51) explains that some other determiners can act like articles (e.g., ‘each’, ‘all’, ‘several’, ‘many’, ‘no’, and ‘any’). Articles are words like ‘a’, ‘an’ or ‘the’. His rendition of ‘We Are the World’ had no effect on me. The movie’s sound effects were spectacular. The effect of her late arrival at work was a late departure. You should be able to substitute these synonyms (‘result’ and ‘consequence’) to check that you have used ‘effect’ correctly. More simply, it is ‘a result’ or ‘consequence’. It means ‘that which is produced by some agency or cause’. Grammar Girl recommends this trick for remembering: verbs are actions, and the word ‘actions’ starts with ‘a’-like ‘affect’.Īlso, if you are using ‘affect’ correctly as a verb, another verb such as ‘hurt’, could be substituted. Remember, ‘affect’ is a verb-it’s an action. For example, ‘His rendition of ‘We Are the World’ profoundly affected me’. ‘Affect’ can also mean ‘to impress’ or ‘move in mind or feelings’. Pollen in the spring affects my breathing.

Long periods of starvation affected the children’s development. It means ‘to act on’ or to ‘produce an effect or a change in’. For our definitions, we use the Macquarie Dictionary -the authority on Australian English spelling. Often used interchangeably, ‘affect’ and ‘effect’ are widely misunderstood and misused.Īs always, we will provide definitions and helpful examples to clarify these terms. This next instalment in our ‘Commonly Confused Words’ series aims to demystify ‘affect’ and ‘effect’.

Commonly Confused Words: ‘Affect’ and ‘Effect’

Have an effect or affect on me