"Effect" vs. "Affect"
I've noticed that some people use effect and affect interchangeably. What are the differences between these two and when are the proper situations to use each of them?
Solution 1:
The noun is usually "effect" -- unless in more formal or literary contexts in which case "affect" as a noun can mean feeling or emotion.
The verb is generally "affect", although "effect" is possible if the meaning is "put into place" or "carry out".
Here are some example sentences:
"His plans had no effect on me."
"His disconsolate eyes brought on a sad affect."
"His plans affected me."
"He effected a plan to change the world."
Solution 2:
The "common errors" site mentions 3 different meanings for affect (verb):
- When “affect” is accented on the final syllable (a-FECT), it is usually a verb meaning “have an influence on”:
“The million-dollar donation from the industrialist
did not affect my vote against the Clean Air Act.”
“to make a display of or deliberately cultivate.”
Occasionally a pretentious person is said to affect an artificial air of sophistication.
Speaking with a borrowed French accent or ostentatiously wearing a large diamond ear stud might be an affectation.“emotion.” (when the word is accented on the first syllable (AFF-ect)).
In this case the word is used mostly by psychiatrists and social scientists—people who normally know how to spell it.
When you affect a situation, you have an effect on it.
Less common is a verb meaning “to create” (to cause to come into being):
“I’m trying to effect a change in the way we purchase widgets.”
The Merriam-Webster details:
The verb effect goes beyond mere influence; it refers to actual achievement of a final result.
Solution 3:
The rule that mostly works it this: affect = verb, think "a" for action, wheras effect = noun, the result of the action
to remember: "a" comes before "e" in the alphabet, and you must affect something to cause an effect