Effecting vs. Affecting

19 September 2017 515

Effecting and Affecting are two words that you can easily mix up. In fact, mixing up Affecting and Effecting is one of the most common issues encountered in the English language. So, what does each word mean and when you should use it? But better yet, how can you avoid mixing up these two words

History

Both these words are originating from the same Latin word, “facio”. This is where most of the confusion comes into play. Affecting word means “makes”, “does” or a variety of other things, depending on the situation.

On the other hand, effect may be based on the same Latin verb, but its meaning differs, because it focuses on a meaning similar to “out of” and ”from”.

What’s the meaning of Affecting (+examples)?

Affecting shows that you are influencing or producing a change in a particular situation. For example “the tornado is affecting citizens all over the country” or “eating too much is affecting John’s stamina levels”. You tend to use “affecting” as a verb, and it shows an influence, something that makes a difference in a particular situation. It can also bring a sense of arousing emotion like you can see here: “that time when soldiers came home was an affecting scene”. But this latter sense is not the most popular one.

What’s the meaning of Effecting (+examples)?

Effecting can be used as a verb too, but it can also be a noun. In fact, in most situations, it will end up being a noun. Unlike Affecting, which shows a current influence, Effecting is a result of that influence.

As an example, “the AIDS medication is effecting the world” or “ this is a rare disorder that’s effecting around 30 out of each 100000 people”.

When should I use each one?

As we mentioned above, you need to use Effecting when you want to show an effect caused by a particular person or situation. On the other hand, Affecting is all about showing the current influence that a person/item has over someone’s life/a particular situation.

So, there is a difference between these two, and you have to identify whether you want to talk about the cause /effect of any situation. Depending on that, you will be able to use the right one from these two words!