(Republished from November 2010.)
The Mean Ol’ Schoolmarm Moment of the day is…
Affect vs. Effect
Affect: Verb. To have influence on. To have an effect on.
Effect: Noun. A change that is a result or consequence of a cause.
These two words are commonly swapped incorrectly.
SENTENCES
Correct: The cloudy weather continued to negatively affect her mood.
Incorrect: The cloudy weather continued to negatively effect her mood.
Correct: Serious addiction can leave a lasting effect on one’s friends and family.
Incorrect: Serious addiction can leave a lasting affect on one’s friends and family.
(Note that while “affect” can be used as a noun (usually in psychology) and “effect” can be used as a verb (as in “we wanted to effect [bring about] change”) for the purposes of this lesson, we’re dealing with “affect” as a verb and “effect” as a noun.)
Affect = VERB: The chaps affected me deeply.
Effect = NOUN: The chaps left a lasting effect.
Until Next Time,
The Mean Ol’ Schoolmarm