What is the correct usage of "affect" & "

[eberntson]

Could you please explain to me the correct usage of "affect" & "effect"? I really would like simple rules and perhaps a zippy saying I can remember, like “I before E, except after C.”

[n0my]

How about...

I'm with you
I don't have a clue
But once you do
Fill me in too????

[Brazilian dude]

Affect is a verb and effect is a noun. There's also the effect as a verb, but don't worry about that.

Brazilian dude

[Apoclima]

Jiminy Crickets, BD! What kind of answer is that? Have you turned mystic?

AFFECT/EFFECT

There are four distinct words here.

Apo

[Stargzer]

I liked this quote:

When you affect a situation, you have an effect on it.

Or in other words:

The Greenhouse Effect, if true, may affect life on Earth as we know it. If so, we will have to effect changes in energy production.

[KatyBr]

Zippy it ain't Larry, but it is effective! good one!

Katy

[Brazilian dude]

Who's Larry? I'm sure you said something to that effect.

Brazilian dude

[KatyBr]

Zippy it ain't Larry, but it is effective! good one!

Katy

Ok to re-punctuate It's: Zippy it Ain't, Larry, but it is
effective!
referring to eberntson'e request for a zippy verse. to wit:

I really would like simple rules and perhaps a zippy saying I can remember, like “I before E, except after C.”

Larry is Stargzer: he said

The Greenhouse Effect, if true, may affect life on Earth as we know it. If so, we will have to effect changes in energy production.

yours was zippier but less complete.

Katy

[eberntson]

Thank you for the simple explanations and the two sayings. I'll see if my little brain can hold it all.



Eric

[Dr. Goodword]

Stargzer's rule is excellent but one more little point ties it all up nicely:

When you effect something, you cause it.

"Eberntson's question effected an interesting series of replies that affected our understanding of the difference between 'affect' and 'effect'."

[Garzo]

It's a sort of Latin hokey-cokey:

You put your facere ad,
you take your facere ex,
ad, ex,
ad, ex,
and you confuse barbarians for a while!

[KatyBr]

oh dear, I'm So confused!

Katy

[Verbum]

The most common use of affect, which is a verb, is in the past passive participle : affected, as in "She was strongly affected by the unkind remarks."

Used in other senses, the verb applies to results on the physical or mental condition.

Physical : "The accident severely affected his mobility."

Mental : "Her abuse as child affected her later relationships with men."

Effect can be a noun or a verb. As a verb it is rarely used and, to avoid confusion, it is best avoided and replaced with verbs like produce

Webter's points out that the confusion between "effect" and "affect" dates back as far as 1494.

Verbum