Gramm-a-Rama: Your Guide to Often Misused Words

In the course of our course, we'll often come across words that are commonly misused, misspelled, or mispronounced. I've compiled a directory of correctness for some of the most common ones. Here we go.

affect vs. effect

affect, used as a verb, means "to produce an effect upon":
"The instructor told Bob that studying would positively affect his understanding of the material."

Less commonly, affect can be used as a verb meaning "to act in a way inconsistent with one's true feelings":
"Although she had a crush on Tom, Nancy would often affect an air of indifference when she was around him."

effect, used as a noun, means "the inevitable end result of an antecedent"
"The fireworks reflecting in the water created a stunning visual effect."

effect, used as a verb, means "to accomplish" or to "cause to come into being"
"Sonia knew that by campaigning for Obama, she would be helping to effect social change."

Think you've got it right? Test yourself!.

More to come!