Basic editing skills are a must for any writer or editor. Good writing is a hallmark of professionalism; unfortunately, it is difficult to view your writing with a fresh pair of eyes after you’ve worked on a piece for such a long time. While not all of us are born excellent writers, basic grammar and punctuation rules can be learned for proper paper editing. This blog can be of assistance by displaying the rules of a grammar problem that even this editor struggles with: the difference between affect and effect. When you affect something, you produce an effect.

Most people solve this problem by asking themselves whether they need a verb or a noun. If you are using it as a verb, use affect. If you need a noun, use effect. However, it is not always this cut and dry. The questions below should assist you in using affect and effect properly.

Effect:

Are you talking about an end result? (What was the effect of the new law?)

Was this caused or brought about? (cause/effect)

Is this a phenomenon? (i.e., the El Nino effect)

Affect:

Is this a facial expression/emotion or accent? (flat affect, affected speech)

Are you describing influence? Acting on something? (The donation affected the way the money was used.)

Here are a few examples of proper usage:

Has the new policy had an effect?

How has the policy affected the staff?

Her affect did not change when she received the bad news.

The effect of the bad news was noticeable.

These homonyms can be difficult to use properly. Remembering the verb/noun rule should help, and hopefully this list will be able to assist you in a pinch.  The professional editors at FirstEditing.com are here to assist you with all of your editing and proofreading needs, regardless of whether you are writing your dissertation, an article for an academic journal, or a book. Let us help you today!

Related posts:

1. How to Improve Your Writing: Capitalization
2. How To Improve Your Writing: em dashes and ellipses
3. How to Write a Press Release
4. 6 RELATIVELY PAINLESS STEPS TO WRITING YOUR THESIS
5. Citations/References, APA, MLA

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