What is the Difference Between Affect and Effect? Many people have trouble telling them apart because of their similar spelling and pronunciation, but, once you know their differences, they are actually quite easy to tell apart. These uses are less common, but it’s important to be aware of their existence.Įffect can be used as verb when to effect means to ‘make happen’:Įxample: The citizens want to effect change after hearing about the corruption charges.Īffect can be used as a noun for a psychological term referencing an emotional response.Įxample: The patient is able to express a range of affects.Īffect can be used as a verb to mean ‘to put on’ or ‘to feign.’Įxample: She affected a British accent when traveling abroad.Out of all the confusing words in English, affect vs. Affect and effect have their own deviations to the ‘RAVEN’ rule.
The sales department’s poor will have a negative effect on our quarterly report.Įnglish is full of exceptions.The sales department’s poor performance will negatively affect our quarterly report.Our new education program had the effect the VP expected.Our new education program affected our productivity in the way the VP expected.If I take a day off, I know it has an effect on my team’s work flow.If I take a day off, I know it affects my team’s work flow.The following examples highlight how to use affect and effect correctly in a similar context: A common mnemonic to recall the difference between affect and effect is to think of a raven. When describing a result, use affect when the term is in the action word and effect when the term is the subject or object. When to use affect and when to use effect? These words are near-homonyms but each has a distinct sound. Affect is articulated with an a-sound called ‘schwa’ (the ‘a’ pronounced in the same way as ‘allow’) while effect has a long e sound (the ‘e’ pronounced in the same way as ‘e-mail’). Second, the two words sound very similar. Knowing each word’s grammatical role is critical to differentiate the two. Affect is the verb enabling the outcome, while effect is the noun referring to the result. Both words are referring to an impact or consequence.
First, these words are related in their meaning. These words are confused for very legitimate reasons. They are defined as:Īffect (verb): to produce an effect or resultsĮffect (noun): something that is produced by a cause a consequence Simply put: affect is a verb and effect is a noun. Through this article, you will understand when which word is appropriate, learn a simple trick to remember the difference, and be able to navigate their proper use and exceptions. This word pair is one of the most common errors in business writing. If you’ve confused affect and effect before, you’re not alone.
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