Thanks, now explain the explination.

[tribdog]

I write short stories every once in a while and I ran into the affect/effect problem. I don't know which one to use, but the notebook I'm using to write in has some grammar rules on the back cover. Here is what it says:
to "affect" is to influence, to "effect" is to cause

 

[tribdog]

I'm a harsh critic of my own writing but i recently wrote two sentences that are awesome. the rest of the story wasn't that good, but I'm so in love with the last two lines I have to share them:
"I love you," I said. "Please don't ever leave me."
She said, "Sorry," and went home to her husband.

Now that's good writing. The story I'm working on right now is about a guy watching a telethon for people with tourette's syndrome, but the people manning the phone lines are sufferers. When he tries to make a donation he just ends up in a fight with the operator.

 

[rhuthwaite]

Well the way I see it is that you/someone/something affects something
but something causes the effect of something. It really depends on what you are saying

 

[leright]

affect is a verb...affect is synonymous with influence.

effect is a noun. It is what results from some action or cause...

one is a verb...the other is a noun...that should clear it up.

 

[Rach3]

affect is a verb...affect is synonymous with influence.

effect is a noun. It is what results from some action or cause...

one is a verb...the other is a noun...that should clear it up.

Quite wrong. "To effect" is a verb as well.

 

[Gelsamel Epsilon]

http://wsu.edu/~brians/errors/affect.html

 

[moose]

Quite wrong. "To effect" is a verb as well.

Can you really say "To effect"?... really?

 

[tribdog]

so do I say the mosquito affected me with malaria or effected me with malaria? and it gave me a bad ear affection/effection

lol, just kidding. wouldn't that be funny though

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

so do I say the mosquito affected me with malaria or effected me with malaria?

Did the mosquito influence you or did it cause you?

 

[Gokul43201]

Can you really say "To effect"?... really?

Yes you can. (When you see 'effect' as a transitive verb, think along the lines of 'accomplish').
Eg: to effect the disarmament; to effect its conclusion.

 

[arildno]

I'm a harsh critic of my own writing but i recently wrote two sentences that are awesome. the rest of the story wasn't that good, but I'm so in love with the last two lines I have to share them:
"I love you," I said. "Please don't ever leave me."
She said, "Sorry," and went home to her husband.

Now that's good writing.

Yes it is.
Cut the rest of the story.
Not all stories need to be long, in particular the short ones.

 

[tribdog]

Not all stories need to be long, in particular the short ones.

are you absolutely sure the short ones don't need to be long?

 

[Moonbear]

so do I say the mosquito affected me with malaria or effected me with malaria? and it gave me a bad ear affection/effection

lol, just kidding. wouldn't that be funny though

You'd say the mosquito infected you with malaria.

An effect is a result. So, a cause leads to an effect.

To affect something is to influence the cause (more or less). You can affect something that leads to an effect.

But, effect can also be a verb, and means to cause something to happen. You can effect an effect. I haven't run into the verb "to effect" in anything other than technical writing. I don't think people use it in normal conversation.

 

[Gokul43201]

Hey, Moonbear! Is it really possible to effect an effect?

 

[leright]

You'd say the mosquito infected you with malaria.

An effect is a result. So, a cause leads to an effect.

To affect something is to influence the cause (more or less). You can affect something that leads to an effect.

But, effect can also be a verb, and means to cause something to happen. You can effect an effect. I haven't run into the verb "to effect" in anything other than technical writing. I don't think people use it in normal conversation.

so you're saying the verb usage of effect is the same thing as the verb usage of affect?

If I am referring to the act of making something happen or the act of making some change, I use the verb affect. If I am referring to the result of some cause, I use the noun effect. I never use effect as a verb, even in scientific papers.

 

[Gokul43201]

so you're saying the verb usage of effect is the same thing as the verb usage of affect?

Nope. Changing something (affecting it) is not the same as causing something to happen (effecting it). Can be quite the opposite sometimes.

Example: "He effected the transition" vs "he affected the transition".

 

[leright]

Nope. Changing something (affecting it) is not the same as causing something to happen (effecting it). Can be quite the opposite sometimes.

Example: "He effected the transition" vs "he affected the transition".

ah, that clarifies. Thanks.