Things too can be affected, for example “OpenAI’s stock price was affected by news of yet another data breach”.
I think its easier to distinguish “effect” from “affect” by remember that “effect” is a noun - so a something - whilst “affect” is a verb - so an action on something.
They kinda differ in whether something is going out and does something there (affect) or going in (effect).
If A affects B, then A has an effect on B. They are somewhat complementary that way. Their etymologies are slightly different though, affect comes from ad facere, “act upon”, while effect comes from ex facio, “out of doing” (as in the result of an action).
So: A acting upon B means A affects B. A’s action on B has an effect.
Yeah, English sucks. Worst part here is that both spellings can be used as either noun or verb, though the alternate forms are rare.
Most common forms:
Affect - verb - to alter or change. “The rise of LLMs has affected how people use the Internet”
Effect - noun - result of change: “The effect of LLMs has been to make people dumber”.
Rare forms:
Effect - verb - to implement or make happen: “The new legislation will effect a change in policy to …”
Affect - noun - emotional state or expression: “His affect changed and you could see him cringe when the boss endorsed AI”
The first two are what you want pretty much all of the time.
1, 2, and 3 are all pronounced the same, with emphasis on the second syllable: “uh FECT”. Number 4 is pronounced with emphasis on the first syllable: “AFF ect”
So that’s more than anyone wanted to know today :)
I remember that affect starts with an a, while effect starts with an e and verb has an e in the middle, so the one that doesn’t start with an e is the verb.
Ha!
When your “cost-saving” affects another bigwig’s bottom-line.
Is it affect or effect? God English sucks.
A thing causes effects. Something (or someone) is affected.
Easyish way to remember the first is just think of “cause and effect”.
To remember the second, picture someone screaming “AAAAAAAAAAAA!!!” which is like the ‘a’ in affect.
Lol thanks. Now my brain is imagining screaming people and I’ll never forget it again 😂
I just remember affect is a verb, effect is a noun.
Not quite.
Things too can be affected, for example “OpenAI’s stock price was affected by news of yet another data breach”.
I think its easier to distinguish “effect” from “affect” by remember that “effect” is a noun - so a something - whilst “affect” is a verb - so an action on something.
Both are both.
They kinda differ in whether something is going out and does something there (affect) or going in (effect).
If A affects B, then A has an effect on B. They are somewhat complementary that way. Their etymologies are slightly different though, affect comes from ad facere, “act upon”, while effect comes from ex facio, “out of doing” (as in the result of an action).
So: A acting upon B means A affects B. A’s action on B has an effect.
Yeah, the thing that makes it extra confusing for many is that they’re closely related.
Yeah, English sucks. Worst part here is that both spellings can be used as either noun or verb, though the alternate forms are rare.
Most common forms:
Rare forms:
The first two are what you want pretty much all of the time.
1, 2, and 3 are all pronounced the same, with emphasis on the second syllable: “uh FECT”. Number 4 is pronounced with emphasis on the first syllable: “AFF ect”
So that’s more than anyone wanted to know today :)
My mnemonic is “you Affect the Effect.”
(It’s in alphabetical order)
I remember that affect starts with an a, while effect starts with an e and verb has an e in the middle, so the one that doesn’t start with an e is the verb.
The following have similar meanings: