Inserting special characters in text

Make sure the NUM LOCK button is on. Depress the ALT key while you type the four- digit number using the numeric keypad on the right side of the keyboard.

(The numbered keys, above the letters on your keyboard, will not work.)

Release the ALT key. The character should appear. It works, but it is finicky. Sometimes you have to press the number keys harder than usual. A couple times,

I had to press the ENTER key to make the character appear.

The mark over a vowel for the long sound is called a macron. The curved mark for a short sound is a breve. Here are the shortcuts:

Macrons

Lower case ā: ALT+0257

Upper case Ā: ALT+0256

Lower case ē ALT+0275

Upper case Ē: ALT+0274

Lower case ī: ALT+0299

Upper case Ī: ALT+0298

Lower case ō: ALT+0333

Upper case Ō: ALT+0332

Lower case ū: ALT+0363

Upper case Ū: ALT+0362

Breves

Lower case ǎ ALT+0462

Upper case Ǎ: ALT+0461

Lower case ě ALT+0283

Upper case Ě: ALT+0282

Lower case ǐ: ALT+0464

Upper case Ǐ: ALT+0463

Lower case ŏ: ALT+0335

Upper case Ŏ: ALT+0334

Lower case ǔ: ALT+0468

Upper case Ǔ: ALT+0467

Once you have inserted a special character in a document, you can copy and paste it. Or you can continue to use the above method.

These special characters are also in Character Map in Windows. So you can get these and other characters there.

Character Map is available in Windows 98, ME, 2000 and XP. To find it, click Start>>All Programs (or Programs)>>Accessories>>System Tools. If you have Windows

98 or ME, and you do not find it in System Tools, you will have to install it. To do that, click Start>>Settings>>Control Panel. Double-click Add/Remove

Programs.

On the Windows Setup tab, highlight System Tools. Click Details. Check Character Map in the program list. Click OK. Insert your Windows disk. When Windows

finishes downloading the needed files, click OK.

Return to System Tools and double-click Character Map. You will see a drop down list of fonts. Select the font that you are using in your document.

Find the character you want--such as “ā”--and click it. Click Select>>Copy. Go to your document and place the cursor where you want to insert the character.

Then click Edit>>Paste, or use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+v. The character will remain on your clipboard, so you can continue to paste it elsewhere.