The English language is populate with so many bewilderingly like word of honor pair that even professional writersslip upsometimes . One of the most notorious examples isaffectandeffect — and not just because their spelling only dissent by a individual letter . Their definition are related , too .
According to Merriam - Webster , affectmeans “ to produce an gist upon . ”Effectis , well , that consequence ( or , in well-defined terms , “ a change that results when something is done or happens ” ) . In shortsighted , affectis most commonly used as a verb , andeffectis ofttimes a noun . Claudine James , a center school English instructor know as @iamthatenglishteacher on TikTok , has a handymnemonic deviceto supporter you remember this .
cerebrate of theainaffectas stand foraction . If you ’re describing an action , you should probably chooseaffect . For example : The strike involve my bowling grade even more than I had expected . Thetineffect , on the other hand , can stand forthe . If the word is antedate by an clause — a , an , orthe — or any other adjective , it should probably beeffect . For example : The strike had a positive outcome on my bowling grievance .
All that tell , there are certain situations in whichaffectcan be used as a noun andeffectfunctions as a verb . If you ’re report someone ’s excited response conveyed through facial look , tone of voice , body speech , and/or other visible indicators , the word you desire isaffect(pronounced with the accent on the first syllable ) . For representative : Based on her affect when I secern her I ’d gotten the Book of Job , I knew she was excited for me .
The verbeffectmeans , according to Merriam - Webster , “ to cause to descend into being , ” “ to accomplish , ” or “ to put into surgical procedure . ” Though these definitions do confessedly sound similar toaffectas a verb , they ’re not exactly the same . Affectinvolves stimulate alteration to something that already exists , whileeffectis about causing something to happen in the first space . If you effectuate a plan , you ’re carrying out a architectural plan . If you affect a plan , you ’re changing a plan that already exists . If you effect variety , you ’re stimulate variety to occur . If you affect change , you ’re influencing change that is already come about .
[ h / tMerriam - Webster ]
