{"id":5,"date":"2007-01-10T15:57:32","date_gmt":"2007-01-10T15:57:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/?p=5"},"modified":"2021-07-21T13:14:55","modified_gmt":"2021-07-21T18:14:55","slug":"effect-or-affect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/definitions\/effect-or-affect\/","title":{"rendered":"Affect<\/em> vs. Effect<\/em>: Should I Use Affect or Effect?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Affect<\/em> and effect<\/em> are similar words with comparable meanings and pronunciations, so it\u2019s little wonder that so many speakers of American English confuse the two. Here we will provide a quick guide for using the two words correctly.<\/p>\n

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Rule 1.<\/span><\/em><\/strong> Use the verb effect<\/em> when you mean bring about<\/em> or brought about, cause<\/em> or caused<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Example:<\/strong> He <\/em>effected a commotion in the crowd.<\/em>
\nMeaning:<\/strong> He caused a commotion in the crowd.<\/p>\n

Example:<\/strong> She <\/em>effected a change in procedure.<\/em>
\nMeaning:<\/strong> She brought about a change in procedure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Rule 2.<\/span><\/em><\/strong> Use the noun effect<\/em> when you mean result<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Example:<\/strong> What <\/em>effect did that speech have?<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Rule 3.<\/span><\/em><\/strong> Use the verb affect<\/em> when you mean to influence<\/em> rather than to cause<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Example:<\/strong> How do the budget cuts <\/em>affect your staffing?<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Rule 4.<\/span><\/em><\/strong> Affect<\/em> is also used as a noun to mean emotional expression.<\/p>\n

Example:<\/strong> She showed little <\/em>affect when told she had won the lottery.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"affect<\/p>\n

Using Affect<\/em> or Effect<\/em><\/h2>\n

The basic difference between affect<\/em> and effect<\/em> is:<\/p>\n