Difference between affect and effect

This is the fourth part of the difference between series.

I’ve seen this before, and just this week in fact. Some people confuse the words “affect” and “effect”. Here’s the difference.

Affect is a verb, and effect is a noun.

Here are some examples:

What effect did the rain have on the crops?

This unbearable heat affects my heart.

See? Pretty easy.

Now, there may be a few diehards who may point out that “effect” can be used as a verb. That is true, but for most people, this won’t be a problem. Nevertheless, I should probably point out the difference between the two verbs.

When used as a verb, effect means “to bring about”. Affect, on the other hand, means “to influence”.

So, “Strong, early rain and late, hot sun brought about good crops” could be rephrased as “Strong, early rain and late, hot sun effected good crops”.

If we said “Strong, early rain and late, hot sun affected good crops”, then we would mean the rain and the sun influenced only the good crops. It would imply, however, that the rain and sun left alone the bad crops.

Clear as mud?

Let me know if you have any grammar questions, and I’ll be sure to post the question and answer here.