English Café: Reviewing “affect” and “effect”

Advanced Details: Reviewing affect and effect

Affect and effect sometimes cause problems for learners because their pronunciation is the same when we are talking. But, the words have very different meanings. Affect is a verb that means having an influence on something. Effect is a noun that means the result of this action.

• WRONG: The supervisor’s comment had a really positive affect on him.
• RIGHT: The supervisor’s comment had a really positive effect on him.
• WRONG: The criticism of his report didn’t really effect him.
• RIGHT: The criticism of his report didn’t really affect him.
• WRONG: What kind of affect would this bill have on the economy?
• RIGHT: What kind of effect would this bill have on the economy? 
• WRONG: The budget she proposed has greatly effected the project.
• RIGHT: The budget she proposed has greatly affected the project.
• WRONG: Her headache was greatly effecting her ability to work.
• RIGHT: Her headache was greatly affecting her ability to work.
• WRONG: The medicine he took was affective enough to cure it.
• RIGHT: The medicine he took was effective enough to cure it.