Evaluate or another word?

[realEnglish]

I have the descriptions and need help to find the words.

1
Everything is possibly good for us or harmful to us. What would you call the action we take to determine something is good for us or harmful to us?

(What I can think of is "evaluate". But I doubt it's the word natives speakers would use.)

2
When we have the results (good for us or harmful to us), we rate them from the most harmful to the best with a frame of reference. It could be a one dimensional coordinate system. The value of the reference point is zero (neither good for nor harmful to us). The right direction is positive (good) and the left negative (harmful).

(What I can think of is "rate", which I have already used. But what word would you use?)

 

[jutfrank]

1
Everything is possibly good for us or harmful to us. What would you call the action we take to determine something is good for us or harmful to us?

(What I can think of is "evaluate". But I doubt it's the word natives speakers would use.)

It depends on what you want to say exactly. Try making a sentence that expresses the thought you have in mind. Try to show in your context what the thing is, and in what way you consider it to be potentially harmful.

2
When we have the results (good for us or harmful to us), we rate them from the most harmful to the best with a frame of reference. It could be a one dimensional coordinate system. The value of the reference point is zero (neither good for nor harmful to us). The right direction is positive (good) and the left negative (harmful).

(What I can think of is "rate", which I have already used. But what word would you use?)

Again, it depends on the whole thought you want to express, as well as other factors related to whom you're talking to, whether you're writing or speaking, and so on. Help us out here by giving us a sentence or two to work with.

 

[Tdol]

Assess?

 

[realEnglish]

It depends on what you want to say exactly. Try making a sentence that expresses the thought you have in mind. Try to show in your context what the thing is, and in what way you consider it to be potentially harmful.

Again, it depends on the whole thought you want to express, as well as other factors related to whom you're talking to, whether you're writing or speaking, and so on. Help us out here by giving us a sentence or two to work with.

I give you an example.

Suppose I have a young son, and I say, "Son, you need to give you attention to the most important things and those that would affect your life most. Don't give priorities to the minor issues. And you need to take everything into account before you make important decisions. When you take everything into account, you need to decide their "weight", what is more helpful/important, what is more dangerous, and what is less. Always try to first have the most helpful in your life and avoid the most dangerous. When it's a hard choice, you need to balance and take risk."

If my son takes my advice, he will have to determine how things would affect his life, and decide their "weight", and then rate them by their potential influence.

 

[emsr2d2]

"weigh them up".

 

[realEnglish]

"weigh them up".

Thanks!

I found it on https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/weigh+them+up .

2. To gauge the potential benefits or downsides of something. A noun or pronoun can be used between "weigh" and "up."

• We really need to weigh up our options here.
• I've weighed up all the pros and cons, and I think this is still the best phone for what I need.

So, could one sentence replace my wordy advice, "Son, you need to weigh things up before you make decisions."?

 

[Tarheel]

I would say:

Think things through

Also:

Consider that everything is about trade offs.

Prioritize things.

Say:

from the most harmful to the least harmful.

 

[Tarheel]

I would say:

weigh our options

 

[realEnglish]

Thanks!

I would say:
Say:

from the most harmful to the least harmful.

Would you use the word "rate" here?

Rate them from the most harmful to the least harmful.

 

[Tarheel]

Sure.

 

[emsr2d2]

Thanks!

I found it on https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/weigh+them+up .

2. To gauge the potential benefits or downsides of something. A noun or pronoun can be used between "weigh" and "up."

• We really need to weigh up our options here.
• I've weighed up all the pros and cons, and I think this is still the best phone for what I need.

So, could one sentence replace my wordy advice, "Son, you need to weigh things up before you make decisions no full stop here"?

Yes. Depending on context, you can also say "You need to weigh everything up ...".

Note my correction above.