Word spell check failure

[JohnG]

I own the latest academic edition of Office 2004: Mac and have
recently begun experiencing wildly uneven spell checking performance
in Word and have exhausted all Help remedies and friendly advice.

I am working on a 100 page manuscript and recently began using Comic
sans font on the screen to write inasmuch as it will be the font in the
printed version. Since the shift, whenever I try to spellcheck a
section, Word pops up with:

The spelling check is Complete. Text set to (no proofing) was skipped.
To find (no proofing) text, click Edit/Replace, click More, click
Format, click language and choose No proofing.

I've tried every option within the above instructions -- choosing
English (US), choosing No Language. No change. There is a check box in
the Language box that says Do not check spelling or grammar, and it is
neigher checked or blank but rather has a blue dash in it. ? I've tried
clicking there to remove the dash, leaving the check box now blank, and
still no change.

I knew that Comic Sans is actually a faux font, being a screen font in
Regular and Bold iteration only, I figured perhaps Word can't
recognize the font to check it. So I began using Book Antigua to see if
it helped. Sometimes spellcheck works, sometimes it doesn't. Even when
I deliberately introduce a spelling error, no change. I'm flummixed --
and sorely in need of a reliable spell checking capacity.

Any help much appreciated. Thanks.
John G.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

The font is irrelevant.

The blue dash in the "do not check..." box means that part of the text is
set to "do not check" so for some text in the document, the box would be
checked, and for some text, the box would be unchecked.

Select All (cmd-a) (very important step!). Go to Tools | Language. Select
US English. Click on the "do not check..." box until it is entirely clear.
Click OK.

You should be fine now. You just formatted all your existing text to US
English and removed the "do not check" setting from whatever text had it.
Make sure you Selected All before using Tools | Language!

Some additional info here, and better understanding:
http://word.mvps.org/MacWordNew/Spell-Check.htm
(hit refresh a few times in Safari, or use a different browser)

 

[bhebert]

I sympathize. The "do not proof" setting is a real pain and very
difficult to expunge. When I upgraded from Word 5.1 I found that my
converted documents were peppered intermittently with "do not proof"
coding. What's worse, the "do not proof" was also embedded into some
(but not all) of my styles.

So, in addition to selecting your entire document and turning off the
do not proof, you should also look carefully at each of your styles. If
they contain "do not proof" you can reinfect what you thought was a
safe document.

My advice to MS for the next round of Word updates: include a global
setting that allows the user to ignore "do not proof" tags. Or make it
easier to turn the coding on and off (make it a checkbox in the text
formatting dialog). Or make "do not proof" text visible somehow. It's a
serious trap as it's currently implemented.

 

[JohnG]

Daiya,
This is my first time in the MVP forum and I gotta tell you I'm very
impressed with the expertise I've tapped into. Thanks for being there.

As to my problem, I find no "Language..." on the drop down menu under
Tools. Should it be there as a default or is there some customization
I need to do to put it there?
Thanks!
John G.

 

[JohnG]

Thanks for the sympathy. The style infection you refer to would explain
a lot, but a quick check of my styles shows no Do not proof
instructions in the style descriptions. If I need to look elsewhere,
please advise.

Hopefully Daiya (above) will help me work through the solution
described. I write for a living and this issue is certainly vexatious.
Will report all results here, of course.
JohnG

 

[JohnG]

Daiya,
I just now took another look at my Style that uses Comic
Sans and, whoa!, there it was: Do not check spelling and grammar.
So I modified the style to remove same. I may be on the way to a cure
here.

 

[JohnG]

See my second post above. I did indeed find Do not check.... in one of
my styles.
Where it came from, who knows.
J.

 

[Beth Rosengard]

Hi John,

Just a quick request: Please quote back the pertinent part of the post
you're responding to. Many of us do not use newsreaders with full threading
and we have no idea what your post refers to unless we take the time to read
all the way back through the thread.

Thanks!

