arrow shows you where to start reading.
Q: I made a mistake. What should I do?
Don’t worry. You should try to read exactly
what you see on the screen, but it’s okay if you
read something incorrectly. The computer will
either ignore the mistake or display the yellow
arrow so you can read the text again. You can
also click Back Up to reread something you
misread, but this is not required.
Q: I’ve read the same word three times, but
the yellow arrow keeps pointing to it.
If you keep reading the same words, and the
yellow arrow won’t advance, just click Skip
Word.
Q: I can’t get beyond the first screen
(“Welcome to the world of continuous speech
recognition”).
To advance through the first two screens, you
must say the sentences without pausing. For
the rest of the screens, it’s okay to pause in the
middle of a sentence.
If you still cannot advance, you can try
running the Audio Setup Wizard again. Click
Cancel to close the training dialog box (and
click “Yes” to close without saving changes),
and then click Back to return to the Adjust
Microphone page. After running the Audio
Setup Wizard again, click Next to return to
the training program.
You can take breaks while you’re
training the computer. Just click Pause.
TIP
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7Dragon NaturallySpeaking
Starting to Dictate
f you’re new to Dragon NaturallySpeaking, read this section to learn
the basics. You can also run the Quick Tour to see Dragon
NaturallySpeaking in action. (On the Dragon NaturallySpeaking Help
menu, click Quick Tour.)
Dragon NaturallySpeaking can help you write more efficiently, but
making it work well requires some effort from you. Dragon
NaturallySpeaking actually learns about your voice and pronunciation as
you use it. When you use words the program doesn’t know, it will make
mistakes, and you’ll have to stop and correct them.
It may take a while (perhaps even a few weeks) before you feel
comfortable and productive using Dragon NaturallySpeaking. You can
find out more about how to make the program work well for you by
reading your Dragon NaturallySpeaking User’s Guide.
Preparing to dictate
Follow the steps in this section whenever you want to use Dragon
NaturallySpeaking:
1Start Dragon NaturallySpeaking from the Windows Start menu, if it’s not
already running.
If there’s more than one Dragon NaturallySpeaking user on the
computer, the Open User dialog box appears so that you can choose your
user name.
I
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8Dragon NaturallySpeaking
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The Dragon NaturallySpeaking window opens.
The Dragon NaturallySpeaking window is a simple word processor
specifically designed for dictating.
If this is the first time you have started the program, you’ll need to create a
user. Follow the directions on the screen and see “Starting Dragon NaturallySpeaking the
first time” on page 1.
2Position your microphone correctly. (For tips, see “Adjusting your
microphone” on page 4.)
3Start the program you want to talk to.
You can talk to almost any Windows program, but we recommend that
you use the Dragon NaturallySpeaking window to practice. When you
have finished dictating, you can save your document or use voice
commands to copy your text into any other program, such as e-mail.
You can use your voice to start any program that appears on your
Windows Start menu or desktop. (You can’t start Dragon
NaturallySpeaking by voice, because the program has to be running
before it can hear you.) Your Dragon NaturallySpeaking User’s Guide
explains how to start programs by voice.
Note: The Playback
toolbar
is only in the Preferred
and Professional
editions.
Note: The Vocabulary
menu is only in the
Professional edition.
Microphone icon
Microphone icon on the taskbar
NOTE
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9Dragon NaturallySpeaking
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4Turn the microphone on. (If you’re using a handheld microphone, make
sure it’s switched on.)
There are two ways to turn the microphone on:
■Click the red microphone icon in the Dragon NaturallySpeaking
window or on the taskbar.
■Press the plus (+) key on the numeric keypad.
Notice that the microphone icon points upward when the
microphone is on. The computer is now “listening.”
When you have finished talking, turn the microphone off by clicking the
microphone icon again (or pressing the plus key again).
You can change the keyboard shortcut for turning the microphone on and off.
If you’re using a portable computer, you may want to change the key to something more
convenient, such as a Function key. (On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the
Hotkeys tab to change the keyboard shortcut.)
Once the microphone is on, there’s a “hands-free” way to make it stop
listening. Just say “Go to Sleep.” To reactivate it, say “Wake Up.”
5Click in the window of the program you want to talk to.
Clicking in a window makes it active (the title bar becomes highlighted).
Dragon NaturallySpeaking always types your words into the active
window.
Dictating
Dictate the sentences below. As you speak, remember that you’re
talking to a computer, not a person. This means that you must speak
clearly, enunciating each word.
Talking to a computer is not the same as talking to a person. A person
will probably understand what you are trying to say even if you shout or
whisper.
