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In everyday speech, affect is a verb. It means to influence something, such as in the headline from the Albuquerque News,

Downed Power Line Affects PNM Customers

The downed power line had an impact on some power customers: they were without electricity overnight.

Effect is most commonly used as a noun meaning the result or impact of something, an outcome. If there's "a/an/the" in front of it, it's an effect. The second sentence is from a story about the outcome of long-term sleeping trouble,

The Effect of Persistent Sleepiness

Source.

In everyday speech, affect is a verb. It means to influence something, such as in the headline from the Albuquerque News, Downed Power Line Affects PNM Customers The downed power line had an impact on some power customers: they were without electricity overnight. Effect is most commonly used as a noun meaning the result or impact of something, an outcome. If there's "a/an/the" in front of it, it's an effect. The second sentence is from a story about the outcome of long-term sleeping trouble, The Effect of Persistent Sleepiness [Source.](https://www.vocabulary.com/articles/chooseyourwords/affect-effect/)

5 comments

[–] [Deleted] 2 points (+2|-0)

How persistent sleepiness affects you. Correct?

I struggle with this one. English was never my strong suit.

[–] cyclops1771 2 points (+2|-0)

That is correct.

OTOH, The effects of persistent sleepiness are dire is the correct way of writing the same. In this case "effect" is the subject of the sentence, so it is used.

Effect = Subject/Object/Noun.

Affect = Verb/Action

[–] chmod 1 points (+1|-0)

One of my biggest pet peeves with my employees. Thank you!