AFFECT? EFFECT?

We all struggle with AFFECT and EFFECT, but there is a simple way to keep these two straight. Use AFFECT when you need a verb and EFFECT when you need a noun. That works about 97% of the time. (If you want to know about the other 3% of the time, let me know in the comment section, and I'll do another post about that.)

Here is a sentence that appeared in a newsletter I received this week about flu concerns:

Tamiflu is only effective if you start dosage within 48 hours of contact and should not be used for more than 2 weeks because of the side affects.

Whoops! AFFECT is a verb, not a noun. This person should be talking about "side EFFECTS." Notice also that when you create an adjective, you use the noun form EFFECT to create EFFECTIVE. This sentence should read as follows:

Tamiflu is only effective if you start dosage within 48 hours of contact and should not be sued for more than 2 weeks because of the side effects.

Please do take care of yourself until this flu situation settles down. A little common sense goes a long way. The best advice for most of us is to wash our hands regularly and keep our hands away from nose and mouth. That advice is good advice at any time!