Sometimes you want to mark just a word or two so that some command can operate on them. The normal way to do that is with 【Ctrl+Space Meta+f … Meta+f】 but there’s a slightly faster way. To mark one word, just type 【Meta+@】. If you want to mark the next N words, type 【Meta+N Meta+@】. Similarly, to mark the previous N words, type 【Meta+– Meta+N Meta+@】.
The documentation for this command describes it as setting the mark ARG words away from the point and mentions that the mark goes in the same place that it would if you were moving by 【Meta+f】 with the same ARG.
Summary
| Key Sequence | Action |
|---|---|
| 【Meta+@】 | Mark the next word |
| 【Meta+N Meta+@】 | Mark the next N words |
| 【Meta+– Meta+N Meta+@】 | Mark the previous N words |