In order to make an annotation, you first have to select a time interval. ELAN supports the following options:
making and saving a selection on an independent tier (the section called “Making a selection on an independent tier”);
making and saving a selection on an independent tier while playing (the section called “Using the selection controls”);
making and saving a selection on a referring tier (the section called “Making and saving a selection on a referring tier”);
deselecting a selection (the section called “Deselecting a selection”);
changing the time alignment of an existing selection (the section called “Changing the boundaries of an existing selection and annotation”);
activating and deactivating the Bulldozer mode (the section called “Activating and deactivating the Bulldozer mode or Shift mode”).