It's a bit painful to be publicly wrong(good medicine for the character
from time to time, though not in large doses), but I have to admit that
the evidence seems to go against my own use of "effect" as transitive
verb in the sense of "impact" or "influence".
   I'll resist the temptation to argue that I am ahead of the rest of the
world in pushing usage in that direction, an issue that ought to come
up more often than it does. (If language is always shifting, isn't it
always wrong?) It's interesting that the word's roots are in a Latin
verb, meaning something like "make" or "accomplish".
   "Have an effect on" still seems cumbersone to me. But "impact" or
"influence" or "change" would be good substitutes.
   I'm going to have to monitor my own usage on this one.
   This lively and interesting talk (including my own awkward part in it)
does point out, though, that ""affect" is verb and "effect" is noun" is
an oversimplification.

Craig


   >


Bill, et all,
>
> Of course, we can also make the welkin dance (indeed), Thy hounds can make
> the welkin anwer them / And fetch shrill echoes from the hollow earth, and
> sometimes hideous echoes make the welkin howl. I suppose this thread has
> effected a response from me among others, but whether that usage of
> 'effect' as a verb is acceptable by all is out of my welkin entirely!
>
> );--}
>
> Paul D.
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: "Spruiell, William C" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2007 7:12:29 PM
> Subject: Re: Comments?
>
>
> Peter,
>
> I have seen the expression “effect a cure” in connection to medicine
> before, and I’m fairly sure I’ve seen “effect an escape” in regards to a
> jailbreak. The verb is of quite limited usage, but it’s not quite as set a
> collocation as things like “wreak havoc” or “make the welkin ring.”
>
> -- Bill Spruiell
>
>
>
>
> From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Peter Adams
> Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2007 6:45 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Comments?
>
> Am I right that "effect" as a verb almost always takes "change" as an
> object?  Other than a change, what else can one effect?
>
>
>
> Peter Adams
>
>
> To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface
> at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or
> leave the list"
> Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
> To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface
> at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or
> leave the list"
> Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
>
> To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface
> at:
>      http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
> and select "Join or leave the list"
>
> Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/

To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at:
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
and select "Join or leave the list"

Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/