I can never get the use of these two straight.

Can anyone give me a foolproof rule about them?

Thanks!

A comes before e in the alphabet, just as an affect comes before its effect. First you must affect something (affect spelt with an a)  before you can observe its effect (with an e).  Hope this helps.

[quote author=Linnet link=board=spell;num=1036283343;start=0#1 date=11/02/02 at 19:48:56]A comes before e in the alphabet, just as an affect comes before its effect. First you must affect something (affect spelt with an a)  before you can observe its effect (with an e).  Hope this helps.

But then is affect always a verb, and effect always a noun?

[quote author=tamisaac link=board=spell;num=1036283343;start=0#2 date=11/02/02 at 20:50:59]But then is affect always a verb, and effect always a noun?

Unfortunately not, although Linnet’s mnemonic gives the most frequent usages. Both words can be used as nouns or verbs.

Nouns:
An affect is a physical or mental property, though the word isn’t much used in that sense outside psychology these days.
An effect is a change imposed by an outside agency.

This difference is evident in the usage of the verbs:
The object of the verb affect is always the thing or person that has experienced the change:
My mere presence affected his game.
(I changed the affect of his game.)

The object of the verb effect is always the change that has been made:
I effected his release from prison
(I was the effective agency in his release.)

Just to add confusion, there is another use of the verb affect, to imply that you are taking on personal properties that are not your own:
I affected a Spanish accent
He affected not to understand what I was saying

Clear as mud? But I think the "effect = change, affect = property" dichotomy should at least help ...

Grant

So: affect (verb)= to change a property or mental state?  And that state is always the object of the verb affect?

and, effect = to change in a sort of causative, unrelated way (="outside agency"?)  And the change itself is what is being effected?
(at least I have straight the affect verb meaning "to take on personal properties that are not your own")...

So tell me if I am using them right:

Years of sun exposure effected deep wrinkles in her skin.

The heat of the sun affected her (missing/implied object here?) so much she got dizzy.

[quote author=tamisaac link=board=spell;num=1036283343;start=0#4 date=11/03/02 at 15:40:15]Years of sun exposure effected deep wrinkles in her skin.

All the bits are right, but the sentence seems wrong. Effect carries with it a sense of purpose or intent: you effect a rescue, or an escape, or a repair, or a cure. One thing that just routinely causes another thing doesn’t usually seem to take the verb effect. (Gravity effected his fall? Nope.)

[quote author=tamisaac link=board=spell;num=1036283343;start=0#4 date=11/03/02 at 15:40:15]The heat of the sun affected her (missing/implied object here?) so much she got dizzy.

The object is her, so that works fine.

Grant

[quote author=granthutchison link=board=spell;num=1036283343;start=0#5 date=11/03/02 at 17:17:21]
All the bits are right, but the sentence seems wrong. Effect carries with it a sense of purpose or intent: you effect a rescue, or an escape, or a repair, or a cure. One thing that just routinely causes another thing doesn’t usually seem to take the verb effect. (Gravity effected his fall? Nope.)

Hmmm… so in that case, the verb would just be caused.  In order for it to be effected, would it run like this?:
She pressed a penny in her chin, hoping it would effect a dimple.  (Yup, apparently my grandmother did that in to 30s).

Wait, I’m not sure that sounds right.  ?  

[quote author=tamisaac link=board=spell;num=1036283343;start=0#6 date=11/03/02 at 17:22:37]She pressed a penny in her chin, hoping it would effect a dimple.

Still not a typical usage, because the word dimple doesn’t really constitute a process of change. (And, in retrospect, this was another difficulty with your "wrinkles" example.)
"She pressed a penny in her chin, hoping to effect a change in her appearance."

Grant

I see.  [I]Effect‘s object is not what has resulted from the change, but is the change itself.

I’ll sit on this for a few days and see what (if any) other confusion arises.

Thanks to all.

This is one that I come in contact with at least once a week when grading student papers.

I’d say as far as the most common usages go, affect would be the verb and effect would be the noun.  If you kept this in mind as a general rule I think you would be right more often than you would be wrong.  It’s not an absolute rule, but I think it’s a good basis from which to start and then you can learn the less common usages and exceptions.

Brad

Right… The confusion occurs when people are trying to decide how to phrase their sentences.

The effect of increased traffic is more ozone.

The traffic continues to affect the ozone levels.

Here is the usage note from the handy-dandy eReference:

Usage Note: Affect and effect have no senses in common. As a verb affect is most commonly used in the sense of "to influence" (how smoking affects health). Effect means "to bring about or execute": layoffs designed to effect savings. Thus the sentence These measures may affect savings could imply that the measures may reduce savings that have already been realized, whereas These measures may effect savings implies that the measures will cause new savings to come about.

[quote author=Brad Ross-MacLeod link=board=spell;num=1036283343;start=0#11 date=11/07/02 at 14:52:12]Usage Note: Affect and effect have no senses in common. As a verb affect is most commonly used in the sense of "to influence" (how smoking affects health). Effect means "to bring about or execute": layoffs designed to effect savings. Thus the sentence These measures may affect savings could imply that the measures may reduce savings that have already been realized, whereas These measures may effect savings implies that the measures will cause new savings to come about.

THAT’s good.  The example with both words highlighted the difference in meaning well.  Thank you!

[quote author=tamisaac link=board=spell;num=1036283343;start=0#12 date=11/07/02 at 16:51:05]
THAT’s good.  The example with both words highlighted the difference in meaning well.  Thank you!

Worth $29.95?

I advise my students to pronounce them in their heads differently (subvocalize) in order to remember which is which.  I have always done so and have never confused them.  I was actually surprised to find that people did so.  If they both sound like uh-fekt, then confusion is likely.

I know I frequently pronounce them beginning with that lazy ‘uh’, but enunciating them does affect whether they sound right to my mind’s ear, in effect.