--
***Please always reply to the newsgroup!***

Beth Rosengard
MacOffice MVP

Mac Word FAQ: <http://word.mvps.org/MacWordNew/index.htm>
(If using Safari, hit Refresh once or twice ­ or use another browser.)
Entourage Help Page: <http://www.entourage.mvps.org>

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

If there is no Tools | Language available (yes, it's a default), first:

Make sure you didn't accidentally turn on "Word 5.1 Menus". Look under View
to see if there's a check next to that option. If that isn't the problem:

If you go to Tools | Customize Toolbars/Menus, select the Menu Bar, and
click Reset, it should set all your main menus and built-in toolbars back to
the default.

If you have customized your menus or toolbars, you may want to explore the
Tools | Customize, Commands dialog, and drag the commands you are missing
back to the toolbars/menus yourself, rather than wipe out your
customizations by clicking Reset.

 

[JohnG]

All,
I think I've resolved the issue. Daiya, I'm unable to find the
Language... option you suggest ( Tools>Language..) but , 1. I did find
Do not check spelling and grammer in the Style definition and took it
out. I have no idea how it ever cropped up there.

2. I also went back to the Help menu and (reading the instructions
more carefully), used the Find/Replace correctly to remove all hidden
Do not check spelling.... instructions. The key is to place the curser
at the to of the file, then go into Find/replace and instruct Find
what... to first locate the Do not check spelling, etc. (i.e. you've
got to check the box). Then you go to Replace with... and uncheck the
box. Then click on Find Next, then Find all, and that removes all
hidden Do not check spelling, etc.... instructions.
So....Voila! I think I got it. Thanks to all of you.

PS. Daiya, if you can help me find the Language submenu, I'd be
grateful. I've got Word 11.1. not 11.1.1. Could that be it?
J.

Excerpts from previous postings this thread:

I also replied:
Daiya,
I just now took another look at my Style that uses Comic
Sans and, whoa!, there it was: Do not check spelling and grammar.
So I modified the style to remove same. I may be on the way to a cure
here.

I replied:
As to my problem, I find no "Language..." on the drop down menu under
Tools. Should it be there as a default or is there some customization
I need to do to put it there?
Thanks!
John G.


Daiya replied:
The font is irrelevant.

The blue dash in the "do not check..." box means that part of the text
is
set to "do not check" so for some text in the document, the box would
be
checked, and for some text, the box would be unchecked.

Select All (cmd-a) (very important step!). Go to Tools | Language.
Select
US English. Click on the "do not check..." box until it is entirely
clear.
Click OK.

You should be fine now. You just formatted all your existing text to
US
English and removed the "do not check" setting from whatever text had
it.
Make sure you Selected All before using Tools | Language!

Start of thread - Excerpted:
I am working on a 100 page manuscript and recently began using Comic
sans font on the screen to write inasmuch as it will be the font in the

printed version. Since the shift, whenever I try to spellcheck a
section, Word pops up with:

The spelling check is Complete. Text set to (no proofing) was skipped.
To find (no proofing) text, click Edit/Replace, click More, click
Format, click language and choose No proofing.

I've tried every option within the above instructions -- choosing
English (US), choosing No Language. No change. There is a check box in
the Language box that says Do not check spelling or grammar, and it is
neigher checked or blank but rather has a blue dash in it. ? I've tried

clicking there to remove the dash, leaving the check box now blank, and

still no change.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Not only that, the servers are antsy right now and the beginning of this
thread vanished from my machine.... <sigh>

Another plus for quoting--sometimes I only discover messages got posted
because people quote back things I never saw....

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Already posted about the Tools | Language, should show up soon. It's
probably turn off View | 5.1 Menus.

I just revised the article I previously directed you to--can you tell me if
#1 here makes sense/makes more sense, particularly the bit re the No
Proofing message?
http://daiya.mvps.org/spelling.htm

Daiya

 

[JohnG]

Daiya,

You're right. Somehow I had "Word 5.1 menus" checked under View>.
Haven't a clue how that happened, although I go way back with Word
('91) so it may have been baggage. Accidents do happen. So, I cleared
the check box, and handily found Tools>Language... as you explained.
I did do a Reset on Tools/Customize because the only command I had
pulled from the Commands Menu was, you guessed it, Check spelling. I'll
reconfigure w/ that command and we're good to go.

