"Effect" and "affect" are very different as verbs. As Craig points  
out, "effect" means to bring about or to create -- to bring into  
existence something that wasn't present before. "Affect" means to  
cause some kind of change in something that already exists -- to have  
an impact on something.

I do not share Craig's sense that verbal "affect" is limited to  
emotional or intellectual states. I haven't checked its typical  
collocations, but it seems to me it can apply in concrete, mundane  
contexts as well  -- "the frost didn't affect my roses one bit"?

Misspelling the verb form can cause meaning confusion; I don't have  
an example at hand, but I have seen them occasionally in student papers.

As to the noun forms, "affect" as a noun (with stress on the first  
syllable) has only the specialized meaning Bill refers to. The  
adjective "affective" is derived from this noun, not from the verb  
"affect". "Affective" keeps its full "short a" vowel -- /æ/ -- in the  
first syllable.

If you affect something, you have an effect on it; but sometimes your  
actions may not be effective.

If you effect something, you cause it to come about. But sometimes  
you do not get the desired effect, meaning your actions were not  
effective.

A mood disorder will cause a person to have abnormal affect. This  
would be an affective disorder.

And let's not forget affectations -- exaggerated quirks or behaviors  
people adopt artificially in order to make an impression (but they  
fail, because they overdo it). Such actions are "affected" (used  
adjectivally).

These words are now so meaningless to me that I can't tell whether  
"affect" can be used as a verb in the last sense, e.g. "He was  
affecting the behavior of country gentleman." Sounds awful, but I  
think it's possible.

Dr. Johanna Rubba, Ph. D.
Associate Professor, Linguistics
Linguistics Minor Advisor
English Dept.
Cal Poly State University San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
Ofc. tel. : 805-756-2184
Dept. tel.: 805-756-2596
Dept. fax: 805-756-6374
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
URL: cla.calpoly.edu/~jrubba

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