Tech Tips for Writers is an (almost) weekly post on overcoming Tech Dread. I’ll cover issues that friends, both real-time and virtual, have shared. Feel free to post a comment about a question you have. I’ll cover it in a future Tip.
Q: I have foregin words in my novel and need a quick way to add accents to words. Can you help?
A: You can go through the symbols library, but there’s an easier way. Use the Ctrl key + a symbol + a letter. Here is a table:
Keyboard shortcuts for accents, etc.
You probably always wondered what that key was to the left of the ‘1’, under the tilde.
Questions you want answered? Email me at askatechteacher@structuredlearning.net and I’ll answer it within the next thirty days.
More Tech Tips for writers:
Tech Tips for Writers #54: How to Auto Forward a PowerPoint Slideshow
Tech Tips for Writers #53: How to Pin Any Program to the Start Menu
Tech Tips for Writers #51: Copy Images From Google Images
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman
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Simple enough Jacqui. But I had no clue about it 😦 Tried it out in Word. Do not seem to work on this page. Are these Word Processor specific? In any case, thanks for your continued tips and suggestions.
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No, it should work. I’ve noticed I have to work at them sometimes. The ones I use often–like the Spanish accent–flow, but the rest can be challenging.
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Reblogged this on quirkywritingcorner and commented:
So helpful! Sometimes Spellcheck will make the correction for me.
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Thanks for the reblog!
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Can those really be done by just 2 hands of fingers? Of course, I couldn’t do it anyway because I just have the one hand of fingers to use. Now here at WordPress, the editor has a tab to the accents and almost anything else you can’t find on your straight keyboard. Interesting to know though. 😛
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Piece of cake if you can do a Vulcan nerve pinch. Otherwise, it takes a bit of practice!
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Reblogged this on Jessica Marie Baumgartner.
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Thanks for the reblog!
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This is soooo freaking helpful! Thank you
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Glad to be of service, Jess! I use this list a lot, also. Way to much to memorize.
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Oh, and sometimes I Google the word, which shows up with accents, and copy and paste from there.
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That I’ve done, but not often. I really have to want to get it right!
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This is very helpful. I end up inserting a symbol from the task bar, but this is much easier.
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How do you insert a symbol from the task bar? That might be a new one for me.
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That is so much easier than the way I do it! (ALT button plus the assigned number). Thanks for the tip, Jacqui 😀
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There are so many of these. You find a list and memorize the ones you use. It’s so much easier.
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I completely agree. I love your tech tips 😀
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Reblogged this on georgeforfun.
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Thanks–again–for the reblog, George.
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My pleasure indeed ));<))))) , Jacqui ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
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I had NO idea this was possible. Thanks!
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Stick with me, kid. I’ll show you amazing things.
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Reblogged this on Fun Facts for Writing and commented:
I’ve always wondered how this was done 🙂
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Thanks for the reblog, Megan!
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You’re welcome! I put it under my ‘Writing Tips’ Page. I’m really liking your Tech Tips 🙂
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Another handy way to handle accented letters in Microsoft Word is through AutoCorrect. If it’s in a word you use a lot, you can look it up in the Symbols thing once, copy-paste it into the AutoCorrect menu, and then set it to always add that accent. It’s good for short term use–like when I was taking a class on the Spanish Conquest of Mesoamerica, and had a professor who was a stickler for accent marks, so I set the AutoCorrect to always put an accent mark on the “e” in Cortes–or long term, if you’re writing a novel or series, or whatever. (I *love* AutoCorrect. Rather, I love to *abuse* AutoCorrect. I use it to write out long words that I’m too lazy to write out (I had a place name that was three words long in a NaNo novel once) or character names I often mispell, like Atalanta.)
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That’s a great idea. I don’t use that tool much and I should.
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Fabulous. Saved and filed. Thank you, Jacqui.
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Fun techie tips. I’m full of them!
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Yes, you are and I’m glad I met you so I can borrow from your stash. 😀
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Useful table, though not so much for Icelandic, Swedish, Danish and Norwegian.
I load the relevant language and change from English to Swedish,
though some years ago I kept a Word document with the relevant letters and used copy and paste. Your method would be much better.
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If you Google Alt keys for your language, it does come up with a list.
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Thanks, Jacqui, I didn’t know that.
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Yay! This is fabulous!
Sometimes the computer will self correct but most of the time it ignores my pleading. Now I can affix the correct symbol and seem so erudite. Thank you, Jacqui. These tips are great.
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Yes–I forget which word it does that for. Always makes me happy.
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papier mache, for one – but didn’t auto correct here – lol
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If you’re using WORD, there’s also a “symbols” link in the menu where you can access all of them, but the keystrokes are definitely faster.
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Yes, I’ve played with symbols. There are so many, I can never find what I want. Probably just me.
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Thank you, thank you! Needed it yesterday
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Hah! Isn’t that how it always works,
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Yeah! Thank you – I am printing this out and will put it next to me, so often I just go mad trying to find certain letters, particularly for German and Swedish. Brilliant.
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Good point. Swedish–that would definitely send me to a Google search.
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Very good tip.
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Especially if you’re writing in Spanish!
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Si, pero, no escribo en español más. 😉
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Aren’t you the show off!
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I need to print this out and pin it on the wall! Thank you!
Sx
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Me too! The only one I remember is for Copyright–Alt+0169
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Reblogged this on Charles Ray's Ramblings and commented:
A useful chart for writers of any kind.
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Thanks for the reblog, Charlie
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So that’s how it’s done … thanks.
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In my case, I have to be desperate to dig out these shortkeys, but as a go-to tech person at my school, the Spanish teacher always asks. So I have to know.
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