If you don't hear from me here again on this topic, the issue is
resolved. And you have my eternal gratitude for your generous volunteer
effort on behalf of working writers who live and die by MS Word. Should
you have any follow up comments, please don't hesitate to write me at
(e-mail address removed) here in Washington's Olympic Peninsula.
JohnG.



Daiya Mitchell Aug 27, 3:12 pm show options
If there is no Tools | Language available (yes, it's a default), first:


Make sure you didn't accidentally turn on "Word 5.1 Menus". Look under
View
to see if there's a check next to that option. If that isn't the
problem:

If you go to Tools | Customize Toolbars/Menus, select the Menu Bar, and

click Reset, it should set all your main menus and built-in toolbars
back to
the default.

If you have customized your menus or toolbars, you may want to explore
the
Tools | Customize, Commands dialog, and drag the commands you are
missing
back to the toolbars/menus yourself, rather than wipe out your
customizations by clicking Reset.

 

[JohnG]

Daiya,
In response to your request, I've just finished reviewing the new
revision of Mac spell-checking you posted, and compared it with the
previous iteration. The revision makes more sense. A few suggestions:

1. For folks like me who had View> Word 5.1 menus checked (and didn't
know it) and thus could not find the submenu Language... under
Tools>, add a sentence or two explaining unchecking 5.1 to correct
this. Interestingly, once I unchecked View 5.1 menus, the option no
longer appears under View. Worth mentioning?

2. In the first graph under fixes, you may wish to describe the "line"
in the check box as a "dash", suggesting it's horizontal. Minor item.

2. In this same para., you might add, as a second option, the use of
find/replace. Here's what Word's help explains under troubleshooting:

" If some text is marked with the Do not check spelling or grammar
format, Word skips it during a spelling and grammar check. For example,
Word automatically marks fields such as DATE and TIME with the Do not
check spelling or grammar format so the spelling and grammar checker
won't question them. To locate such text or fields and remove the Do
not check spelling or grammar format:
1. On the Edit menu, click Replace.
2. In the Find what box, delete any text.
3. Click the arrow in the lower left corner of the Find and Replace
dialog box, and then click Format.
4. Click Language, and then select the Do not check spelling or grammar
check box.
5. In the Replace with box, delete any text, and then click Format.
6. Click Language, and then clear the Do not check spelling or grammar
check box.
7. Click Find Next, and then click Replace"

I would add a step #8: Click Replace All. This way you're sure the
whole doc has been searched. You may wish to explain that using the
find/replace option uncovers the hidden "Do not check..." instructions.


Again, I am extremely grateful to you for responding so thoroughly to
my dilemma. You are indeed an MVP. I shall be sharing your instructions
with my fellow writers. With very best wishes, John G.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Thanks very much for the excellent review and edit, John G.

1. For folks like me who had View> Word 5.1 menus checked (and didn't
know it) and thus could not find the submenu Language... under
Tools>, add a sentence or two explaining unchecking 5.1 to correct
this. Interestingly, once I unchecked View 5.1 menus, the option no
longer appears under View. Worth mentioning?

Actually, it's appropriate to make this a new subsection on the page and
link to it. Thanks for the idea.

2. In the first graph under fixes, you may wish to describe the "line"
in the check box as a "dash", suggesting it's horizontal. Minor item.
Done.

2. In this same para., you might add, as a second option, the use of
find/replace. Here's what Word's help explains under troubleshooting:

Embraced the principle, but redirected people to Help. Thanks again,
article much improved.

Daiya

 

[JohnG]

Daiya,

Thanks for your comments, and kind words. I agree, with your latest
edits, the revised article on spell checking is definitive.

JohnG