"affect" vs. "effect"

They are not interchangeable.

Affect is *usually* a verb. Smoking affects your health.

Effect is *usually* a noun. The effects of smoking on your health can include lung cancer.

But then, affect can be used as a noun to mean display of mood or emotional state.

Effect as a verb means to bring about. Legislators hope new cigarette taxes will effect a decline in smoking rates.

They are different words, but the confusing bit is that when you affect a process, your actions have an effect on it.

The most common use of "affect" as a verb is "to cause a change or impact," and the most common use of "effect" as a noun is "a change or impact."

Then there's the verb "effect", which means "to bring into being," as in "The new program will effect change throughout the nation."

And the noun "affect", which is a psychological term for "self-presentation" or "indication of mental state," as in "The patient had a particularly nervous affect." (This is usually pronounced "AF-fect" rather than "af-FECt".)

On edit: Oh, snap, Sarah Madara beat me to it!

Edit: Because there just weren't enough bands on the wagon ...

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There are verb and noun forms of each of them, but none of those are interchangable. In typical circumstances, "affect" is used as a verb and "effect" is used as a noun.

Very roughly, something affects another thing when the second thing is influenced by the first in some way. The change brought about in the second thing is the effect.

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"Affect" can be used as a noun in psychology. It means the emotional presentation or state.

"Effect" as a verb means to bring something about -- to cause it to happen or to cause it to come into being.

These usages are much more rare.

I teach a University English composition course, and spend at least a couple of hours on various word confusions common to the English language. These two demons rank high on my list, along with "its/it's", "there/their/they're", "then/than", "to/too" and the multiple confusions of the verbs "to lie/to lay".

blacbird said:

I teach a University English composition course, and spend at least a couple of hours on various word confusions common to the English language. These two demons rank high on my list, along with "its/it's", "there/their/they're", "then/than", "to/too" and the multiple confusions of the verbs "to lie/to lay".

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I had a grad school professor (in engineering, no less) who was a stickler about which vs. that. Does anyone bother with that rule anymore?

Does anyone bother with which rule?

It's not a question of 'bothering' - in certain cases the choice is either correct or it's not and by mixing these two words up one risks displaying carelessness in one's manuscript.

Sarah Madara said:

I had a grad school professor (in engineering, no less) who was a stickler about which vs. that. Does anyone bother with that rule anymore?

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Sarah Madara said:

I had a grad school professor (in engineering, no less) who was a stickler about which vs. that. Does anyone bother with that rule anymore?

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I bothered, even after a few slick magazines decided to lump which, who, and whom into that. An offended writing muse, karma, or the guardian angel of readers send some into chapter 11.

Bufty said:

It's not a question of 'bothering' - in certain cases the choice is either correct or it's not and by mixing these two words up one risks displaying carelessness in one's manuscript.

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Assuming the editor knows the difference

"Which" should always be used for nonrestrictive clauses. Thanks to a certain engineering professor, I'm old school and believe that "that" should be used in restrictive clauses, never "which." But some grammar sources are fine with using "which" both ways, so one writer's careless may be another writer's perfectly okay.

I am now left with the awkward. Either it was such a bad joke it never connected, or it was such a bad joke that it isn't to be acknowledged publicly.

For the sake of my writerly dignity, I was aware of the rule. Though never so elegantly explained, may I say.

On the other hand, my humorly dignity is just trashed.

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Added: I shouldn't confess to an inordinate fondness for puns, should I? Oh, dear.

Argh. I usually don't have that problem, but the following line from my WiP is bothering the hell out of me. Please help.

Living in a closet would certainly have that affect/effect on one.

Thanks!

Pyekett said:

I am now left with the awkward. Either it was such a bad joke it never connected, or it was such a bad joke that it isn't to be acknowledged publicly.

For the sake of my writerly dignity, I was aware of the rule. Though never so elegantly explained, may I say.

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It was a good joke, which I thoroughly admired. It's obvious you know the rule. Your dignity is intact.

I'm just too old to do cheerleading handsprings. Yay, anyway.

DanielaTorre said:

Argh. I usually don't have that problem, but the following line from my WiP is bothering the hell out of me. Please help.

Living in a closet would certainly have that affect/effect on one.

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Well, it depends whether you mean "have that impact on one" or "have that self-presentation or indication of mental state on one," doesn't it? Only one of those makes sense, and the second post in the thread explains which is which.

DanielaTorre said:

Argh. I usually don't have that problem, but the following line from my WiP is bothering the hell out of me. Please help.

Living in a closet would certainly have that affect/effect on one.

Thanks!

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effect

Affect is only a noun when it's describing a personal state, "He had a depressed affect about him."

It's good to know the rule, but following the affect = verb and effect = noun rule will get you there 90% of the time.

Pyekett said:

I am now left with the awkward. Either it was such a bad joke it never connected, or it was such a bad joke that it isn't to be acknowledged publicly.

For the sake of my writerly dignity, I was aware of the rule. Though never so elegantly explained, may I say.

On the other hand, my humorly dignity is just trashed.

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Added: I shouldn't confess to an inordinate fondness for puns, should I? Oh, dear.

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A perfectly cromulent joke. I am dense, and never completely sure when people are joking (even in person, and the Internet is much worse!). So I left it alone, but I did chuckle

Chase said:

I'm just too old to do cheerleading handsprings. Yay, anyway.

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Sarah Madara said:

A perfectly cromulent joke. I am dense, and never completely sure when people are joking (even in person, and the Internet is much worse!). So I left it alone, but I did chuckle

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Ego? I'm a writer. What ego?



(I'll go get my bed slippers and be all cheery tonight.)

Hi there,

For future reference, I found three sites that I hope will help you in deciding which one is appropriate.

Good luck.

The Grammar Girl

Diffen

Common Errors in English Usage

If I can't remember which is which, I can usually remember SPECIAL EFFECTS. I made that all big so it'll stick in your memory

You can't (special) effect a situation, so that might help keep things straight.

(I do use the more obscure meanings in psychology and poli sci, but if you are using them that way, you generally know it )

You affect someone or something to achieve an effect.

"Affect" as a noun means something different.

"Effect" as a verb also means something different.

I'd say try to stay away from using "affect" as a noun and "effect" as a verb to keep yourself sane.

Bufty said:

in certain ALL cases the choice is either correct or it's not.

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Editorial correction. These two words are not ever interchangeable. They are as different as rainbows and slime molds.