[Decon]

View how to video here https://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,327833.0.html


Anyone tell me if Word, or any other software package like grammarly could find all the start and end quote errors below. I can't do curly quotes but I include quotes the wrong way around in asking.

If not, would it be of interest to be able find everyone of the errors for free in your MS.

There is a free stand alone solution, but I didn't know if it would be of benefit. I wanted to know if It would be of use or if other programs could find all the errors. If it is if use and after I've tried the Word extensions mentioned and say they don't find the errors, I'll do a video and post it on here.

'What time is it?" I asked, "not even sure what day it was.
"Three-thirty, she said.
" We should go."
"Why? We've only just arrived,"" she said. "
I could see she wasn't pleased."

 

[markpauloleksiw]

Grammarly would pick that up.

 

[ImaWriter]

'What time is it?" I asked, "not even sure what day it was.
"Three-thirty, she said.
" We should go."
"Why? We've only just arrived,"" she said. "
I could see she wasn't pleased."

The free version of Grammarly said you needed to change the punctuation. That's all it found.

The paid version of PRA said you needed a comma before this quote, and that you needed to make sure all brackets and quotes in this paragraph were closed. But it only highlighted the last one.

I colour coded the quotes to match the text, but it might be hard to see.

 

[Picky Cat Editing]

PerfectIt is good at spotting missing opening or closing quotes. There's a free plugin for Word called Consistency Checker from the same people but it's been a while since I've used the plugin so I don't remember if it catches them too.

 

[Decon]

Grammarly would pick that up.

Apparently not for the free version, according to aImawriter's post (which I really appreciate the time taken to run it through the software) So grammarly is a bust.

PRA didn't fare any better for the paid version.

 

[Decon]

PerfectIt is good at spotting missing opening or closing quotes. There's a free plugin for Word called Consistency Checker from the same people but it's been a while since I've used the plugin so I don't remember if it catches them too.

Does perfectit pick out say a single quote mixed with a double quote, or say curly quotes the wrong way around?

I'll download Consistency Checker add-on for Word. it has some useful things Word doesn't have for editing, but it doesn't mention quotes.

Surprised with 124 views no one is saying they'd be interested in software that could locate and highlight every error in my sample

I write fast and in one MS of a 95000 word draft I found 54 such errors I was going to do a video to explain how it's done but there doesn't seem to be much interest

 

[GTurnbull]

Probably no easy way to do it, especially if it's in one massive manuscript. How I generally try and target specific things throughout a document is with Microsoft Word find function.
I'd put " in the find field, put the little bar to the top right, and click find next. It will navigate to the next instance of that in your document, if its all good, click find next, if that needs to be fixed, fix it, and then click find next.
Sorry if you already know about this and it's of no help. Just the only way I can think to hone in on dialogue chronologically in a document with just a click instead of scrolling through and reading the whole thing start to finish for the bazillionith time. Obviously wont work finding dialogue if no quotation marks were used, but you could always use words you would use for dialogue tags. He said. She said. Or just 'said'.
Still time consuming and even after using that method to fix any errors, you're probably still in for a bazillion and one read through afterwards just to be sure.
Pro writing and Grammarly would find it, but sometimes can be slow and will pick up things you've already used their advice on. Unsure if those programs would have a way of navigating specifically to dialogue without having to scroll through the whole text.

 

[Decon]

Probably no easy way to do it, especially if it's in one massive manuscript. How I generally try and target specific things throughout a document is with Microsoft Word find function.
I'd put " in the find field, put the little bar to the top right, and click find next. It will navigate to the next instance of that in your document, if its all good, click find next, if that needs to be fixed, fix it, and then click find next.
Sorry if you already know about this and it's of no help. Just the only way I can think to hone in on dialogue chronologically in a document with just a click instead of scrolling through and reading the whole thing start to finish for the bazillionith time. Obviously wont work finding dialogue if no quotation marks were used, but you could always use words you would use for dialogue tags. He said. She said. Or just 'said'.
Still time consuming and even after using that method to fix any errors, you're probably still in for a bazillion and one read through afterwards just to be sure.
Pro writing and Grammarly would find it, but sometimes can be slow and will pick up things you've already used their advice on. Unsure if those programs would have a way of navigating specifically to dialogue without having to scroll through the whole text.

Yeah I found that with Word. I'm talking about something specific that would easily find and highlight everyone of the errors. Only putting them right would take time.

 

[Llano]

There is a Word macro that does what you want. I tried several times to post it but it keeps getting blocked for security purposes. Apparently the forum is running software that considers a Word macro to be a security threat.

I'll try to PM it, but that might get blocked too.

Edit: It got blocked also. PM me an email address and I'll send it.

