The words "affect" and "effect" are among the most commonly misused words in the English language.
Both can be used as either a noun or a verb, but affect and effect are not interchangeable because the words have different meanings. To use affect and effect correctly, you must know each definition.
What Does Effect Mean?
as a noun:
Use "effect" as a noun when you mean a change or result or the way something acts upon something else.
- a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon.
- an outward appearance
- an impression (especially one that is artificial or contrived).
- (of a law) having legal validity
- a symptom caused by an illness or a drug
as a verb:
- produce.
- act so as to bring into existence
- the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work
How to Use Effect in a Sentence
Note the subtle difference in the use of effect as a verb, which means to cause something to happen or to bring about a result.
Substitute the words "bring about" to see if you are using effect as a verb correctly.
For example:
- The stimulus checks are designed to effect a better economic status for the country.
vs.
- The stimulus checks are designed to bring about a better economic status for the country.
Example sentences using effect:
- Noun: The change in weather was an effect of global warming.
- Noun: Global warming has a detrimental effect on the weather.
- Noun: Hyperbole is an overstatement or exaggeration of speech for an effect.
- Verb: Protesters want to effect change in government handling of clean-up.
I love that feeling of being in love, the effect of having butterflies when you wake up in the morning. That is special. - Jennifer Aniston
What Does Affect Mean?
As a noun:
Define affect as a noun when you work in a medical or social service field.
As a noun, the word describes an aspect of behavior, or the way emotion relates to cognitive thinking.
For example:
Though the patient is coherent and oriented, his affect is inappropriately flat.
As a verb:
Affect means to have an influence on or to produce a change. The verb Affect is used to show the noun acts upon the object. From the dictionary definitions at synonym.com, Affect means:
- to have an effect upon.
- to act physically on
- make believe with the intent to deceive
- connect closely and often incriminatingly
- have an emotional or cognitive impact upon
For example:
Canines, like people, can have allergies and experience allergic reactions that sometimes affect their ears.
How to Use Affect in a Sentence
Choose "affect" in most sentences requiring a verb.
Substitute the word "influence" or "change" to test if your choice makes sense:
- "influence" or
- "change"
For example:
- "We want to see whether driving in the dark affects safety." vs.
- "We want to see whether driving in the dark influences safety."
Affect vs. Effect: Tips to Choose the Right Word
For the most part, that you can use effect as a noun and affect as a verb.
- When something is caused by, use effect. Think cause and effect.
- When something will alter, change, or influence something else, use affect. For example, Not requiring test scores for college applicants will affect the number of high school test takers.