affect

affect — verb

1. to make someone or something change, or to be the reason that change happens — f

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to make someone or something change, or to be the reason that change happens — for example, hot weather can affect how plants grow, and bad news can affect how a person feels.

Example

The drought severely affected rice farmers across central Taiwan last summer.

subject is an event/condition, object is people/things impacted

Loud noise from the construction site is affecting Mei-ling's sleep.

present continuous shows ongoing impact

Common collocations
  • seriously affect
  • directly affect
  • adversely affect
  • affect the outcome
  • affect the economy
Synonyms
  • influence

    more about shaping decisions or opinions; less about physical change

  • impact

    stronger and more dramatic; often used for big events

  • change

    plain and direct; emphasises the result rather than the process

Grammar Patterns

affect + noun phrase

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 2 (PRETEND): only sense 1 takes a thing or condition as subject (rain, news, decisions). Subjects in sense 2 are always people putting on a fake feeling.

Common Mistakes

The new law affects to the small businesses.
The new law affects small businesses.
affect (verb) takes a direct object with no preposition.
The medicine had a strong affect on him.
The medicine had a strong effect on him.
for the noun meaning result, use effect, not affect.

2. to put on an emotion, attitude, or way of speaking that you do not really have,

2.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to put on an emotion, attitude, or way of speaking that you do not really have, in order to fool other people — for example, smiling as if you are pleased when you are actually angry.

Example

Una affected surprise when her sister announced her engagement, though she had already guessed.

affect + emotion noun (surprise / shock / interest)

The young actor affected a British accent during the whole interview.

affect + accent / manner of speaking

Common collocations
  • affect surprise
  • affect indifference
  • affect ignorance
  • affect a manner
Synonyms
  • feign

    very formal literary equivalent

  • pretend

    everyday word; takes a wider range of structures

  • fake

    informal; suggests the act is more obvious

Grammar Patterns

affect + noun (emotion/manner)

affect + to-infinitive

Usage Note

Mostly literary or formal. In everyday Taiwan English classrooms, learners should recognise this sense in reading but use 'pretend' or 'fake' when speaking.

Common Mistakes

He affected that he was tired.
He affected to be tired.' / 'He pretended he was tired.
affect in this sense takes a noun or to-infinitive, not a that-clause.

3. to wear a piece of clothing or take up a habit on purpose, hoping that it will m

3.verbtransitiveC2
Definition

to wear a piece of clothing or take up a habit on purpose, hoping that it will make other people see you as stylish, clever, or important.

Example

The young professor affected a tweed jacket and round glasses to look older.

affect + item of clothing

Daniel affected a slow, thoughtful way of speaking during faculty meetings.

affect + a manner of behaviour

Common collocations
  • affect a style
  • affect an air of
  • affect a manner
Synonyms
  • cultivate

    neutral; lacks the showy or pretentious flavour

  • sport

    informal; usually for clothes or accessories worn proudly

  • put on

    more colloquial; suggests obvious pretence

Grammar Patterns

affect + noun (clothing/style/habit)

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 2: sense 2 fakes an internal feeling; sense 3 cultivates an outward style or habit for show. Sense 3 objects are usually clothes, accessories, manners, or claimed tastes.

affect — noun

Word family

  • affected
    adjectiveC1
  • affecting
    adjectiveC1
  • affectation
    nounC2
  • unaffected
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four verbs describe one thing producing a result in another, but they sit at different points on a scale. 'Affect' is the most neutral and the most common in everyday Taiwan English — it covers physical, emotional, and abstract change without saying how big the change is. 'Influence' is gentler and slower; it suggests shaping someone's thinking or behaviour over time, often without their noticing ('Her teacher influenced her decision to study medicine'). 'Impact' is the strongest, suggesting a dramatic, often measurable result, and is common in business and news writing ('The pandemic impacted global travel'). 'Change' simply names the outcome and removes the cause-and-effect framing. Compare: 'The rain affected the picnic' (some result), 'The rain influenced our plans' (we adjusted), 'The rain impacted attendance' (numbers dropped sharply), 'The rain changed the picnic' (something is now different).

affect ↗influence ↗impact ↗change ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • affect the way (someone does something)
  • be badly affected by
  • be directly affected

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

English 'affect' comes from two different Latin verbs that look almost identical but mean different things. The 'influence' sense traces back to Latin 'afficere', meaning to do something to someone — to act on them. The 'pretend' and 'show off' senses come from a related Latin verb 'affectare', meaning to aim at or strive after, which carried the idea of grasping at a quality you do not really own. Both verbs entered English through Old French in the late Middle Ages and stayed close enough in form that they merged into one English spelling, even though the meanings remain quite distinct. The psychology noun is a much later borrowing, taken into English in the early 1700s from Latin 'affectus' (a state of mind or feeling).