
Effect is used as a verb only when it has a direct object and only when you mean "to bring about, lead to. When you want a verb, most of the time you want affect. For example, improve is a verb but not a noun. You can tell by substituting other words. When you want to use one of these words as a noun, the one you want is probably effect. The difference is that affect is a verb and effect is a noun. The two questions "How were you affected?" and "What was the effect on you?" mean almost exactly the same thing. The confusion between affect and effect comes out of the fact that affecting something leads to an e ffect. This should effect a whole new way of thinking about it What is the best way to effect these improvements? The only way to effect change is to participate Mirrors will give the effect of a larger spaceĪs a verb, to effect means "to bring about, lead to a result" Something that gives the impression/sense of something else I don’t think it will have any effect on the outcomeĢ. Result, something brought about by someone or something Your son’s lack of affect explains why you find it difficult to gauge his moods.Įffect is most commonly used as a noun, and has three meanings.ġ. In psychology, affect is a noun which refers to a "feeling" or "emotion": The difference between affect and effect is so slippery that people have started using 'impact' as a verb instead. His actions were not affected by her pleas Inflation is affected by natural disastersĢ. This decision will affect the outcome of the elections To have an influence on, contribute to a change in

The English words affect and effect are often confused by native speakers – don’t let their mistakes affect your English.Īffect is a verb with several different meanings.ġ.
