In “10 writing tips when sitting a written exam” I read – yes, I read on despite the probable quality given the title’s poor construction – :
“Affect / Effect – Effect is a noun. For example – Cyclone Connor had a great effect on the town. Affect is a verb(doing word). For example, – The virus affected Libby so much that she had two days off school.”
(Sunday Times “Chillout” NAPLAN liftout, 09.03.14)
This explanation is, to be polite, sub-optimal. The explanation given means that the students are not prepared for real world uses of the words. Both words ARE used as noun and verb. The REAL difference lies in the prefix.
The root is the Latin facere, “to do or to make” – the same root as “factory”. The prefixes are ex– (outward or out of) and ad- (towards or onto) which assimilate to the “f” of facere to make the words effect and affect.
The noun is the outcome of the verb. Thus, when you effect a change in something, you have an effect on it – the change goes out from the one who is the centre of our attention.
Affect is the change from the point of view of the one changed: If you affect an accent or a style of dress, you put it on your self; the virus affects you when it has an effect on you. It is usually used as a verb, but is also a noun. The noun “affect” means feeling or visible emotional response: “The depressed man showed flat affect.”
This leads to different understandings of other words. For example, consider “Affection”: feelings making one want to go towards a thing, a different play on the same root and prefix; “Affectation”: a style or behaviour affected for effect.
Explaining it this way leads to improved comprehension and spelling, as more words are analysed in terms of their prefixes, suffixes, and roots. Seeing our words as Lego-like constructions is a powerful literacy approach – and a great tip to help with written exams.
How hard is it to get it right? If newspaper conglomerates can’t afford an academic’s consulting fee, how much does a literate journalist cost? Remember, the ones most likely to read them are the ones who have few other sources to check. Do newspapers have a social responsibility here?
Erasmid 
A Newspaper’s exam hints – (sigh.)
March 9, 2014In “10 writing tips when sitting a written exam” I read – yes, I read on despite the probable quality given the title’s poor construction – :
This explanation is, to be polite, sub-optimal. The explanation given means that the students are not prepared for real world uses of the words. Both words ARE used as noun and verb. The REAL difference lies in the prefix.
The root is the Latin facere, “to do or to make” – the same root as “factory”. The prefixes are ex– (outward or out of) and ad- (towards or onto) which assimilate to the “f” of facere to make the words effect and affect.
The noun is the outcome of the verb. Thus, when you effect a change in something, you have an effect on it – the change goes out from the one who is the centre of our attention.
Affect is the change from the point of view of the one changed: If you affect an accent or a style of dress, you put it on your self; the virus affects you when it has an effect on you. It is usually used as a verb, but is also a noun. The noun “affect” means feeling or visible emotional response: “The depressed man showed flat affect.”
This leads to different understandings of other words. For example, consider “Affection”: feelings making one want to go towards a thing, a different play on the same root and prefix; “Affectation”: a style or behaviour affected for effect.
Explaining it this way leads to improved comprehension and spelling, as more words are analysed in terms of their prefixes, suffixes, and roots. Seeing our words as Lego-like constructions is a powerful literacy approach – and a great tip to help with written exams.
How hard is it to get it right? If newspaper conglomerates can’t afford an academic’s consulting fee, how much does a literate journalist cost? Remember, the ones most likely to read them are the ones who have few other sources to check. Do newspapers have a social responsibility here?
Tags:affect, Education, effect, ethics, grammar, journalism, literary criticism, social responsibility
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