Want to Choose Better Words?

Want to Choose Better Words?

Our words matter.

Our words have always mattered, but they matter more now that the Internet gives us the power to make our words permanently¹ public.

Words might help or hurt someone. Our words may have more power than we believe them to have when we use them.

Yet how many people truly think about every word they write?

Two new extensions for the Chrome browser² can help you choose your words.

One extension, called reword, highlights words that have the power to hurt others. The other, called Just Not Sorry, will show you when your words take away your power.

Both extensions are free and work only with the Chrome browser.

reword

Reword is an extension that helps show what words can be harmful. When users type a word, phrase or sentence that seems insulting, abusive, or hurtful, a red line will cross the word or words.

The extension is similar to a spell checker. Reword does not block words. It simple alerts users to language that might offend.

An Australian team developed reword to combat cyberbullying. The developers realized that people, especially children, may not understand which words might deeply affect others.

The developers' testing showed that 79 percent of children changed their words when prompted to by reword.

Chris Tanti is a developer of reword. He praised how it can, in his words, “change online behavior by stopping insults in the moment before they are posted.”

A video on YouTube shows the thinking behind reword.

The reword website permits users to add words they think should be included in the extension.

The reword extension is free. It can be found at the Google Chrome store.

Just Not Sorry

Just Not Sorry is a Chrome extension that is, in many ways, the opposite of reword. Reword is meant to soften⁴ language. Just Not Sorry is designed to empower language.

Developers at the company Cyrus Innovation created Just Not Sorry. They said some people weaken their messages by using apologetic words. So they invented a tool that highlights such words in a writing.

Just Not Sorry works only in Gmail, as a Chrome extension.

It works like this: When a message is created in Gmail, Just Not Sorry will highlight the words that weaken the message.

A dotted orange line will appear below the weak words. Examples of such words include "sorry," "just," "I think," and "I'm no expert." An explanation of why the words were highlighted will also appear.

Users can then choose to change the words or not. The words will not be highlighted in the copy sent.

Just Not Sorry is also available at no cost from the Google Chrome store.

Words in This Story

extension - n. a small software program that can be added on to a browser

browser -  n. a computer program that is used to find and look at information on the Internet

spell checker -  n.  a computer program that finds and corrects misspelled words in documents, e-mail, etc.

cyberbully - v. the use of electronic communication to bully³ a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating⁵ or threatening nature.

prompt - v. to cause (someone) to do something

1 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

2 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

3 bully   

n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮

参考例句：

• A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。
• The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。

4 soften   

v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和

参考例句：

• Plastics will soften when exposed to heat.塑料适当加热就可以软化。
• This special cream will help to soften up our skin.这种特殊的护肤霜有助于使皮肤变得柔软。

5 intimidating   

vt.恐吓，威胁( intimidate的现在分词)

参考例句：

• They were accused of intimidating people into voting for them. 他们被控胁迫选民投他们的票。
• This kind of questioning can be very intimidating to children. 这种问话的方式可能让孩子们非常害怕。