Affect V Effect

from_atozinc

Sometimes, I get mad with how stupid I am. I've googled this and looked on dictionary. com......... I still don't know the answer. My dimwit brain cannot get around it.

I have the below example.

The work will _________ all devices.

The devices will need a reset in order for the changes to take ___________


I can't bloody figure out what word goes in the blanks, AFFECT or EFFECT.

Can someone fill in the blanks and explain in a non technical way - why

looksee

In your example it is 'affect all devices' and 'the changes will take effect'. How to come up with a simple way of remembering I am not sure. It is made more complicated as the words have meanings that sneak very close to each other.

You really are not stupid. Somehow I know exactly how to use the two words correctly, but I am struggling to come up with a reasonable explanation - both can be used as both nouns and verbs, and sometimes if you restructure the sentence you use the other one - for example

The work will affect all devices
The work will have an effect on all devices.

I will let someone else do the grammatical stuff!

from_atozinc

looksee wrote: »

In your example it is 'affect all devices' and 'the changes will take effect'. How to come up with a simple way of remembering I am not sure. It is made more complicated as the words have meanings that sneak very close to each other.

You really are not stupid. Somehow I know exactly how to use the two words correctly, but I am struggling to come up with a reasonable explanation - both can be used as both nouns and verbs, and sometimes if you restructure the sentence you use the other one - for example

The work will affect all devices
The work will have an effect on all devices.

I will let someone else do the grammatical stuff!

Hey, thanks for the nice words and the answer. !!

It's just confusing for me. And to be honest, I just kinda totally forget all the nouns, adverbs, pronouns lark. Long time since I learnt all that.

from_atozinc

looksee wrote: »

In your example it is 'affect all devices' and 'the changes will take effect'. How to come up with a simple way of remembering I am not sure. It is made more complicated as the words have meanings that sneak very close to each other.

You really are not stupid. Somehow I know exactly how to use the two words correctly, but I am struggling to come up with a reasonable explanation - both can be used as both nouns and verbs, and sometimes if you restructure the sentence you use the other one - for example

The work will affect all devices
The work will have an effect on all devices.

I will let someone else do the grammatical stuff!

is the first blank definitely = affect ?

looksee

Well if you used effect it would mean (rather clumsily) that it would make all devices work. In the sense that effect means to make something happen 'to effect a change'. If you mean that all devices would be interfered with, then you need affect.

New Home

This is how I remember them: 'to Affect' (verb) is to cause a change, the 'Effect' (noun) is the result of that action. 'To Effect' (verb) is to take an action that will cause a change. So, 'To Affect' (verb) seems to put the focus on the outcome, whereas 'To Effect' (verb) puts the focus on the action taken itself. I'm not sure if this only makes sense in my head, though...

Anyway, this might help too (only the first part, of course ).