Level B1

Affect vs Effect

The noise can affect your sleep.

Look: The noise can affect your sleep. A helper stands before the place, so the action word fits.

Forms

• The noise can affect your sleep. — a helper before the gap: the action word
• It had a bad effect on my sleep. — a determiner or adjective: the thing word
• Rain will affect the game. — the same clue with another helper

A common mistake

Wrong: The noise can effect your sleep.

Right: The noise can affect your sleep.

A common mistake is to write the thing word after a helper. We say: The noise can affect your sleep.

More examples

The medicine has a side effect.

An adjective before the place: The medicine has a side effect.

Cold weather does not affect my plans.

A helper before the place: Cold weather does not affect my plans.