 

[GTurnbull]

Yeah I found that with Word. I'm talking about something specific that would easily find and highlight everyone of the errors. Only putting them right would take time.

Fair enough. What you described would be pretty good. Let us know how you go with that Macro for word that was suggested above, anything that saves time, easy to use, accurate and free, is a godsend in purging subsequent drafts of errors.

 

[Melisse]

Language Tool Add on for Google Docs does a good job. It will only do 3 pages at a time in the free version.

 

[J. Tanner]

Language Tool Add on for Google Docs does a good job. It will only do 3 pages at a time in the free version.

I'm assuming you mean the LanguageTool extension. I copied his sample text into Google Docs with that extension enabled, and it didn't find a single one of his issues.

The Word macro seems to be the best bet... for those using Word, so, not me.

I'm surprised not a single general purpose tool seems to handle these common quote typos. They're a chore to check, but I do it all the time too because I know they'll be wrong somewhere.

Where's our programming friends like Simon Haynes to solve this problem for us?

 

[Decon]

I'm assuming you mean the LanguageTool extension. I copied his sample text into Google Docs with that extension enabled, and it didn't find a single one of his issues.

The Word macro seems to be the best bet... for those using Word, so, not me.

I'm surprised not a single general purpose tool seems to handle these common quote typos. They're a chore to check, but I do it all the time too because I know they'll be wrong somewhere.

There is a free stand alone solution, but I didn't know if it would be of benefit. I wanted to know if It would be of use or if other programs could find all the errors. If it is if use and after I've tried the Word extensions mentioned and say they don't find the errors, I'll do a video and post it on here.

 

[Nicole Simon]

(the preview shows it right, but i cannot get it to post properly - the "" below are the fancy versions of " backtick and fronttick. Since they are different characters, they can be treated differently. this link shows what that is: https://www.lighthouseproofreading.co.uk/blog/how-to-use-smart-quotes )
For reference:
Word has a very powerful search and replace with patterns which includes wildcards. Once you know what you are searching for, you can do a lot with it as well as record the macro of doing so. When people talk about macros in word and excel it usually means "get a list of what you want to do, get it into the right order and record it, then replay it to get the desired effect"
For this you could for example match "*" (given that all your qoutes are matches" and more.

Second there is autocorrect - and unless the settings are set badly you can use it to have word "correct" into typography quotes -
from " to "" (Go to File > Options > Proofing and select AutoCorrect Options.). This may not be what you want in the end but while writing it has a very special benefit:
it is hard to correctly match spaces with just " as "space can be after the end of the quotes or the beginning.
" " she said
however is clear: " and space is wrong but " and space is right. Because they are dedicated characters the can easily be replaces.
By recording the macro and adding it to the quickbar you also keep control of what is done.

Once you are finished with editing in word, it is as easy to record a macro to replace all fancy formatting " " with " " to then move it to other places.

This replace macro can also just replace something with the same plus color / format styles - you can f.e. use that to highlight and format with color certain pet peeves of yours or things you want to not have (special words)

I'm surprised not a single general purpose tool seems to handle these common quote typos.

most professional tools have ways to deal with them properly in various ways (f.e. word has autocorrect already on to remove wrong spaces in most cases), but they need to be used.

You can get a proper licence of office 2019 keys through ebay for about 15 bucks - even if you dont use it much but only for the readily available macros to save time, i would consider worth it.

 

[Decon]

(the preview shows it right, but i cannot get it to post properly - the "" below are the fancy versions of " backtick and fronttick. Since they are different characters, they can be treated differently. this link shows what that is: https://www.lighthouseproofreading.co.uk/blog/how-to-use-smart-quotes )
For reference:

No, the problem is not changing smart quotes to curly quotes, it's fining the errors I listed whichWord doesn't do. I'll make video with the solution and it's free to set up. It won't matter if you use Word or not for it to work.

 

[Lyndawrites]

No, the problem is not changing smart quotes to curly quotes, it's fining the errors I listed whichWord doesn't do. I'll make video with the solution and it's free to set up. It won't matter if you use Word or not for it to work.

Yes, please, Decon. I, for one, would find it very useful.

 

[deanna c]

I'd find that software useful if it's easier to use than a Word macro.

 

[Decon]

I'd find that software useful if it's easier to use than a Word macro.

Okay, I'll give it a go. Never done one before, so we'll so how it goes

 

[Melisse]

I use the add-on in GoogleDocs, not the extension. I highlight three pages and choose the 'selected paragraph' option. It finds quote  issues for me all the time.

 

[Decon]

Yes, please, Decon. I, for one, would find it very useful.

Nearly done. I just need to tape my phone to a brick or something because I dont have a tripod. lol.

I'll do a new thread with a link when it's done.