Voice Control dictation capitalizing mid-sentence, after pauses

Question

Level 1

12 points

Voice Control dictation capitalizing mid-sentence, after pauses

When I use dictation, if I pause in the middle of a sentence, It often capitalizes words that are in the middle of a sentence. It *seems* to sometimes capitalize the word I say after the pause. But not always. In that last sentence, I paused three times and it made the mistake once (It).

More of my interaction with the computer is through dictation, right now, due to injury, and this slows things down considerably.

This erroneous capitalization happens frequently BUT intermittently. Why does this occur and is there a workaround? (There seem to be no settings that allow one to set a rule for pausing/capitalization -- but maybe I've missed them!)

p.s. This problem was posted before and I used some of the OP's text. Also, a reply to the OP listed other issues they were having, and I have these as well:

-adding a space before beginning a sentence if it is a new paragraph

-choosing toCapitalize and run together two words mid-sentence

Thanks for your help!

Nico

MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 14.5

Posted on Aug 16, 2024 11:46 AM

Reply

Answer 1

brbo

Level 8

35,921 points

Aug 20, 2024 10:01 PM in response to nico.suave

Hi Nico,

Re: Voice Control dictation capitalizing mid-sentence, after pauses

This erroneous capitalization happens frequently BUT intermittently. Why does this occur and is there a workaround? (There seem to be no settings that allow one to set a rule for pausing/capitalization -- but maybe I've missed them!)

Am no expert on Voice Control, yet your questions certainly deserve some response.

_____________________

Re: Why does this occur

It seems Voice Control is mistaking a pause you make for the end of a sentence. After the pause Voice Control capitalizes what you say next as if it is another sentence.

______________________

Re: is there a workaround?

You can try saying "Stop listening" to pause Voice Control when you want to pause, then say "Start Listening" when ready to resume.

or

You can try using the command "Correct that" and speak the complete sentence.

You may want to view this (non-Apple) video for tips on "How To Use Voice Control for Dictation on Your Mac": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6Pzvm_KGNE&t=373s (takes > 13 minutes)

_________________________________________________________________

Re: "-adding a space before beginning a sentence if it is a new paragraph"

"-choosing to Capitalize and run together two words mid-sentence"

The article: Use Voice Control commands to interact with your Mac - Apple Support

Says you can:

See what commands you can use

Voice Control: Say “Show commands”.

or

Customize Voice Control on Mac - Apple Support

Says you can:

Turn standard commands on or off

On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Settings, click Accessibility in the sidebar, then click Voice Control on the right. (You may need to scroll down.)
Click Commands, then

Turn a command on: Select its tick box. Voice Control listens only for selected commands.
Turn a command off: Deselect its tick box.

or

See how to Create your own commands

You can follow the step-by-step guidance in the above (linked) article.

_______________________

More info. in this Resource:

Voice Control, Switch Control, and Accessibility Keyboard User Guide for Mac - Apple Support

If you need more expert help or support with the Voice Control feature:

You may want to contact Apple's Accessibility Support Team:

See: How to contact Apple for accessibility support - Apple Support

or

Apple's Accessibility Support Website (NB: You can "Get Support" (online chat / phone / email etc.) from the link at the bottom of their website:) Accessibility Support - Official Apple Support

All the best :-)

Reply