Luanne Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 I want to ask my sister in an email if her brother-in-law and sister-in-law were "affected"/"effected" by the tornado that came through Windsor, Colorado last week. Which word is the correct word for that sentence? Can someone please help me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Affected is the correct word in that case. Usually (with a very few exceptions) affect is a verb and effect is a noun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Quote From a Google search: It's actually pretty straightforward. The majority of the time you use affect with an a as a verb and effect with an e as a noun. Affect with an a means "to influence," as in, "The arrows affected the aardvark," or "The rain affected Amy's hairdo." Affect can also mean, roughly, "to act in a way that you don't feel," as in, "She affected an air of superiority." Effect with an e has a lot of subtle meanings as a noun, but to me the meaning "a result" seems to be at the core of all the definitions. For example, you can say, "The effect was eye-popping," or "The sound effects were amazing," or "The rain had no effect on Amy's hairdo," or "The trick-or-treaters hid behind the bushes for effect." So most of the time affect with an a is a verb and effect with an e is a noun. There are rare instances where the roles are switched, but this is "Quick and Dirty" grammar, not comprehensive grammar, and I don't want to confuse you. My impression from your questions is that most people have trouble remembering just the basic rules of when to use these words, so we're going to stick with those, and you'll be right 95% of the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luanne Posted May 28, 2008 Author Share Posted May 28, 2008 Thank you! *smiles* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Just a funny thought (personally, I find it *funny*, but maybe it's just *sad*). I always have to seriously consider which to use (and I tend to talk out loud), and my husband always states "'affect' is a verb, and 'effect' is a noun", and I'm still stumped! I always have to think of their definitions rather than their part of speech. It probably shows some serious defect in my education or brain processes. . .but, it was funny that those who responded chose to give their part of speech (though I did appreciate that one gave the definitions as well). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin in Tx Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Is there a rule for when to use effect vs. affectation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnowWhite Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 To make it even more confusing, both words *can* also be used as the other part of speech. I didn't even know until college that the word affect is sometimes pronounced "aff' ect", meaning one's facial expression. Sometimes people also try to ee fect' a change, meaning "bring about" a change. The pronunciation changes slightly for these uses. The usual spellings and meanings were correctly given by the previous posters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 You know, that's the perfect example of what I was trying to tell another homeschooling mom yesterday. English is our second language, French our first. My son is pretty much fluent. I tried a few times to switch him over to English as a first language books. But it's useless! The affect/effect problem is non existent for French speakers. Affect = affecter, and effect = effet, and that's the end of it! Two totally different words, two totally different meanings! Spelling is the same. The harder a word is for an English speaker, the easier it is for a French speaker. So as we went through Spelling Power, it actually became easier for my son! I'll use the affect/effect example with my friend next time the subject comes up. And here's to fluency in more than one language! :cheers2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin in Tx Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 I was going to post that the word effect is used anywhere it can be replaced by the word "cause", but when everyone else said that effect is not a verb, I decided to keep quiet and not appear the fool. I'm still not sure what affectation means in Jane Austen novels. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay in Cal Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 An "affectation" is what some might call "putting on airs". In other words, I might decide I want to look like a poet and wear a beret and carry a copy of Proust and sit at Starbucks and look poetic. That would be an "affectation". It's used as in 2 below: (from the OED... the only really authoritative dictionary, imho) 1. An ostentatious fondness for something; a studied display. With of. Now somewhat rare. 2. a. The artificial or studied assumption of behaviour; artificiality (of manner); putting on of airs; (also) an instance of this. b. The pretended or counterfeit assumption of some characteristic, idea, etc.; hollow or false display; simulation, pretence; (also) an instance of this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam "SFSOM" in TN Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 An "affectation" is what some might call "putting on airs". In other words, I might decide I want to look like a poet and wear a beret and carry a copy of proust and sit at Starbucks and look poetic. That would be an "affectation". It's used as in 2 below: (from the OED... the only really authoritative dictionary, imho) 1. An ostentatious fondness for something; a studied display. With of. Now somewhat rare. 2. a. The artificial or studied assumption of behaviour; artificiality (of manner); putting on of airs; (also) an instance of this. b. The pretended or counterfeit assumption of some characteristic, idea, etc.; hollow or false display; simulation, pretence; (also) an instance of this. Like... "Pam affected a persona of a sword-bearing woman of moderation, but the empty chocolate box and the jeans that wouldn't button pointed to the possibility of just a hint of hypocrisy." :lol::lol::lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 I was going to post that the word effect is used anywhere it can be replaced by the word "cause", but when everyone else said that effect is not a verb, I decided to keep quiet and not appear the fool. I'm still not sure what affectation means in Jane Austen novels. :) You are no fool! This is one of those truly confusing issues. An affectation is like putting on airs or "affecting" an accent, some weird mannerism, etc. You can also use affect to indicate a display of emotion as in "she affected a laugh." Usually, it implies (but not always, tricksy English language) faking an emotion. Usually (again, *usually*, lol) effect is a result while affect is a verb *except* when it means to cause. So, we work to effect change in the system and then experience the effects of those changes or we are affected by those changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 "Pam affected a persona of a sword-bearing woman of moderation, but the empty chocolate box and the jeans that wouldn't button pointed to the possibility of just a hint of hypocrisy" thus ruining the effect she had hoped for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay in Cal Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 :lol:I'd rep you, girl, if I could, I'm laughing so hard! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam "SFSOM" in TN Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 "Pam affected a persona of a sword-bearing woman of moderation, but the empty chocolate box and the jeans that wouldn't button pointed to the possibility of just a hint of hypocrisy" thus ruining the effect she had hoped for. :D :lol::lol::lol: Perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Pam and Kay (and Cleo!!) did a better job than I! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Or is it..."...affects strange effects." And why is my "f" key starting to act up? I'd vote for "affects strange effects", or even "affects effective effects" .. ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay in Cal Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Well... if it has strange "results" then it would be effects, if it has strange demeanor or appearance, it could be affects. I have a cheerful affect. My affect affects all that I do, but may also effect change around me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Well... if it has strange "results" then it would be effects, if it has strange demeanor or appearance, it could be affects. I have a cheerful affect. My affect affects all that I do, but may also effect change around me. And we're all affected by your cheerful affect :D Oh, geez, here's a link, lol http://www.yourdictionary.com/grammar-rules/affect-effect-grammar.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luanne Posted May 29, 2008 Author Share Posted May 29, 2008 to build upon. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.