For Most Writers, Words Such as "Affect" and "Effect" Have a Negative Affect . . . err . . . Effect?
Posted: Thursday, March 05, 2009
by Jeff Brown
Inner Projection
One of my goals in life is to help people get clarity; the main reason for my business. It helps people get clarity on education, career, and life goals. As I've developed the business, I realized that a couple of things that need to be clarified are quotes that are put in context or explained to the reader and not just dumped on them, and a fun, easy to read book explaining the Constitution. My books Motivational Quotes: Recalling Your Past and The People's Constitution: Academics and Law Professors Can Read Another Book fill the role of helping people to gain greater clarity in the areas mentioned above.
Now, as I was responding to Nancy's article, it became apparent to me that there is another need: diction or word choice. "What word do I choose when . . ." type of questions. And the problem that I have found is that books that attempt to explain grammar, spelling, punctuation, diction, confusing word combinations, and so on are ostentatious, obfuscating, and opaque. That's right! just damn hard to understand (like those three annoying words back there ;=)
So, I once again will dedicate some time to sitting down and writing a book that will clearly and funly get the point across. Hey! I might even make up a word or two to spice things up (like that word back there after "clearly and" ;=).
See! I'm not using any grammar labels to talk grammar trash. Unfortunately, over the years I've discovered that like owning a Mercedes or Jaguar, people like to correct your language because of the "snob appeal." It appeals to snobs to correct you when you say things like "wheel barrel" instead of "wheelbarrow." The second spelling being the correct one. (Hey! I'm a snob! ;=)
But be careful. Don't end up on the wrong end of a snob hater's wrath. Once, my aunt was talking about her brother working in the garden and that he was "Pushing the wheel barrel" somewhere when my dad, Mr. Ivy League education, stepped in and corrected her.
What did my Aunt say?
"Wheelbarrow my ass!" and just kept on with the story.
Ouch!!!
Be careful with that language people. It's scary out there.
Anyway, I've got a book to write on confusing word combinaitons.
Below you will find a sample of what is to come.
Peace!
(Here's Nancy Daniels' abbreviated response to my comment on her article "Proof it, Proof it, and Proof it Again"
Jeff
By the way, are you familiar with Maxwell Nurnberg's Questions you always wanted to ask about English -- but were afraid to raise your hand? It is a handy little guide that helps me when I forget. I can never remember the difference between "affect" and "effect." partly because I don't understand the difference. If you have an easy way to distinguish the two, I would love to hear it.
So, I once again will dedicate some time to sitting down and writing a book that will clearly and funly get the point across. Hey! I might even make up a word or two to spice things up (like that word back there after "clearly and" ;=).
See! I'm not using any grammar labels to talk grammar trash. Unfortunately, over the years I've discovered that like owning a Mercedes or Jaguar, people like to correct your language because of the "snob appeal." It appeals to snobs to correct you when you say things like "wheel barrel" instead of "wheelbarrow." The second spelling being the correct one. (Hey! I'm a snob! ;=)
But be careful. Don't end up on the wrong end of a snob hater's wrath. Once, my aunt was talking about her brother working in the garden and that he was "Pushing the wheel barrel" somewhere when my dad, Mr. Ivy League education, stepped in and corrected her.
What did my Aunt say?
"Wheelbarrow my ass!" and just kept on with the story.
Ouch!!!
Be careful with that language people. It's scary out there.
Anyway, I've got a book to write on confusing word combinaitons.
Below you will find a sample of what is to come.
Peace!
(Here's Nancy Daniels' abbreviated response to my comment on her article "Proof it, Proof it, and Proof it Again"
Jeff
By the way, are you familiar with Maxwell Nurnberg's Questions you always wanted to ask about English -- but were afraid to raise your hand? It is a handy little guide that helps me when I forget. I can never remember the difference between "affect" and "effect." partly because I don't understand the difference. If you have an easy way to distinguish the two, I would love to hear it.
Thanks for reading this. I could go on and one -- think I'll write an article instead.
Nancy
Nancy,Personally, even in my English classes I avoid "grammar speak," more confusing than it's worth because there's few English majors out there and even fewer grammar scholars. Thank God!!! ;=) Besides, for me, like most people, just the word grammar makes me ill . . . . Sorry, had to run to the bathroom for a minute there ;=)
Here's the lowdown on effect and affect.
When "affect" is accented on the final syllable (a-FECT), it is usually a verb meaning "have an influence on." For example: "His teaching has greatly affected his students." The students really feel that teaching. It's not just knowledge, it's going much deeper than that. Mmmmmmmmmm . . . nice!
Here's some more . . .
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." For example, "He has a very affected way pronouncing the word 'schedule.'"
There's another way of using affect that refers to emotion; psychiatrists and social scientists use that a lot, but if you're not one of them, don't worry about it.
Confused? Good, that's English for you, a powerful language, but like programming languages that are powerful, they get their power from their diversity and complexity. Sorry, can't have simple and powerful or have your cake and eat it.
OK, now for the other one . . .
This one's less common, so that means don't worry about it too much. But just FYI. It 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: don't try to reason it out, just memorize and move on.
The stuff in your purse? Your personal effects. (you created the select content of your purse)
The stuff in movies? Sound effects and special effects. (these things are created)
Hope that clears it up. Just go over it until it sinks in, that's what I do. That is if it bugs you so much that you can't avoid knowing; otherwise, you've got the other 99.9% of your life that's more important. Peace!
Jeff
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)Jeff,Great article and I'm glad mine was your inspiration. So many times I've read articles that have spurred me to write.I love funly, by the way! Speaking of adverbs, I was going to write something on the death of the adverb. Why don't you go for it! (I'd better check all your articles and make sure you haven't done that already.)Nancy
Nancy,Once I find out what an adverb is I'll write that article. Seriously, my lack of 'grammar speak' in teaching my students has gotten me away from the less important aspects of grammar. I'd be hard pressed right now to diagram that previous sentence . . . or any sentence for that matter. But what's interesting is that you don't need to know it all to write well, and should you? That's a personal question. I've had instructors, not just English professors, get their pants and panties all in a bunch over student's grammar. Personally, I'm more concerned about the ease with which they swear and speak of sex like it's a game to play after class.Hey, I'm all for learning, but the focus of my teaching is what is practical, especially when we've got money to earn to feed our families, families to love and nurture, politicians to keep an eye on, working, eating, exercising, and generally just living life. If we listened to all the experts who tell us of all the things we "need to know" and did what they told us to do, we'd be sitting in a room by ourselves without family, furniture, or fun. Too time consuming.Me? I just give my students "the essentials" because I know they are busy, not English majors or grammar scholars, nor do they need to care about or even know the first thing about verbals, gerunds, or dangling participles in order to write, write well, and with power.If we look at the music world, there are droves of musicians who never learned how to read or write music but have come up with some of the most moving, important music to humankind, that which keeps us alive, breathing, and motivated.Too many over think and get into paralysis of analysis, like a lot of academics--one of the reasons I never planned to become a full time theorist. Besides, my business coach keeps telling me to "get the fluff out." People don't have time for the unnecessary. Gee, I guess they may just want to get back to family and funly times ;=)Peace and God bless to you and yours.
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