This is another set of words that often gets mixed up. Fortunately, the distinction is pretty easy to remember.
Affect is a verb. Examples:
I didn't know if all that studying would affect my grade on the test.
His words affected me more than he could ever know.
The meteor affected people all over the world.
Effect is usually a noun. Examples:
The effects of my studying? Negligible. I failed.
The effect of his words was that I was depressed for weeks.
The effects of the meteor were devastating.
It's important to keep in mind that sometimes, effect can be a verb, but with a different meaning from that of affect. Effect as a verb is used when you're talking about the outcome of an action. For example:
Our studying effected good grades. (In this sentence, the studying brought about the good grades, or was the root reason for them.)
We hope to effect a paperless transition. (The hope is to go paperless, but the paperless transition hasn't been affected by anything else. It is the desired end result.)
Does all of this make sense? Comment and let me know if I'm being helpful. Are there any mechanical writing issues that you would like to see me tackle?
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Things Every Writer Should Know (but Most Don't)
Non-FictionYou have a wonderful idea for a story, and that is fantastic! But how can you make sure that poor mechanics don't distract your writers from your message? I address some of the most common errors in writing and tell you how to fix them.
