A new version 0.0.2 (1) has been released which adds the ability to import docx (Word) files and automatically detects if your computer has the required NLTK (Natural Language Tool Kit) resources downloaded. If they aren’t detected, the app will prompt you to download them.
If you have problems downloading via the link below, another option is to download the install file from the Reefwing Software GitHub repository (in the install/macOS directory). This is also a good spot to comment on any issues, bugs, or suggested enhancements.
Installation (macOS)
After downloading the dmg file (e.g., CopyEditor-0.0.2.dmg), locate this in downloads and double click on it. Double-clicking on a .dmg file, mounts the disk image file as a virtual disk on the desktop. The window shown below will be displayed. Drag the CopyEditor.app icon across to the Applications folder and wait for the file to be copied. After the software installation is complete, the disk image can be “ejected” like a physical disk, removing it from the desktop and unmounting it from the file system.
Overview
Copy Editor is a tool designed to enhance the writing process by providing real-time text analysis and editing suggestions. This app leverages advanced natural language processing techniques to offer a wide range of features, including grammar and spelling corrections, style improvements, and readability assessments. Key functionalities of the Copy Editor app include:
- AI Phrase Detection: Identifies and highlights phrases commonly overused in AI-generated content, helping users to refine their writing to ensure originality.
- Grammar and Spelling Checker: Utilizes an integrated spell checker to identify and suggest corrections for misspelled words or grammatical errors, improving the overall quality of the text.
- Readability Score: Calculates and presents a readability score based on sentence length and complexity, offering insights into how accessible the text is to its intended audience.
- Passive Voice Detection: Detects sentences written in passive voice and suggests active voice alternatives to make the writing more direct and engaging.
- Long Sentence Highlighting: Highlights long sentences that could potentially confuse readers, suggesting breaks or simplifications to enhance clarity.
The app is designed with a user-friendly interface, making it accessible to writers of all levels, from professionals to students. It aims to not only correct but also educate users on better writing practices, thus improving their writing skills over time. The integration of BeeWare’s Toga as a GUI framework allows the app to run on multiple platforms, providing a seamless experience across different operating systems.
This tool stands out by offering a comprehensive suite of editing tools in one package, emphasizing both the technical and stylistic aspects of writing. It’s an invaluable resource for anyone looking to polish their text to perfection.
The Issue Selection control allows you to target specific spelling or grammar issues (e.g., Spelling, Long Sentences, Passive Sentences, Possible AI Phrases, Adverbs, and Adjectives). Detected issues can be found in the Issue List, a table which has four headings (Type, Text, Options, and ID).
If you select All, a summary of the issue types are provided (e.g., Total Issues: 27 - [SP: 8, LS: 0, PS: 1, AI: 0, ADV: 6, ADJ: 18, IGN: 6]). The summary codes are:
- SP – Spelling
- LS – Long Sentences
- PS – Passive Sentences
- AI – Possible AI Phrases
- ADV – Adverbs
- ADJ – Adjectives
- IGN – Ignored
Selecting an issue will expand the issue tree branch of that particular issue, if there are any. Types with one or more issues will have a “>” before the name (e.g., > Spelling). Left clicking on the “>” will toggle revealing all issues associated with that type.
Issues can be selected by left clicking on them in the Issue List. On a Mac, press ⌘ or Shift, then click to select multiple items. For Windows and Linux, press Ctrl or Shift, then click to select multiple items.
Below the Issue List are four buttons:
- Add: This button is only enabled if you have selected one or more Spelling issues. Clicking this button will add the selected unknown words to the spelling dictionary. These words will then no longer be picked up by the Spell Checker. These additions are valid for all future spell checks on all documents.
- Correct: This button is only enabled if you have selected one Spelling issue. Clicking on the button will open up the Word Correction dialog, which will attempt to suggest replacement words. You can select one of these in the table or just type the word directly in the
Replacementbox. Then click onUse Wordto replace it where ever found in the document. If you want the replacement to ignore case, tick the check box in the top right corner. - Clear Ignored: Will remove the attached metadata for ignored issues for this document. It will also reset the state of these issues in the Issue Table.
- Ignore: This button will tag the selected issues as ignored, and these wont be highlighted in the Render window. Unlike Add, this button is document specific. The ignored issues are saved as metadata for the file and wont apply to other documents.
What is the Flesch Reading Ease Score?
The Flesch reading ease test measures the readability of a text. It uses two variables to determine the readability score:
- The average length of your sentences (measured by the number of words)
- The average number of syllables per word
Then, it provides you with a score between 0 and 100. A score of 100 means your copy is very easy to read. And, a score of 0 means your text is very difficult to read. You can see the exact interpretation of all the scores on the scale in the table below.
The readability parser that we use requires a minimum of 100 words to produce a readability score.
| Score | Notes |
|---|---|
| 90-100 | Very easy to read, easily understood by an average 11-year-old student |
| 80-90 | Easy to read |
| 70-80 | Fairly easy to read |
| 60-70 | Easily understood by 13- to 15-year-old students |
| 50-60 | Fairly difficult to read |
| 30-50 | Difficult to read, best understood by college graduates |
| 0-30 | Very difficult to read, best understood by university graduates |
Average Sentence Length
Average sentence length refers to the average number of words in the sentences of a given text. It is calculated by dividing the total number of words by the total number of sentences. For example, if a text has 100 words distributed over 10 sentences, the average sentence length is 10 words per sentence.
Research shows that when average sentence length is 14 words, readers understand more than 90% of what they’re reading. At 43 words, comprehension drops to less than 10%.
Studies also show that sentences of 11 words are considered easy to read, while those of 21 words are fairly difficult. At 25 words, sentences become difficult, and 29 words or longer, very difficult.
The colour coding in the status bar is based on the 11, 21, 25 and 29, guidelines for average sentence length.
