Word 2004's Spelling and Grammar checker

[doclabyrinth]

I use Word 2004 for Mac OS X 10.3.9.

I have changed no settings, done nothing, but all of a sudden, my
spelling-and-grammar checker (in Tools) is flagging the first word of
every single line of text as a "capitalization" problem. For instance,
in my text in this post (on my screen right now), "and," "of," and
"my" are the first words in the three previous lines of text. Of
course they are not to be capitalized. But if I ran my spelling-and-
grammar check, it would stop on every single one of these words--and
every first-word-in-a-line throughout the text.

I have tried the "Help" in my program, but there was nothing like this
there.

Anyone? Thank you.

 

[Elliott Roper]

I use Word 2004 for Mac OS X 10.3.9.

I have changed no settings, done nothing, but all of a sudden, my
spelling-and-grammar checker (in Tools) is flagging the first word of
every single line of text as a "capitalization" problem. For instance,
in my text in this post (on my screen right now), "and," "of," and
"my" are the first words in the three previous lines of text. Of
course they are not to be capitalized. But if I ran my spelling-and-
grammar check, it would stop on every single one of these words--and
every first-word-in-a-line throughout the text.

I have tried the "Help" in my program, but there was nothing like this
there.

Anyone? Thank you.

Does this happen with every Word doc?
Even a brand new one?
Can you set show paragraph marks (cmd-8 toggles it)
Is there one at the end of every line?
If yes, then the capitalisation checker is working properly.

If you did not mean to put them in there, ask yourself how they could
have arrived. It would appear that you are using Word to compose news
messages for transmission via Google Groups. If you are replying to one
such after a cut and paste unformatted from a web browser you will get
a paragraph mark at the end of every line.

 

[John McGhie]

I am just wondering: Are these "Lines" or paragraphs? If they are
paragraphs, this is correct behaviour unless you disable
Tools>Autocorrect>Capitalise the first letter of sentences.

If the text is in a table, the same applies, but it's a different function.

Check the Word Help Topic " The first letter of a word is automatically
capitalized" for more...

Cheers

Does this happen with every Word doc?
Even a brand new one?
Can you set show paragraph marks (cmd-8 toggles it)
Is there one at the end of every line?
If yes, then the capitalisation checker is working properly.

If you did not mean to put them in there, ask yourself how they could
have arrived. It would appear that you are using Word to compose news
messages for transmission via Google Groups. If you are replying to one
such after a cut and paste unformatted from a web browser you will get
a paragraph mark at the end of every line.

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[doclabyrinth]

I hope this is going to the group, not to the individual author (I
clicked "Reply," not "Reply to Author").

Yes, these are "lines," not paragraphs. No tables are involved. This
is just ordinary text. The spelling-and-grammar checker simply alights
on the first flush-left word of every single line and tells me that it
should be capitalized.

I am just wondering: Are these "Lines" or paragraphs? If they are
paragraphs, this is correct behaviour unless you disable
Tools>Autocorrect>Capitalise the first letter of sentences.

If the text is in a table, the same applies, but it's a different function.

Check the Word Help Topic " The first letter of a word is automatically
capitalized" for more...

Cheers

 

[doclabyrinth]

P.S. I checked in Word's Help with the wording you suggested, Elliot,
but got nothing relevant. Also, the first word is not automatically
capitalized; that isn't the problem.

The problem is that when I run the spelling and grammar check, it
tediously and endlessly lights on the first word of every line on the
left margin and TELLS me that it "should" be capitalized.

Needless to say, this is maddening as I try to check documents.

Erin

I am just wondering: Are these "Lines" or paragraphs? If they are
paragraphs, this is correct behaviour unless you disable
Tools>Autocorrect>Capitalise the first letter of sentences.

If the text is in a table, the same applies, but it's a different function.

Check the Word Help Topic " The first letter of a word is automatically
capitalized" for more...

Cheers

 

[Elliott Roper]

P.S. I checked in Word's Help with the wording you suggested, Elliot,
but got nothing relevant. Also, the first word is not automatically
capitalized; that isn't the problem.

It wasn't me. It was John McGhie. And he was right.

The problem is that when I run the spelling and grammar check, it
tediously and endlessly lights on the first word of every line on the
left margin and TELLS me that it "should" be capitalized.

I'm still convinced you have end of paragraph markers at the end of
every line. You have not acknowledged that you tried the cmd-8 test I
suggested.

Spell checking is OK, for small values of OK, but Word's idea of good
grammar is execrable.
You could solve the whole mess by turning off grammar checking in
preferences.

Needless to say, this is maddening as I try to check documents.

Use your own judgement on grammar. If Word thinks it is bad, it is
probably good. Seriously, if that po-faced little grammar checker wants
to tell me once more that passive voice is inappropriate, it may be
appropriate that its goolies were kicked.

Erin

Look, even the redoubtable McGhie thinks you have paras at the end of
every line!

well?

 

[Elliott Roper]

<snip>

Don't you mean "...it may be appropriate that someone kick its
goolies."?;-)

Whatever. It was an attempt to over-do passive voice. ;-)

I think we are going to get a Huggan along in a minute...

 

[CyberTaz]

...it may be appropriate that its goolies were kicked.

<snip>

Don't you mean "...it may be appropriate that someone kick its
goolies."?;-)

To The OP:

Have you checked the Grammar settings available through Word> Preferences>
Spelling & Grammar? I've no idea what might have changed anything there but
it might offer a clue.

 

[doclabyrinth]

Hello, all helpers,

I've been so busy that I have not circled back here for several weeks.
Thank you for your suggestions. What I did was "Repair Disk
Permissions," which seems to have worked. (I don't know what any of
these words means, i.e., in what sense am I "repairing," and what are
"disk permissions"?).

 

[John McGhie]

Well, I am delighted that your problem has gone away

However, as Clive explained, "Repair Disk Permissions" has no effect on it
(it is not possible that it could effect that function).

Basically, the fact that the function was doing something you didn't want
indicates that Word could read all the files concerned with its operation.
If file permissions had been to blame, spelling and grammar wouldn't work at
all, not even to do the wrong thing.

Sorry!

Hello, all helpers,

I've been so busy that I have not circled back here for several weeks.
Thank you for your suggestions. What I did was "Repair Disk
Permissions," which seems to have worked. (I don't know what any of
these words means, i.e., in what sense am I "repairing," and what are
"disk permissions"?).

It wasn't me. It was John McGhie. And he was right.




I'm still convinced you have end of paragraph markers at the end of
every line. You have not acknowledged that you tried the cmd-8 test I
suggested.

Spell checking is OK, for small values of OK, but Word's idea of good
grammar is execrable.
You could solve the whole mess by turning off grammar checking in
preferences.




Use your own judgement on grammar. If Word thinks it is bad, it is
probably good. Seriously, if that po-faced little grammar checker wants
to tell me once more that passive voice is inappropriate, it may be
appropriate that its goolies were kicked.



Look, even the redoubtable McGhie thinks you have paras at the end of
every line!


well?

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Nhulunbuy, NT, Australia. S12.22.1918,E136.99.5392
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]