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?

affect means to change something.
effect means to bring something about.
because they often sound the same they are confused.

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.

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.

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

>Does anybody with access to a decent dictionary have dates?

Sorry, I'm happily married.

>>>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 !)

Good one, TEd. But, Jackie... C'mon! Just ONE kudos???

Actually, Dear, you deserve several! My imp(oster)ish side wanted to use the phrase one kudos, because it sounds so
strange.