Getting VoiceOver to read text

I have just begun to use VoiceOver. My real issue is that while I am able to navigate the cursor around my screen, I am not able to get VoiceOver to speak in the text or html content areas. I know that I have missed something very basic, but it has eluded me for several hours of looking through VoiceOver Help. What I want to use VoiceOver for primarily is reading text -- e-mails, articles, PDFs and Word documents. I have enough vision to see what is on the screen but any lengthy text is difficult and tiring for me to read, even with magnification.
I am working on an iMac G4.
Can anyone get me started?
What I would really love is a basic step by step guide, especially covering the preferences options.
Thanks,
Mary

Hello and welcome, Mary!
When you get to a "Text Content" or "HTML Content" box, you have to "interact with" it by pressing Ctrl-Option-Shift-Down Arrow. If it doesn't immediately start reading, press Ctrl-Option-A.
For a superb general introduction to VoiceOver, have a look at . For someone with useable sight, the keyboard layout with commands in colour on the Apple website is a very good way of finding all the possible functions quickly, and is available here. You can print it out as big as you like and stick it on the wall next to the computer!
Enjoy your iMac and VoiceOver!
Archie

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Welcome to the Apple family!!!!
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Press Control-Option and F5. The F5 key is located on the top row of keys 6th key over. This is a toggling "Keyboard Shortcut" for turning VoiceOver on and off.
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Step 1: Go to the Website
A quick keyboard shortcut is Command-L. This will jump you up to the address bar. Start typing where you want to go. i.e "www.thewebsite.com"
Step 2: Working with Webpage
VoiceOver will automatically start reading the website. You can pause the speech by hitting the 'Control Button'.
If VoiceOver does not being reading the webpage, then you might have to "Interact" with it. If VoiceOver say "HTML Content" then press Control-Option-Space-Down Arrow to interact with the webpage.
Use Control-Option-Right Arrow to move throught the website. This will speak "EVERYTHING" on the page.
Most website that I've found have their articles labeled as 'Heading'. You can jump from heading to heading, by pressing Control-Option-Shift-H.
If you'd like an itemized alphabetical listing of the site, press Control-Option-I
Press Control-Option-Space on the link or article you want to view.
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Once you found and clicked on the the article/link, use the same 'Heading' command, Control-Option-Shift-H to find the title.
After finding the title, press Control-Option-A will start reading from the title on.
Note: If there are any other items (ads, pictures, etc) it will read those too.
Tip: You might be able to activate a feature called the 'Reader'. The Reader isolates the article and elimanates the ads The keyboard command is Shift-Command-R. You can also find it in the Menu Bar (Command-Option-M) under the word 'View' then 'Show Reader'.
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Chapter 6: Browsing the internet
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VoiceOver standard gestures
If you’re using a Multi-Touch trackpad, you can use VoiceOver gestures. VoiceOver provides a set of standard gestures for navigating and interacting with items on the screen. You can’t modify this set of gestures.
NOTE:Gestures that don’t mention a specific number of fingers are single-finger gestures.
General
Enable the Trackpad Commander and VoiceOver gestures
VO-Two-finger rotate clockwise
Disable the Trackpad Commander and VoiceOver gestures
VO-Two-finger rotate counterclockwise
Turn the screen curtain on or off
Three-finger triple-tap
Mute or unmute VoiceOver
Three-finger double-tap
Navigation
Force the VoiceOver cursor into a horizontal or vertical line when you drag a finger across the trackpad
Hold down the Shift key and drag a finger horizontally or vertically
Move the VoiceOver cursor to the next item
Flick right
Move the VoiceOver cursor to the previous item
Flick left
Move content or the scroll bar (depending on the Trackpad Commander setting)
Three-finger flick in any direction
Go to the Dock
This gesture moves the VoiceOver cursor to the Dock wherever it’s positioned on the screen
Two-finger double-tap near the bottom of the trackpad
Go to the menu bar
Two-finger double-tap near the top of the trackpad
Open the Application Chooser
Two-finger double-tap on the left side of the trackpad
Open the Window Chooser
Two-finger double-tap on the right side of the trackpad
Jump to another area of the current application
Press Control while touching a finger on the trackpad
Interaction
Speak the item in the VoiceOver cursor or, if there isn’t an item, play a sound effect to indicate a blank area
Touch (includes tap or dragging)
Select an item
Double-tap anywhere on the trackpad
You can also split-tap (touch one finger and then tap with a second finger on the trackpad)
Start interacting with the item in the VoiceOver cursor
Two-finger flick right
Stop interacting with the item in the VoiceOver cursor
Two-finger flick left
Scroll one page up or down
Three-finger flick up or down
Escape (close a menu without making a selection)
Two-finger scrub back and forth
Increase or decrease the value of a slider, splitter, stepper, or other control
Flick up (increase) or flick down (decrease)
Text
Read the current page, starting at the top
Two-finger flick up
Read from the VoiceOver cursor to the end of the current page
Two-finger flick down
Pause or resume speaking
Two-finger tap
Describe what’s in the VoiceOver cursor
Three-finger tap
Change how VoiceOver reads text (by word, line, sentence, or paragraph)
Press the Command key while touching a finger on the trackpad
Rotor
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Two-finger rotate
Move to the previous item based on the rotor setting
Flick up
Move to the next item based on the rotor setting
Flick down
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Assigning VoiceOver commands to gestures
If you need a reminder about what a gesture does, press VO-K to start keyboard help, and then use the gesture on the trackpad and listen to the description.
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Sorry lots of information. Enjoy. You

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I have tried everything I know. I read all the comments here, I searched, I googled ,
How do you basically get this utility to work.
I found it in the Utilities folder. Its here. I dragged the voiceover icon onto the desktop.
I followed the suggestions in the help menu.
I highlighted the text I wanted read.
I made sure the cursor was at the beginning.
I used the short cut cmd. F5
Do I need to highlight the text I want read?
Do I need to select the text?
Nothing seems to be working.
I just want to know the basics

Hello moh2o!
VoiceOver is not a simple utility for reading text, though it does this extremely well. It is a full spoken interface for OS X, and enables blind users to use the Mac with keyboard commands only.
To learn to use it, leaving the VoiceOver utility where it is, as Tom suggested, simply activate VoiceOver using the command-F5 keystroke, then press Ctrl-Option-Command-F8. You will hear a tutorial which gives you the basics of handling your Mac with VoiceOver.
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HTH
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