Hi, Ruth -=-

> Because I was taught things like, "If you can
>answer the question 'affect what?,' then the correct spelling is affect."
>This thinking is a mistake just waiting to happen, even though it works
>"most" of the time.

Right - a mistake waiting to happen, since it's also possible to answer
"effect what?" For my students, I use a matrix
                                       NOUN             VERB
                        AFFECT  |               |
                                |  -----------------------------
                        EFFECT  |               |

 You can fill it in yourself using the dictionary. What makes these two
words especially tricky to keep distinct is that "affect" the verb (affect
what? = have an influence on what?) means much the same as "effect" the noun
-- (what effect did it have?)  This is ideal material for a mini-lesson.
It's simply a question of convention.

One mini-lesson doesn't help my students unless I build in consequences,
which I do, for any conventions or grammatical points that I have gone over
in class.  (I didn't always do this; that's why I know, of course) -- the
teacher's focusing the students' attention is the first step; students'
reminding themselves to pay attention to particular points is the next step,
and that seems to be helped along when the teacher imposes the discipline
that the students will have to assume themselves eventually)

Judy


Judith Diamondstone  (732) 932-7496  Ext. 352
Graduate School of Education
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
10 Seminary Place
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1183