Common Mistakes: "Effect and Affect"

Today I'm going to be taking a look at one of my biggest pet peeves: the incorrect usage of affect and effect. Although not as straightforward as  the previously explored words, simple guidelines can just as easily be set down in order to improve our understanding of the two. As before, let's begin by taking a look at their definitions in their most common usage:

Effect:

noun

2: something that inevitably follows an antecedent (as a cause or agent) 

Affect:

transitive verb

 
1: to produce an effect upon: as  

a : to produce a material influence upon or alteration in <paralysis affected his limbs>

b : to act upon (as a person or a person's mind or feelings) so as to produce a response : influence 

unlike then and than, there is a very acute similarity between affect and effect. However, this similarity does not arise due to the two being synonyms, but rather because affect is the act of causing an effect. To put it more simply, effect is most commonly used when describing a noun meaning "something has been influenced". In contrast, affect is the word used to describe the verb meaning "something has produced an effect."


In general terms, my rule of thumb is to treat effect as a noun and affect as a verb. Although both of these words have alternate meanings which make them both nouns and verbs, the most common usages of these words follow this form. When you're debating on which word to use, think about whether the sentence needs a verb or a noun at that specific point:


The accident had a severe effect on his speech
                         OR
The accident had severely affected his speech 

With these simple rules, the use of these two words will become much clearer.
 

 

Common Mistakes: "Then and Than"

In order to truly become better at anything, one must learn from mistakes made in the past. It is for this reason that I will begin a mini series today entitled "common mistakes", where I explore common writing mistakes and how they can be easily fixed.

One simple mistake which I often come across is people's confusion between the words "than" and "then". The usage of these two words interchangeably truly bothers me because unlike other mistakes which we will be looking at later on, the meanings of these two are barely related. Let's first explore the meanings of these two words (taken from Merriam-Webster online dictionary):


Then:

1 : at that time

2 a : soon after that : next in order of time <walked to the door, then turned>  

   b : following next after in order of position, narration, or enumeration 

     : being next in a series <first came the clowns, and then came the elephants>

 

vs.

 

Than:

 

a :used as a function word to indicate the second member or the member taken as the point of departure in a comparison expressive of inequality ; used with comparative adjectives and comparative adverbs <older than I am> <easier said than done>  

b :used as a function word to indicate difference of kind, manner, or identity ; used especially with some adjectives and adverbs that express diversity <anywhere else than at home>

 

By inspecting these two, we can clearly see that than and then have little to no relation with each other, other than being phonetically similar. In order to learn to use these correctly we must simply give these two simple meanings attached with the situations in which we must use them:

 

Then: used most commonly as a separator in a list, expressing the order in which things occur, or are ought to occur:

            I'm going to wake up then shower then eat breakfast  

 

Than :  used most commonly to compare two things, and/or differentiate their meaning or value

           The Eiffel Tower is much taller than my house

 

For those of you who are visual learners, let me simplify this entire rant into two simple characters which you may associate these words with when in doubt:

 

Then: " -->"  as in what follows after an action

            I'm going to wake up --> shower--> eat breakfast

 

Than: "> or <"  as in comparing two things

         The Eiffel Tower is > my house, (when comparing height)

 

Though these two words do indeed have many uses and not all of them are this simple, these straightforward rules should set a sort of precedence in your mind. So next time you are writing, try to think and then write, rather than the other way around.

            

 

 

 

Bad Words Good Words: The Human Dictionary

One of the easiest ways to improve your writing is to turn yourself into a walking dictionary of sorts, by trying to improve your vocabulary. Although your content and your quality of research may be excellent, the way in which you communicate your thoughts is half the battle.

Monotony and lack of complexity often turn readers away from essays and other work because it doesn't reach out and grab them. In order to truly excel at writing, you must master the manner in which you express things. One of the easiest ways to do this is to try to say the same thing in different ways. This is because often when we write we find a pattern which we find comfortable and stick with it. We find patterns in sentence structure and create sort of mental templates which we follow sentence after sentence. Although this may make it easier to initially express your thoughts, constant repetition of this pattern creates monotony in your work.

In order to keep readers on their toes, try your best to change up the structure of your sentences so that they aren't always in the same order or organised in the same manner. In later post's we will be taking a closer look at sentence structure and complexity.

My biggest advice for attaining a larger vocabulary is to read, read, and read. Now I'm not saying you guys should all start reading dictionaries, but expand your reading habits. This includes not only books but also newspaper articles and even online. Reading exposes you to new words, and these new words will expand your vocabulary, which is a key to good writing. Whether it be homework, an assignment, an essay, or simply for your own personal interest, the acquisition of a large vocabulary will make you very adroit at communicating.

Introduction: Writing Better, Fear of Essays

As a university student, I've experienced more than my share of writing assignments and have been first hand witness to the terror and dismay that overcomes people's faces when that terrible, terrible word is uttered: Essay. whether it be a long research essay or a short personal opinion one, the feeling of hatred and angst still emanates from most of those to whom the work has been assigned to.Personally I have never felt this fear or anger when it comes to essay writing, and throughout my high school and university careers have enjoyed essay writing.

I do not claim to be the say all end all by any means, and there are much more educated and experienced writers out there, but as most of you reading this, I know what it's like. I also understand the feeling of reading awkwardly phrased and confusing articles about improving one's writing, and have often longed to find a simple, straight to the point "tip" book on how to improve. After long searches and deep pondering, I finally realized that I might as well do it myself.

This Blog will aim at improving the small aspects of writing which I find to be some of the most common mistakes out there. By exploring the reasoning behind these mistakes and looking into ways to solve them, you will soon be the one everyone comes to ask for help the next time an essay is unleashed upon your class.