Affect and Effect are another set of confusing words.
Affect is a verb that shows action. If you act upon something, you affect it. Affect, act, and action all start with a.
I bounce a ball. You affect the ball by bouncing it.
I crash the car. You affect the car by crashing it.
I drop a glass. You affect the glass by dropping it.
You affect an object when you act on it. Affect and act start with a.
Effect is a noun. An effect is what’s left at the end of an action.
Your smile always has an effect on me.
I took an allergy pill, and I can feel the effect already.
I was up until midnight, and I can feel the effect of the lack of sleep.
In each of these sentences, the effect is the end result of an action. Effect and end start with e.
Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase cause and effect. A cause is something that happens first. It causes an effect.
The effect is the end result of that cause. Effect is a noun.
A while ago, we talked about noun markers- a, an, the. When we use a, an, or the, the word right after will be a noun.
Look at the sentences above. We have an effect and the effect. That helps us notice that effect is a noun.
Here’s the little tip to help you remember how to keep these two words straight in your mind:
When you affect something, you act upon it. Affect is a verb. Both affect and act start with a.
An effect is the end result of something. Effect is a noun. Both effect and end start with e.