NOTE
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10 Dragon NaturallySpeaking
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As Dragon NaturallySpeaking begins working, it may take a few
moments for the first words to appear.
If nothing happens, try repeating the steps in “Preparing to dictate” on
page 7. Make sure you click in the program window before you speak.
Don’t be surprised if there are some mistakes. Often, small adjustments,
such as speaking a bit more clearly, can make a big difference. Try
dictating the same words again and see if speaking more clearly helps
the program get all the words right.
Later in this practice session you’ll learn a way to correct mistakes and, at
the same time, teach the program how to do better.
What is that small yellow box?
The small yellow box you see when you dictate is called the Results box.
It displays early “guesses” at what you’re saying while Dragon
NaturallySpeaking figures out your exact words. Its purpose is to provide
visual feedback while the computer processes your speech.
You can drag the Results box anywhere on the screen or make it
disappear when you’re not speaking. (On the Tools menu, click Options,
and then click the Results box tab. Drag the “Auto hide delay” slider to
control how long the box remains visible.)
How do I add punctuation?
You must tell the computer where to put punctuation.
Dictate the sentence below and say “comma” and “period” to add the
punctuation marks.
When talking to a computer [comma] try to say every word clearly without
trailing off at the end of a sentence [period]
Notice that Dragon NaturallySpeaking does some formatting for you. It
automatically capitalizes the first word in a sentence and puts two spaces
NOTE
Results box
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11Dragon NaturallySpeaking
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after a period. (If you prefer only one space between sentences, you can
change this setting. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click
the Dictation tab. Clear the “Two spaces after period” box.)
To dictate other punctuation, just say the name of the punctuation mark.
You can find a complete list of punctuation marks on your Quick Reference
card.
How do I start a new paragraph
or line?
You can start a new paragraph by saying the command “New Paragraph.”
This is the same as pressing the ENTER key twice. To start a new line,
say “New Line.” This is the same as pressing the ENTER key once.
Say “New Paragraph,” and then dictate the sentences below.
Have you noticed how clearly newscasters on TV and the radio speak
[question mark] When you talk to a computer [comma] it helps to speak
as clearly as a newscaster [period]
How do I erase the last thing
I said?
You can erase the last words you dictated by saying “Scratch That.”
Dictate the sentence below (without pausing).
I can delete the last thing I said without touching the mouse or keyboard
When the words appear in your document, pause and then say “Scratch
That” to erase them. Don’t pause between the words “scratch” and
“that.”
When you say “Scratch That,” Dragon NaturallySpeaking erases the last
thing you dictated. This may be a full sentence, a phrase, or just one
word, if that’s all you said before pausing.
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12 Dragon NaturallySpeaking
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You can say “Scratch That” more than once to keep erasing previous
words or phrases. If you repeat the command, you must pause before
saying it again.
How do I correct mistakes?
Dragon NaturallySpeaking doesn’t know it has made a mistake unless
you correct it. As you correct its mistakes, you actually teach the program
not to make the same mistakes again.
You can correct mistakes as soon as they happen or go back and correct
them later. This section describes each approach.
About “Scratch That”
“Scratch That” is a quick and easy way to erase wrong words, but it
won’t prevent the same mistakes from happening again. Only by
correcting errors in the Correction dialog box can you teach Dragon
NaturallySpeaking not to make the same mistakes again.
Correcting mistakes vs. revising
Sometimes words are wrong because you change your mind about
what you want to say, not because Dragon NaturallySpeaking makes
a mistake. For example, you dictate “Tuesday,” and then decide it
should be “Monday.” Never use the Correction dialog box to make
this kind of change. Doing so would cause Dragon
NaturallySpeaking to associate the sound of one word with the
written form of another.
Use the Correction dialog box only when you’re correcting speech-
recognition mistakes.To revise text when you change your mind, use
Select-and-Say™ or the mouse and keyboard. (See “How do I
Select-and-Say to revise text?” on page 21.)
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Correcting mistakes as soon as they happen
If you tend to fix your typing mistakes as soon as they happen, you’ll
probably prefer to fix speech-recognition mistakes right away, too.
When you see a mistake, you can stop and correct it by saying “Correct
That.”
To correct your last word or phrase:
Dictate the paragraph below and watch the screen for mistakes. (If there
are no mistakes, just continue dictating until you see one, for example,
read aloud from a book or magazine. Eventually, a mistake will appear.)
Correcting mistakes helps Dragon NaturallySpeaking learn not to make
the same mistakes again. When I correct a mistake, Dragon
NaturallySpeaking is able to associate my pronunciation with the correct
word. The next time I say the word, Dragon NaturallySpeaking should be
able to recognize it correctly.
