Automatically Using Smart Quotes

"Smart quotes" is the Word phrase for what typographers call opening quotes and closing quotes. If you look at the quote marks in any printed book, you will notice that the quote marks at the beginning of a quote look different from those at the end; these are smart quotes, according to Word.

The opening quote is produced by holding down the Alt key and typing 0147 on the keypad. The closing quote is produced in the same fashion, only you type 0148 on the keypad. Since this can get rather tedious, Word has included an AutoFormat option that changes normal quotes with smart quotes. This option is set by default, but there may be times when you want to check the setting or turn off the option. You can find the option by following these steps:

1. Click the Office button and then click Word Options. Word displays the Word Options dialog box.
2. At the left side of the dialog box click Proofing.
3. Click AutoCorrect Options button. Word displays the AutoCorrect dialog box.
4. Make sure the AutoFormat As You Type tab is displayed. (Click here to see a related figure.)
5. Make sure the Straight Quotes with Smart Quotes option is selected.
6. Click OK to dismiss the AutoCorrect dialog box.
7. Click OK to dismiss the Word Options dialog box.

If you are using a version of Word prior to Word 2007, follow these steps instead:

1. Select AutoCorrect or AutoCorrect Options (depending on your version of Word) from the Tools menu. Word displays the AutoCorrect dialog box.
2. Click on the AutoFormat As You Type tab.
3. Make sure the Straight Quotes with Smart Quotes option is selected.
4. Click on OK.