VOA慢速英语2020 名师答疑：Affect 和 Effect 的区别

This week we answer a question from Young-Ho in Korea. He writes,

本周，我们来回复韩国的Young-Ho提出的一个问题。他写道,

Question:

问题：

I really want to know the difference between "affect" and "effect."

我很想知道 affect 和 effect 这两个单词之间的区别。

Answer:

回复：

Dear Young-Ho,

亲爱的Young-Ho，

These are commonly confused words. Although they are spelled differently, they sound - and look - almost the same: affect and effect. But the one-letter difference makes a big difference.

这些是通常容易混淆的单词。虽然它们的拼写有所不同，但是它们听上去和看上去都几乎一样。但是一字（母）之差会带来很大的不同。

Effect

影响

Let us start with "effect," E-F-F-E-C-T. "Effect" can act as a noun¹ or, in rare cases, a verb. As a noun, "effect" means "a change that results when something happens." For example,

我们先来说effect这个单词。它可以充当名词，在极少数情况下也可以充当动词。作为名词，effect的意思是当某事发生时导致的变化。例如：

The movie had a strong effect on my feelings.

这部电影对我的情感产生了强烈影响。

The use of internet sales had a good effect on our business.

网络销售的应用对我们的生意产生了良好的效果。

Another form of the word is the adjective² "effective." It means "producing a result that is wanted." Medical experts, for example, tell us:

这个单词的另一种形式是形容词effective。它的意思是“产生预期效果。”例如医学专家告诉我们：

Handwashing is very effective in removing germs³.

洗手对清除细菌非常有效。

Affect

影响到

"Affect," A-F-F-E-C-T, is usually used as a verb. "Affect" means "to influence." In other words, affect means to act on or change someone or something. For example:

Affect通常用作动词。Affect是指影响到。换句话说，affect意思是指对某人或某事物采取行动或产生改变。例如：

She has back problems that affect her balance, so she has trouble walking.

她患有背疾，这影响到了她的平衡，因此她行走困难。

Remember our earlier example about the movie having an effect on one's feelings? We could also say:

还记得我们之前提到的电影影响到人的情感的例子吗？我们也可以说：

The movie affected⁴ me greatly.

这部电影深刻地影响了我。

In this case, "affect" means to cause strong emotions.

在这种情况下，affect是指引起强烈的情绪。

If you are still confused, just remember this: effect is usually a noun, and affect is usually a verb.

如果你仍然感到困惑，请记住这点：effect通常用作名词，而affect通常用作动词。

And that's Ask a Teacher! 

以上就是本期名师答疑的全部内容。

I'm Jill Robbins.

我是吉尔·罗宾斯。

1 noun   

n.名词

参考例句：

• What kind of noun is this?这是哪类名词？
• This word is a collective noun.这个词是个集体名词。

2 adjective   

n.形容词；adj.形容词的，用作形容词的

参考例句：

• Don't apply that adjective to me.不要用那个字眼来形容我。
• The adjective loose has several senses. 形容词loose有几个义项。

3 germs   

n.微生物( germ的名词复数 )；病菌；起源；发端

参考例句：

• Dirty hands can be a breeding ground for germs. 脏手会滋生病菌。
• The air is full of millions of invisible germs. 空气中充满了许多看不见的细菌。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。