Affect vs. Effect?

[A0130]

When should one use affect, and when should one use effect? I hear affect is a verb while effect is a noun.

[BWL]

Yes, "affect" is used as in "The problem affected all of us!". "Affect" can take tense endings and inflections: affected, will affect, affecting, may affect, must affect, should affect, would affect, could affect.

"Effect" is a noun and can only appear in two form "effect" and "effects" (singular and plural).

[deyvion]

I had a problem with this one too until I learned it sort of as an equation:

Too much rain + level of water = flooding    where the + is 'affecting' and = is the 'effect'

Too much rain -> affects --> the level of water, which --> results--> in flooding (catastrophy)

'Affect' is the doing and 'effect' is the outcome.

I hope this made any sense, because it did to me when I learned, haha.

[LauraM]

If acronyms are helpful to you, here's one that's used for remembering the difference between affect, the verb and effect, the noun: 

RAVEN  -- Remember: Affect = Verb, Effect =  Noun

[BWL]

If acronyms are helpful to you, here's one that's used for remembering the difference between affect, the verb and effect, the noun: 

RAVEN  -- Remember: Affect = Verb, Effect =  Noun

That's an interesting mnemonic acronym! I'll use it to teach my nephews when they start learning how to spell the word in school. Pretty, cool!