affect

The word "affect" is a verb that means to cause change or create a result. This word is easily confused with the noun "effect."

• The young man was affected by the experience.
• The experience had a big effect on the young man.
• This situation affects everyone.
• The effects of the situation will be felt by everyone.
• How this will affect us we do not yet know.
• We don’t know yet what effect this will have on us.

As you can see and from the sentences above, the words "affect" and "effect" are very similar. They can be pronounced in the same way, but the spelling is different. Just remember that the verb is spelled with an "a" and the noun is spelled with an "e."

Here are some more examples for the verb "affect."

• Jim and Joan weren’t really affected by the recession.
• Were you affected in any way by the recession that began in 2008?
• Watching too many hours of televsion can negatively affect the brain development of a child.
• Too much screen time, in general, affects children negatively.
• Changes to current health insurance laws will affect everyone.
• Even if you believe you won’t be affected by changes in the law, you probably will be in some small way.

A young person’s future prospects may be affected by poor grades in school.

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This page was published on July 1, 2017.