Hi all,

Thank you Ann for mentioning this little known option . Below is what
Jaws10 & Jaws12 says about Smart Word Reading. I included both because
Jaws10 explains it much better & there might be some list members who don't
have Jaws10 installed

Jaws10;
In previous JAWS releases, when issuing the Say Word command, JAWS would
only read the current word or character when the cursor was positioned on a
text

unit,

such as a compound word, telephone number, date, time, or math equation.
With Smart Word Reading enabled, JAWS now reads the entire text

unit when the Say Word command is issued.



Note: Cursor movement is controlled by the application. So, if Microsoft
Word's cursor normally navigates the entire

text unit as one word or number, then JAWS will read it the same way.
Likewise, if an application, such as WordPad,

navigates through each component of the text unit, then JAWS will read it
the same way.



For example, in the sentence, "She is my sister-in-law," if the cursor is
placed anywhere on the word "sister," JAWS would say "sister." However,

with Smart Word Reading, JAWS will now say the entire compound word,
"sister-in-law."



Likewise, in the sentence, "The appointment was at 2:00 P.M.," JAWS would
say "colon" if the cursor was placed between the digit 2 and the colon.

Now with Smart Word Reading enabled, JAWS will say the entire text unit as
two o'clock.



As a final example, let's look at how JAWS reads a telephone number. If the
cursor is placed between the dash and the 444 in the telephone number
1-800-444-4443,

previous JAWS versions would say, "444." With Smart Word Reading enabled,
JAWS reads the entire telephone number as, "1-800-444-4443."



Jaws12;


Select this check box to have JAWS read the entire text unit, such as a
compound word, telephone number, date, time, or math equation, when using
the Say
Word command. Note: Cursor movement is controlled by the application. So,
if Microsoft Word's cursor normally navigates the entire text unit as one
word
or number, then the text is read in the same way. Likewise, if an
application, such as WordPad, navigates through each component of the text
unit, then
JAWS will read it the same way. This check box is selected by default.

Hope this helps. Take care.
Mike