diff --git a/src/menu/menu.controller.ts b/src/menu/menu.controller.ts
index a61e7f1..92f6a69 100644
--- a/src/menu/menu.controller.ts
+++ b/src/menu/menu.controller.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ module tagIt {
     selectedWord = "";
     senses : Object[];
     backendService : BackendService;
-    selectedWordService : WebPageService;
+    webPageService : WebPageService;
     $log : ng.ILogService;
     $scope: ng.IScope;
 
@@ -20,15 +20,16 @@ module tagIt {
       this.$log = $log;
       this.$scope = $scope;
       this.backendService = BackendService;
-      this.selectedWordService = WebPageService;
+      this.webPageService = WebPageService;
 
       // Wire up clicklistener
-      this.selectedWordService.wireUpListener(this.onWordSelected,
+      this.webPageService.wireUpListener(this.onWordSelected,
         this.onWordDeSelected);
     }
 
     onTagSelect (sense: ISense) {
-      this.selectedWordService.addTagToPage(sense);
+      this.webPageService.addTagToPage(sense);
+      this.clearMenuVariables();
       this.backendService.storeTaggingInformation({});
     }
 
@@ -43,9 +44,16 @@ module tagIt {
 
     onWordDeSelected = () => {
       this.$log.debug("onWordDeSelected");
+      this.clearMenuVariables()
+      // since the click did not originate from
+      // an ng-click or the like we need to
+      // do an explicit view refresh
+      this.$scope.$apply();
+    }
+
+    clearMenuVariables = () {
       this.selectedWord = "";
       this.senses = [];
-      this.$scope.$apply();
     }
 
     selectWord (sense : ISense) {
diff --git a/src/services/webPage.service.ts b/src/services/webPage.service.ts
index e5e293e..9f6104f 100644
--- a/src/services/webPage.service.ts
+++ b/src/services/webPage.service.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ module tagIt {
   export class WebPageService {
 
     $log : ng.ILogService;
+    // when clicking the menu to select a synset
+    // we need to remember what the currently selected word was
     currentSelectionRange : any;
 
     /* @ngInject */
@@ -23,24 +25,40 @@ module tagIt {
         if (!document.hasFocus()) {
           return true;
         }
-        var selection = that.findSelection();
-        if(selection) {
-          this.currentSelectionRange = selection.getRangeAt(0).cloneRange();
-          callbackOnSelectFunc(joinLongWords(selection.toString()));
+        // call callbackOnSelectFunc if there was a word selected
+        if(this.findSelectedText()) {
+          this.currentSelectionRange = this.getClonedSelectionRange();
+          callbackOnSelectFunc(joinLongWords(this.findSelectedText()));
+        // call callbackOnDeSelectFunc if there was a word selected
         } else {
           callbackOnDeSelectFunc();
         }
-        // clicks should propagate upwards to other things
-        // evt.stopPropagation();
-        // evt.preventDefault();
       }, false);
       function joinLongWords (possiblyLongWord: string) {
         return possiblyLongWord.replace(" ","_");
       }
     }
 
+    getClonedSelectionRange () {
+      return this.findSelection().getRangeAt(0).cloneRange();
+    }
+
+    findSelection () {
+      return window.getSelection();
+    }
+
+    findSelectedText () {
+      var selectedText = this.findSelection().toString();
+      if (selectedText) {
+        this.$log.debug('text that was selected: ' + selectedText);
+        return selectedText;
+      } else {
+        return;
+      }
+    }
+
     // place spans around a tagged word.
-    addTagToPage (sense : ISense) {
+    addTagToPage = (sense : ISense) => {
       var windowSelection = window.getSelection();
       var range = this.currentSelectionRange;
       var span : HTMLSpanElement = document.createElement('span');
@@ -52,30 +70,5 @@ module tagIt {
       // windowSelection.addRange(range);
       this.$log.debug('addTagToPage');
     }
-
-    private findSelection () {
-      var focused : any = document.activeElement;
-      var selectedText : string;
-      // try grabbing text from an input or textarea field
-      // commenting this until we need to figure out tagging of editable fields
-      // if (focused) {
-      //   try {
-      //     selectedText = focused.value.substring(
-      //       focused.selectionStart, focused.selectionEnd);
-      //   } catch (err) {
-      //   }
-      // }
-      // if previous method did not work ask window for selection
-      if (selectedText == undefined) {
-        var currentSelection : Selection = window.getSelection();
-        var selectedText = currentSelection.toString();
-      }
-      if (selectedText) {
-        this.$log.debug('text that was selected: ' + selectedText);
-        return currentSelection;
-      } else {
-        return;
-      }
-    }
   }
 }