Affect vs Effect

AFFECT ... EFFECT... 

Two very confusing words often misused.

~Cause and effect,

~sound effects,

~weather that affects your health,

~an affected tone of voice …

These are spelling nightmares. Let's look at basic definitions and parts of speech.

AFFECT – verb – to act upon, to change or to cause a change 

AFFECTED – adjective – influenced by an outside force

EFFECT – noun – result; consequence

There are certain situations where effect is used as a verb and situations where affect is used as a noun, but very few people ever have a need to use them thus, so unless you are already confident of your ability to use these words correctly, just treat as general the rule that effect is a noun and affect a verb.

(As a verb, effect means to execute, produce, or accomplish something; as a noun, affect is used primarily by psychologists to refer to feelings and desires as factors in thought or conduct.)

EXAMPLES:

1. The applause showed how deeply the concert had affected the audience.
2. His attitude was affected by his upbringing.
3. What effect do you think the news will have on him?
4. No matter what she does, it will have no effect on me.
5. No matter what they do, it will not affect me.
6. What do you think the effect of the decision will be?
7. How did her son's departure affect Mrs. Smith?
8. How was the team affected by the loss of their star goal keeper?
9. I was impressed by the effect of Churchill's words on Britain during that time.
10. Does he know what effect that medicine will have on him?