Mechanics 101

[Comsie]

Another ruling on a writing mechanics idea. Occassionally when I'm writing, my mind will stumble across the words 'affect' or 'effect'. They sound identical, but do, in fact, have very different meanings.

 

What is the official rule on this? For example, would you say:

 

"He was affected by the crash."

 

or.....

 

"He was effected by the crash."

 

When I stop to actually 'think' about it, the answer seems clear. But when I'm just writing in a certain rhythm, and don't have time to really break the mood to figure it out, it does cause me to stumble here and there. What's the rule? Let us know!

[steph]

Another ruling on a writing mechanics idea. Occassionally when I'm writing, my mind will stumble across the words 'affect' or 'effect'. They sound identical, but do, in fact, have very different meanings.

The easiest way that I remember, because they do sound alike, is that affect is a verb and effect is a noun.

You

a

ffect

something.

-- or --

You have

a

n effect

on something.

Now they both start with 'a'! ...course that won't help if you use 'the effect'.

Anyway, effected is not a word!

Edited May 7, 2008 by steph291

[Ar Pharazon]

The English language isn't as inflective as say, Romance languages. But! That doesn't mean that English words are not inflected where allowed. Affect and effect ARE different words, but where the prefix 'aff' can be placed in many other words (for example: AFFliction) to add the meaning of physical 'effects' (thus making it a verb), the word effect CAN also be inflected to be written 'effective' because the suffix 'ive' can be placed there.

 

In other words the whole sentence structure would have to change and would create two different meanings:

 

"He was affected by the car crash" (has a physical inflection to it. BUT it also has a secondary emotional state to it: "he was affected (emotionally) by the car crash" you couldn't use effect in that sentence structure.

 

"The car crash was effective" (has the definite meaning of emotional or physical meaning. Effective on the witnesses and or effective on human bodies.

 

It is kinda confusing now that I think about it.

 

Ugh, I'd rather just hide in a grave and wait for a virgin boy and a free horse to show up! Hehe, I wonder how many people will get that!)

 

Erick

[Benji]

[quote name='Ar Pharaz