Affect and Effect are two very tricky words that sound pretty similar. Both the homophones are being used by people repeatedly in different contexts. The first syllable of the two words sound differently, and that is what differentiates them from each other.
Affect vs Effect
The main difference between Affect vs Effect is that Affect is pronounced with more laziness i.e. it has a “uh-ffect” while Effect is a bit stronger with “uh” effect. In basic English language, the term Affect is a verb while the word Effect is a noun. Affect is generally a verb and implies to change or impact something. An Effect is generally a noun and it is a result of a change.
Affect and Effect mix up well and thus people need to know the general phrases and situations where rules for these words change. Now I hope you all will be able to answer the following question easily;
Is it Affect or Effect?
Since you all of learned the basic difference between Affect and Effect,
now it is time for you to learn the implications and usage of both the terms.
Comparison Table Between Affect and Effect (in Tabular Form)
| Parameter of Comparison | Affect | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | An Affect means to change or make an impact on somebody. | An Effect refers to the consequence of the impact on somebody. |
| Noun Usage | Affect term can be used to show human emotions as a noun. | Effect term can be used as a noun to depict emotions or feelings after something happened. |
| Verb Usage | Affect term can be used to depict to make an impact or change in someone when used as a verb. | Effect term can be used to depict realization as an aftermath of the affect. |
| Imitates | As a result of something feeling or emotion. | Just the result i.e. the final output once something has happened. |
| Latin History | Affect is derivative from the Latin language afficere. | The effect is consequent from the Latin term efficere. |
| Example of Usage | The TV Show drama has greatly affected me. | The TV show drama had a great effect on me. |
What is Affect?
Affect
means to produce or influence a change in something or someone. It is usually
used as a verb but can be used both as a noun and a verb.
Let
us understand different situations where you can use the term affect;
1.
To express your feelings or emotions especially in the medical field or domain.
- Rajesh’s mood is
very badly affected after his mother scolded him. - Vijay’s mood is
greatly affected after he won the prize for his bravery.
2.
To express the emotions or feelings to someone else.
- Atal’s dance was so
good, that Riya was badly affected. - Jaya sang so well,
that Ram was deeply affected.
3.
To impact or affect someone or somebody.
- The chronic disease affected everyone in India.
- Due to heavy rains in Mumbai, complete road transportation is heavily affected.
Let
us understand the concept with a few examples one by one;
- The shrinkage in the Diesel price will slightly affect
the purchasing power of people in Delhi. - Demonetization has affected India’s economy.
Thus,
we must not forget that affect can also be used as a noun where it implies to
observable expressions of various feelings or emotions such as gestures,
postures and facial expressions.
What is Effect?
Effect
is the noun and it implies the result of a change on something or somebody. So,
if a situation affects your life expectancy, you will unquestionably feel its
effect.
It
indicated the change that has resulted from either an action or an event in
place.
Let
us understand different situations where you can use the term effect;
1.
To show person feelings to someone special.
- The trust has
donated all the personal effects of the dead.
2.
To dent an imprint on someone special.
- Yoga lesson has an
inspirational effect on all of us.
3.
To express the scenes of a movie or play such as a sound or a noise etc.
- All the special
effects of the movie are just phenomenal.
4.
To express that influencing someone can help achieve the desired results.
- The painkiller
tablets have no effect on me. - The speech against
the criminals had a positive effect on people.
The effect, when used as a verb, means to bring out something or somebody. It shows nouns like change or solution to something out in place.
Let
us understand the concept with a few examples one by one;
- Physical exerting has physical and mental effects.
- The new government policy will come in effect from 1st
November 2020.
Main Differences Between Affect and Effect
Although both are words are being used interchangeably by people, there exists a lot of difference between Affect and Effect when it comes parts of speech and grammar.
- Affect when used as a verb means to influence or encourage someone whereas the term Effect means to bring out something out of someone.
- The term Effect is derived from the Latin language that depicts a change occurring as a result of some event or action. But the term Affect which is also of Latin origin means to encourage or to influence someone.
- The effect usually represents a consequence of something on the other hand Effect represents consequently.
- Affect as a noun is used as a technical term many times. However, the term effect is used as a result of something.
Conclusion
Both
the words i.e. Affect and Effect are being used interchangeably by people.
However, are both of them are significantly different when it comes to grammar
and ways of speech.
In
order to remember the difference between Affect and Effect, one can memorize
the following term i.e. RAVEN which expands to Remember Affect as Verb and
effect as a noun.
Also,
the term Affect starts with the alphabet “A” therefore indicates action whereas
the word Effect starts with the alphabet “E” therefore depicts the end outcome.
But
all in all both Affect and Effect terms are great ways for communication
between two or more parties and are really helpful modes of language.
References
- https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affect
- https://www.lexico.com/definition/effect