Affect vs. Effect
Affect and effect are two of the most commonly confused words in the English language. They are similar in spelling, and their meanings are similar enough that one often has to pause to think about which is needed in the context of a sentence. However, a brief explanation of their differences can positively affect your use of the two!
Affect functions as a verb. It means to have an influence on, to make a difference, or to influence the emotions of someone. Rarely, you may also see affect used as a noun, but only in relation to someone's outward emotional appearance (his face has a flat affect-stone-faced; showing no emotion).
Here are some examples of the more common use of affect as a verb:
1. I had no idea that the movie would affect me so strongly!
2. The little girl did not seem to be affected by the loss of her favorite doll.
3. Do you think losing the game will affect our chances of going to the playoffs?
Effect most often functions as a noun. It refers to the change or result that occurs because of something else. It can also refer to the lighting, sounds, etc. in a play or movie (sound effects; special effects).
Sometimes, effect can be used as a verb that means to cause or to make happen. This usage is a little more rare: The loss of her mother effected an emotional change in Kim's life.
Here are some examples of the more common use of effect as a noun:
1. The effect of my bad behavior was that I was grounded for 2 weeks!
2. When I studied, the positive effect was that I passed the test!
3. I am not sure what effects to expect, as I have never spent time swimming 20 laps before.
In summary, you typically need affect when you want a verb and you typically need effect when your sentence calls for a noun. In addition, affect has to do with influencing someone or something and effect has to do with change.
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