Affect Versus Effect

Grammar Girl here.

This is an expanded show based on the original episode covering when to use affect with an a and when to use effect with an e.

I get asked whether to use affect or effect all the time and it is by far the most requested grammar topic, so I have a few mnemonics and a matching cartoon to help you remember.

What Is the Difference Between Affectand Effect?

Before we get to the memory trick though, I want to explain the difference between the two words.

It's actually pretty straightforward. The majority of the time you use affect with an a as a verb and effect with an e as a noun.

Thanks to Randall Munroe from XKCD.com who drew the stickman cartoon.

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