Can you help me with inserting French (or for that matter any language) accent marks in Word when using an English keyboard?
 

My help function says that if I want an accent grave, for example, I do control + the ` and then the letter. I can't seem to get this to work for me. I've tried holding all 3 at the same time. I've tried doing this sequentially. I've tried doing the ctrl + ` together and then the letter. What's the trick? Thanks.

I always go to the Insert menu, select Symbol, then choose the desired character (with accent) from the character map. It's cumbersome, but not too big a deal.

press control down the whole time--never let go
type the `
then type the e

The keystrokes they describe work for me (ctrl+` then the letter), but if you have office 2003 you can also get this download:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en

Hi julies. I can't help you if you're working with Windows, but on the off-chance you're using a Mac, it's this way:

- hold down the option key and type `
- release both keys and type e
- you'll get è


You can get all sorts of accents in accents using the same approach:

- é is option and e, then e
- â is option and i, then a
- ç is option and c
- € is option and shift and 2

You can capitalize them, too:

- É is option and e, then shift and e

Anselm

Wow! Thanks much. I knew I could get instant help here. I'm going back to give it a try now.

Reporting back. Mr go's suggestion seems to work for me. I can't seem to get ellenem's approach to work. I'm using windows and perhaps it is the way our computer is set up. Thanks again.

Heartfelt thanks from a clueless Mac user, Anselm. Having a bit of trouble with the /a/ though. What am I doing incorrrectly?

è é å ç €

Here's how I do it:

1. Press 'Num Lock'

2. Holding down 'Alt' (- left of space bar) type 3/4 figure code below (- using number pad on right)

e.g. For à hold down 'Alt' and type 133 (- then release Alt ) ... etc

à = 133
è = 138
ì = 141
ò = 149
ù = 151
À = 0192
È = 0200
Ì = 0204
Ò = 0210
Ù = 0217

Hope this helps ...

Steve

I have Windows and type them now and again (at least weekly), and find it a lot easier to just type the code in rather than using the insert menu and selecting characters, etc., as Mr Go does. I type them enough so that I have the main characters memorized, but there is a chart in the Character Map section that gives you the keystrokes for each character. I don't know if you can print a list, I had to write them down one by one, as the keystroke shows when you point to one.

Basically, you have to click on Start, the "All Programs" (at bottom of that window), then Accessories, then System Tools, then Character Map.

When that opens with the chart, if you point to a character, like e with accent grave, the keystroke sequece (4 digits) is shown in the bottom right hand corner of the screen). The letter plus accent mark makes the symbol.

So, then when you are typing, you have to have the NUMLOCK key on, and then you hold down the ALT key, and while holding it down, type in the 4-digits sequentially, then let go of the ALT. (ie, e with accent grave is ALT plus 0232).

This is a little cumbersome in that some functions won't type correctly with the NUMLOCK on (mainly the DEL key), but most letters and the backspace work correctly with it on. Of course, you have to write out the characters and their key sequences to have a chart available if you want to use them a lot. If you are only doing it once or occasionally, it would probably be easier to use the insert menu within Word and pick them out as Mr Go does.

or...
'Start'
'Programs'
'Accessories'
'System Tools'
'Character Map'
et voila!

Here's the complete list:

Holding down 'Alt' and using number pad on right:
('Num Lock' must be on)

à = 133 or 0224
á = 160 or 0225

è = 138 or 0232
é = 130 or 0233

ì = 141 or 0236
í = 161 or 0237

Steve

ò = 149 or 0242
ó = 162 or 0243

ù = 151 or 0249
ú = 163 or 0250

Note that the keyboard shortcuts above are good for word-processor documents, but if the text is to be read by all kinds of computers using many different rendering programs (such as web browsers), the characters may come out garbled. I'm sure you've seen strange gobblydegook characters in some posts: well, now you know why.

To avoid this syndrome, use the universal HTML &quot;escape&quot; sequences, such as <b>&amp;pound;</b> for <b>&pound;</b> or <b>&amp;eacute;</b> for <b>&eacute;</b>, and so on.

For characters that don't have names like the above, it's best to use the HTML numeric codes, such as <b>&amp;#254;</b> for <b>þ</b>.

Is using the control key working for you? I always use &quot;alt&quot;, as in alt135=&ccedil;

<b>&amp;ccedil;</b> = <b>&ccedil;</b> (see above).

Betsy, nice to see another Mac user.

I might not have been perfectly clear in my first post. If you would like an accent grave on an a, it's the same sequence as &egrave;, except you insert an a, like so:

&agrave; is option and `, then a

What I was illustrating in my first post was a circomflexe (I think that is how it is spelled), the little tent over an o or an a, like this: ˆ

So, the circumflexe on the o in h&ocirc;tel or on the a in ch&acirc;teau is constructed this way:

&ocirc; is option and i, then o
&acirc; is option and i, then a

Hope this helps.

Anselm

<b>Steve_James</b>:
Thanks, bud. That list might come in handy some day. Certainly more efficient than using Character Map.

This is a survey - anyone can answer.

Did you read what I wrote above?
Do you understand it?
Do you think it matters?

(If no one does, I can save myself some trouble in future.)

Robespierre - I think I finally got it, thanks to you!

Yippee - I hate spelling foreign words without the accents. I have a laptop and therefore don't have a &quot;number pad&quot; on the right. And no combination of numbers was working, no matter ALT or CTRL.

But what you've told me works - Je suis tr&egrave;s excit&eacute;e!

Merci,
mom

LOL, Anselm. My Mac is an old PowerBook G4, using OS 9.2 and an old version of Explorer. Getting ready to upgrade to a iMac G5. About time, wouldn't you say?

Like I mentioned, I'm clueless with the accents, but thanks to you, I've got it now!