It is *not* a left single quote in Word (which is what this NG is about); it
is a grave accent [U0060]. It can be used in the shortcut Ctrl+`, ` to
insert a left single quote if Word's AutoFormat As You Type doesn't do so
correctly, but it does not insert the left single quote character [U2018].
It is also an unwarranted intrusion in many contexts. I was frustrated for
years with one Web site to which I posted regularly that converted the '
character [U0027] to `, making, for example, "don't" appear as "don`t"--very
disconcerting.
--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org
"Ian Rastall" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 6 Mar 2010 12:16:04 -0600, "Suzanne S. Barnhill"
wrote:
I see no practical use of the ` at all
It's a left-single quote, which can be used for that purpose in any
software that recognizes it as such. TeX is one application that uses
it.
Ian