Affect vs. Effect Worksheets

Related ELA Standard: L.4.1.G

Core Standard
Answer Keys Here

There couldn't be a trickery homophone pair than these two words. You will be trying to remember what you read here until the end of your days, believe me, I forget it from time to time myself. If you realize that the words are actually different parts of speech, it will help you understand when each needs to be used. Affect is verb and it means to have some form of influence over something. Effect is a noun that designates an event that caused a change to happen. My husband is a lawyer who often argues causes in front of judges. There is one judge who always scolds attorneys that use these homophones inaccurately. So this is probably not the first time you will come up against this. These worksheets will really help you understand the proper usage of each of these words.

3 Letter Blends Worksheets:

Sentence Completer - The words affect and effect are often confused. However, it is usually easy to determine which word is the correct one to use by determining whether your sentence needs a verb or a noun.

Sentence Rewrites - Rewrite each sentence, using affect or effect properly and placed well.

Noun or Verb? - Remember that affect is always used as a verb and effect is almost always a noun.

Three Sentences Please - A complete composition activity for you. Write three sentences that use the words affect and effect.

Finish It Up - Which word works best for each sentence? Take time to read the example sentence, that one really helps me best understand it. I say it back to myself often.

Boxpeat - Choose a word from the box to complete each sentence. We use different forms of the words and the same words are located there.

Uses In Phrases - Does the phrase below refer to affect or effect? Write the correct word on the line.

Correct Part Of It All - Circle the correct word to complete each sentence. Obviously you know what you are getting yourself into by now.

Mixed Practice - Circle the correct word to complete each sentence. This encourages you to be the teacher.

Full On Sentences - Write sentences using the words indicated in parentheses.

Full of Rubbish - Rewrite each sentence. Correct the error.

Impact Player - This worksheets really does a good job of covering it all.

Back to WORK! - Write two sentences that use the word affect correctly.

Verb Tensing - Choose the correct word to complete each sentence. You may need to change verb tense.

Flip It All - Match each sentence to the word that completes it.

Using the Words Affect vs. Effect


When a student is starting to learn the English language, it can get quite confusing at some point. This is because the English language is very vast and it is full of confusing words. A student will learn a word by heart only to find out later that it can have a different meaning and context as well. There are so many words in the English language that have the same sound but different spellings and meanings. This can be hard to differentiate especially in speech. You do not get to see the spellings of the word when it is used in speech. You can only guess the meaning of it. That is why it is important to list all such words and learn the differences between them for your ease.


One such pair of words includes affect and effect. Both of these words are homophones. Homophones are the words that produce the same sound but are spelled in a very different manner. They also have different meanings. Other confusing homophones are too/to, they're/their, except/accept, etc.


Definition of Affect and Effect

In order to clear the confusion between the usage of these homophones, it is important to know their definitions.


Affect: It means to influence someone or something or bring a change.


Effect: It indicates a change


Affect

The word affect is used as a verb. It will show a change in something or someone. For example,


The weather will affect the number of people coming to the town's fair.


The crime rate affects the recruitment of police forces.


Effect

Effect is used as a noun. It indicates the change in an event. Mostly, this word is used when the ending is being discussed. Sometimes, it follows the words such as take, or, into, any, on, the, etc. For example,


The medications were having an effect on her mental health.


Did his loss had any effect on you?


How Do We Teach This to Students?

Understanding and effectively using these words to describe something will be one of polarizing mental battles you will have with yourself. I mean that it often goes well into college. I have found that the best way to get this across to students is to have them start by using the word that they think best fits the use. The next step is the important one, have the students go back and reread the sentence that they used this word in and determine the part of speech that the word functions as in the sentence. If it is a verb, it should be affect. If it is a noun, it should be effect. I call this the Guess-it Check-it strategy. The second strategy that I keep in my pocket in the hopes that grammar will prevail, is to remind students that affect is all about influencing something and effect is the result of something.