Affect vs. Effect

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Use affect as a verb meaning “to influence or cause a change.” Remember ask yourself can IMPACT be substituted in place.

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 Ex: How will this quiz affect my grade?

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 Ex: The referee’s call affected the outcome of the game.

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Use effect as a noun meaning “a result.”

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 Ex: Eating vegetables regularly will have a positive effect on your health.

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Ex: The movie’s soundtrack had a powerful effect on my emotions.

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Remember,

Affect is a

Verb

Effect is a 

Noun

​In this case, the weather will have an influence on what the speaker is wearing. For that reason we use the word affect.

​In this case the result of the rain is that the speaker has to wear a raincoat. This is why we use the word effect.

​Let's Practice

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A is for action. Verbs are about action. Affect starts with an A, so it’s a verb.

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Think of the common phrase cause and effect. Cause ends with an E, and effect begins with an E. So not only does a cause lead to an effect, but also cause’s E leads to effect’s E.

​Good luck on your Summative!