![]() “Affective” is a technical term having to do with emotions the vast majority of the time the spelling you want is “effective. The stuff in movies? Sound effects and special effects. The stuff in your purse? Your personal effects. Hey, nobody ever said English was logical: just memorize it and get on with your life. Note especially that the proper expression is not “take affect” but “take effect”-become effective. ![]() Less common is a verb meaning “to create”: “I’m trying to effect a change in the way we purchase widgets.” No wonder people are confused. Check the dictionary entries for exceptions but most of the time, it's affect with an A for action words and effect with an E for nouns. ![]() Remembering this rule will have a positive effectwith an E on you. The more common one is a noun: “When I left the stove on, the effect was that the house filled with smoke.” When you affect a situation, you have an effect on it. If you want a noun, you probably want effect with an E. The real problem arises when people confuse the first spelling with the second: “effect.” This too can be two different words. In this sort of context, “affect” means “to make a display of or deliberately cultivate.”Īnother unusual meaning is indicated when the word is accented on the first syllable (AFF-ect), meaning “emotion.” In this case the word is used mostly by psychiatrists and social scientists-people who normally know how to spell it. ![]() Speaking with a borrowed French accent or ostentatiously wearing a large diamond ear stud might be an affectation. Check the dictionary entries for exceptions but most of the time. If you want a noun, you probably want effect with an E. Remembering this rule will affectwith A your life positively. Occasionally a pretentious person is said to affect an artificial air of sophistication. Chances are, if you want an action word, that is a verb, you want affect with an A. When “affect” is accented on the final syllable (a-FECT), it is usually a verb meaning “have an influence on”: “The million-dollar donation from the industrialist did not affect my vote against the Clean Air Act.”
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