[Vocab] Affect/Effect

[Daniel M. Eldridge]

There are five distinct words here. When "affect" is accented on the
final syllable (a-FECT), it is usually a verb meaning "have an
influence on": "The million-dollar donation from the industrialist did
not affect my vote against the Clean Air Act."

Occasionally a pretentious person is said to affect an artificial air
of sophistication. Speaking with a borrowed French accent or
ostentatiously wearing a large diamond ear stud might be an
affectation. In this sort of context, "affect" means "to make a
display of or deliberately cultivate."

Another unusual meaning is indicated when the word is accented on the
first syllable (AFF-ect), meaning "emotion." In this case the word is
used mostly by psychiatrists and social scientists— people who
normally know how to spell it.

The real problem arises when people confuse the first spelling with
the second: "effect." This too can be two different words. The more
common one is a noun: "When I left the stove on, the effect was that
the house filled with smoke." When you affect a situation, you have an
effect on it.

The less common is a verb meaning "to create": "I'm trying to effect a
change in the way we purchase widgets." No wonder people are confused.
Note especially that the proper expression is not "take affect" but
"take effect"—become effective. Hey, nobody ever said English was
logical: just memorize it and get on with your life.

The stuff in your purse? Your personal effects.

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

Be sure and take a look at this too:
http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/errors.html#errors

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Daniel M. Eldridge
cell: 646-319-4115
phone: 212-362-6923
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mailto:dme at eldridge.to