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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 2
stranger
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stranger
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 2 |
Can anyone explain what the difference between the verbs affect and effect is? When does something affect something else, and when does it effect it?
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 200
enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 200 |
affect means to change something.
effect means to bring something about.
because they often sound the same they are confused.
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467 |
For starters, with only one exception of interest to psychiatrists and psychologists, affect is always a verb.
As a verb, affect is most commonly used in the sense of "to influence". Smoking affects the health. Effect as a verb means to bring about. The personnel cuts were designed to effect an increase in the bottom line.
As a noun effect is a result. The rules had an immediate effect. He screamed for effect.
TEd
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
Welcome, Jeremy.
I can't add anything to these definitions, but I must say that the use of effect as a verb bothers me. (Speaking of being a stick-in-the-mud!) To borrow a theme from other threads, why bring this word into use as a verb where perfectly good ones already exist, when the majority of the time it is and has been used as a noun? Doesn't bother me nearly as much as hearing "Antartica", but I still don't like it! To each our own quirks, I guess.
Oops! I take back my opening phrase. Psychologically, the noun 'affect' (stress the first syllable) means emotional demeanor.
Good to have you aBoard.
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065 |
I think it's more a matter of "effect" as a verb having almost died out (except among lawyers of course) and now making a bit of a comeback rather than of it being something of a neologism. Does anybody with access to a decent dictionary have dates?
Bingley
Bingley
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467 |
>Does anybody with access to a decent dictionary have dates?
Sorry, I'm happily married.
TEd
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
>>>Does anybody with access to a decent dictionary have dates?
Sorry, I'm happily married.<<
Ohmigawd! Ted, you get at least one kudos for that one!!
(Besides, I saw him first !)
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 31
newbie
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newbie
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 31 |
Good one, TEd. But, Jackie... C'mon! Just ONE kudos???
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
Actually, Dear, you deserve several! My imp(oster)ish side wanted to use the phrase one kudos, because it sounds so
strange.
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