When a mistake appears, say “Correct That.” This opens the Correction
dialog box. The box displays the last words Dragon NaturallySpeaking
typed into your document. This may be a full sentence, a phrase, or just
one word, if that’s all you said before pausing.
▲ The Correction dialog box shows you a list of the words or phrases it considers the most
likely matches for what you said.
If the “Correct That” command doesn’t work (for example, if the word
“correct” is typed in your document), you may have paused in the
middle of the command.
You can resize the
Correction dialog box by
dragging a corner or
side.
Note: The Play Back
button is only in the
Preferred and
Professional editions.
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14 Dragon NaturallySpeaking
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Start a new paragraph and repeat the exercise. When you see a mistake,
say “Correct That” again, without pausing between the two words. If
Dragon NaturallySpeaking doesn’t recognize the command (for
example, hears “Correct the” instead of “Correct That” and displays the
word “the” in the Correction dialog box), you may need to say the
command more clearly.
Start a new paragraph and repeat the exercise. When you see a mistake,
say “Correct That” again and emphasize the word “that.”
You can use a keyboard shortcut to open the Correction dialog box.
It’s the minus (-) key on the numeric keypad.
About “Correct That”
Using “Correct That” to correct your last phrase is practical only when
the phrase is fairly short (fewer than 20 words). A longer phrase may
not fit completely in the Correction dialog box, and it’s more
difficult to find a correct alternative in the list when the phrase
you’re correcting is long.
To fix mistakes in a long phrase, you can correct just the specific
wrong words. See “Going back and correcting mistakes later” on
page 18.
TIP
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15Dragon NaturallySpeaking
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Using the Correction dialog box
When the Correction dialog box opens, if the correct word or phrase is in
the list of choices, you can simply choose it.
To choose the correct text:
There are two ways to choose the correct text:
■Say “Choose” and then the number of the correct alternative. For
example, say “Choose 2” (or “Choose Numeral 2”).
■Click the correct alternative, and then click OK (or say “Click OK”).
This closes the Correction dialog box and enters the text into your
document.
If none of the choices exactly matches what you said, you must enter the
correct text.
To enter the correct text:
There are two ways to enter the correct text:
■Start typing the correct word or phrase into the text box. As you
type, the list shows alternatives that match what you’ve typed so far.
■Start spelling the correct word or phrase. Say the letters
continuously and quickly, not one at a time.
Text box
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16 Dragon NaturallySpeaking
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When you see the correct choice, you can choose it (by mouse or voice).
If the correct choice doesn’t appear, finish typing or spelling it and then
click OK (or say “Click OK”).
When one of the choices in the Correction dialog box is almost correct, you can
select it and use it as a starting point without entering the text into your document. Just
click it or say “Select” (not “Choose”) and then the number of the choice. For example,
say “Select 3” (or “Select Numeral 3”). Then edit the word or phrase.
When you’re working in the Correction dialog box, you can also use your
voice to move the cursor and to select and delete words and characters.
See your Dragon NaturallySpeaking User’s Guide for more information.
Spelling in the Correction dialog box
When you’re spelling in the Correction dialog box, this is what you
can say:
■letters (a–z)
■International Communications Alphabet (alpha, bravo, and so
on)
■numbers (0–9)
■punctuation
■“Cap” (to capitalize the next letter)
■“Double” (to enter the next letter twice, for example,
“Double a”)
■“Space Bar” or “space” (to insert a space)
■“Backspace”
■“apostrophe ess”
■special characters
For more information, see Appendix B in your Dragon
NaturallySpeaking User’s Guide.
TIP
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17Dragon NaturallySpeaking
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Teaching the program new words when
making corrections
Often the reason Dragon NaturallySpeaking makes a mistake is that it
doesn’t know the word you’re trying to dictate. Dragon
NaturallySpeaking has a vocabulary that contains the thousands of words
it’s capable of recognizing. If you dictate an unusual name or specialized
term, it may not be in the vocabulary.
By using the Correction dialog box to correct these mistakes, you also
teach the program the new word. If you use “Scratch That” instead, or
edit your document by typing, the program doesn’t learn the word and
won’t recognize it the next time you say it.
To add a new word when correcting:
1Start dictating the names of people you know. Watch the screen for
errors.
For example, suppose you dictate the name “Ellen Rusinow,” but the
program types “Ellen Ruston Isle.”
2As soon as Dragon NaturallySpeaking makes a mistake, say “Correct
That.”
3In the text box, select just the incorrect words (by mouse or voice).
Text box
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