Dictation into a Word Processor is much like dictation into the NaturallySpeaking window. On "less powerful" machines this type of dictation may be slower than dictation into NaturallySpeaking. On "faster" machines you may not notice a difference.
If dictating into Word97 seems excruciatingly slow, verify that you are using Service Release 1 or 2. Without these fixes from Microsoft, you could dictate a page and then drink a cup of coffee while you wait for the words to appear.
For both Word and WordPerfect, the basic operation is the same. Start the Word Processor, then click on the "Dragon NaturallySpeaking" item on the taskbar. Select "Use Natural Word" and NaturallySpeaking will be opened.
Within the word processor, there may be a few idiosyncrasies - for instance, you might not be able to dictate into a footnote or certain types of constructs. But for most writing, these will not be noticed. With WordPerfect 8, we suggest running it in a window about 1/2 the vertical size of your screen -- believe it or not, this seems to avoid some problems!
If dictating into the Word Processor is too slow, consider dictating into the NaturallySpeaking window and then copying the text to the word processor for formatting.
Lesson 5
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