WordGarden.ioaffect
B1Pronunciation
UK
US
- /əˈfɛkt/
Meanings
Verb
to influence something or make a difference to it
to move someone emotionally or touch their feelings
to pretend to have or feel something, or to assume it artificially
Noun
an observable emotional expression or feeling state, especially in psychology or psychiatry
Beyond the definition
Have you ever noticed how a sad movie affects your mood? Or how the weather can affect your plans? "Affect" is all about having an influence on something—changing it in some way. It's not just about feelings, though! A new law might affect businesses, or a lack of rain could affect the crops. Think of it as causing a ripple effect; one thing touches another and changes it slightly (or dramatically!).
It's easy to confuse "affect" with "effect," but remember: affect is usually a verb—an action word! You affect a situation, while an effect is the result of that action.
The word "affect" primarily functions as a verb meaning to influence something or someone, causing a change in them. It describes how one thing has an impact on another. For example, saying "The news deeply affected her" means it had a strong emotional impact. Similarly, "Climate change is affecting ecosystems around the world" indicates that changes in climate are having consequences for those environments.
However, "affect" can also be used as a noun—though this usage is less common and primarily found in psychology. In this context, "affect" refers to an expressed or observed emotional response. A psychologist might describe a patient's "flat affect," meaning they show little outward emotion.
It's crucial to distinguish "affect" from its often-confused counterpart, "effect." While affect is usually the action of influencing something, effect is typically the result or consequence of that influence. You can remember it this way: you affect something to create an effect.
So, whether you're describing how a song moves you, how a policy impacts society, or analyzing someone's emotional expression, "affect" is about the power of one thing to change another—be it subtly or profoundly.
Examples
- 1
Mood
Lack of sleep can affect your mood the next day.
- 2
Legal impact
The new law will affect millions of drivers.
- 3
Customer impact
We need to know how the change will affect our customers.
- Patternaffect how + something happens
change the way it happens
- 4
Technical performance
The heat affected the computer's performance.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Home stress
Children can be badly affected by stress at home.
- Patternbe affected by + cause
feel the result of it
- 6
Confidence
Try not to let one bad comment affect your confidence.
- Patternlet X affect Y
allow X to influence Y
- 7
Family news
Her voice changed when she mentioned the news had affected her family.
- 8
Final result
Small mistakes may not seem important, but they can affect the final result.
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- affectnounverb
Forms
- affectedpast tenseverbnoun
- affectspluralnounverb
- affecting-ing formverbnoun