Affect/Effect
Think "A" ... or "E"
Mark Stevens, director of public information for the Denver Public Schools, e-mailed to ask about a fairly widespread mental block: "I could use a neat way to remember the correct use for 'affect' and 'effect.' " Here's an attempt at a mnemonic formula to help keep them separate.

"Affect," except for the specialists mentioned below, is a verb, meaning to cause change in something. "His headache affected his ability to concentrate." Verbs are words of action. So think "A" -- Affect, Action -- something is Acting on something else.

"Effect" is usually a noun, a word for a thing, in this case a result of something.

"Aspirin had the desired effect, and he aced the exam." Think "E" for End Product.

So much for the most common situations.

A less common (but useful) form of "effect" is a verb meaning to bring about or cause to happen. "She effected a revolution with her challenge to the grading system."

A nuanced (and useful) form of "affect" is a verb meaning to move, emotionally, as in "The scene affected her greatly" or "It was a profoundly affecting moment."

And in the social sciences, alas, "affect" can be a noun, meaning a feeling or emotion as shown or described by a patient. But we can leave that one to the social scientists.

Addendum, 3/9/99

Rosalind Warfield-Brown, who teaches at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia and works as a freelance editor, has a word she uses to help people get around that mental block -- VANE. That's Verb=Affect / Noun=Effect. Seems foolproof for the two basic meanings.

Along With
Getting Along
"Mr. Lott, along with Speaker Newt Gingrich, were among those who signed the letter to the F.C.C." The phrase between commas is one of those parenthetical distractions that life serves up. The subject of the sentence remains "Mr. Lott," so we have to say "was among those." The same trap opens with "as well as" and other interruptions: "The Mayor will now have an opportunity to demonstrate...that it is his management techniques, not any one person, that is responsible for the drop in crime." "Not any one person" distracted the writer (and editor) into thinking that the subject of the last clause of the sentence had become singlular, but the subject is still "techniques," so the clause should read "that are responsible...." We can avoid the traps by ignoring whatever just goes along for the ride.

Alternate/Alternative
Alternating Current?
The article said a utility "plans to freeze its electric rates for five years, and by 2003 will allow all its customers to buy power from alternate sources." The writer almost certainly wanted "alternative," meaning providing a choice among options. "Alternate" means by turns, or every other, as in "alternate Sundays." (In a narrow sense, where substitution is involved, it can be used to denote choice of a sort, as in "alternate juror" or "Alternate Route 22.")

Antecedents
Remembering Those Gone Before
Everybody knows that a pronoun needs to agree with its antecedent, the earlier noun that the pronoun stands in for. We can't, for instance, say "Democrats" and follow up with "it." But the problem is trickier in sentences like this one, which are common: "The testimony provided the strongest corroboration to date of White House claims that its office of personnel security..." The antecedent for "its" seems to be "White House," but it can't be. A pronoun's antecedent has to be a noun, and in that sentence, the executive mansion is used as an adjective, modifying "claims." To make it right, change it to "...the White House's..." Using the possessive turns "White House" back into a noun, and we're home free.

AttorneyS general
They're Not Generals
The story said a judge "at a minimum will request briefs from the Justice Department, state attorney generals and Microsoft." But when we start with one attorney general and add more, it isn't generals who increase, it's attorneys. That makes the correct plural "attorneys general." It comes out wrong pretty often, especially in speech (including that of attorneys general), and some dictionaries have knuckled under, telling us it's okay either way. It's not, any more than it is, say, with sergeants major or brothers-in-law. With all such, logic limits the choice of plurals to one.
(CJR, July/Aug. 2000)

The Authorities
Experts or Cops?
The sentence spoke of "actions which authorities charge ultimately led to Officer Guidice's death." For clarity's sake, and to preserve a nicety of the language, we ought to save "authorities" for people with great knowledge in their fields -- experts. The law-enforcement types are better described as "the authorities."

Averse/Adverse
Adverse Effect
"Big companies are adverse to publicity -- and the bigger the company, the more adverse." Nope. "Adverse" means "negative" or "bad"; we wouldn't say the companies were "bad to publicity." The writer meant they were opposed to it, uneasy about it, and the word he wanted was "averse." A few paragraphs later, he wrote about "heavy adverse publicity," and that was just right.

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