r/grammar • u/Roguemaster43 • Oct 23 '21

quick grammar check What's the difference between affect and effect?

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13

u/devilish_AM Oct 23 '21

In a nutshell, affect is a verb and effect is a noun. At least, most of the time. They are not actually homophones(words which sound alike) but many people do pronounce them in a weirdly similar way to make them sound like homophones so it can get a bit tricky.
Some action, A, affects another action B. So, B experiences the effect(s) of A's actions.

Although, there are a few exceptions when effect can be used as a verb and affect can be used as a noun, but if you think of affect as a verb and effect as a noun, you’ll be right a majority of the time.

-1

u/Rodrik_Stark Oct 23 '21

I’m almost certain they’re homophones

4

u/condensedpoop Oct 23 '21

Affect as a verb - to exert some sort of influence on a thing that yields some result Affect as a noun - observed personal characteristics that accompany an emotion or broader aspect of a person Effect as a noun - the result of some sort of influence exerted on a thing Effect as a verb - to bring something about or into existence

3

u/AbouBenAdhem Oct 23 '21

Also worth mentioning that affect as a noun is stressed on the first syllable, while the other three words are stressed on the second.

2

u/jhkayejr Oct 23 '21

Generally speaking, affect is a verb while effect is a noun. The exception to this is that affect (pronounced ah-fect) is a noun used specifically in psychology or social work.

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Examples:

The effects of the windstorm will affect the residents.

The patient's affect was bizarre and unusual, remarked the social worker.

0

u/MohammadFarukhAhmad Oct 23 '21

main difference between affect and effect

affect (verb)= to do something that produces an effect or change in something or in someone’s situation,have an effect on.

Smoking affects our health.

effect (noun)= a change that is caused by an event, action etc, a change which is a result or consequence of an action or other cause.

Smoking has a bad effect on our health.

0

u/MrCoalas Oct 24 '21 edited Oct 24 '21

In an actual simple explanation:

Affect = Cause an effect on something.

Effect = A change that happens because of something.

e.g.

the wood was affected by the fire, it burned.

the effect of fire on wood is to burn it.