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So I was playing this quiz on Oxford Dict where the fourth question asks you to fill in the blank with either affect or effect:

Will being around a puppy _____ your allergies?

And I was very skeptical because it looks to me as if both words would suit perfectly.

If I want to say that being around a puppy has an effect or like make something change about my allergic problem, then I would use affect.

And if I want to say that being around a puppy merely causes my allergies to happen, then I would use effect, as defined by Oxford in this embedded link.

It totally depends on what I want to say to choose which one to fill, or am I wrong?

The solution to the quiz, according to Oxford, is affect, by the way.

Gerry
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  • effect is either a noun, which won't work, or a verb which means "to cause something to happen or to occur". Allergies don't happen, allergic reactions do. If it said, "...effect an allergic reaction" it would be ok. – TimR Apr 19 '17 at 15:26
  • @TRomano Allergy is a response by the body so it feels to me like something that can happen/take place, don't you think? Moreover, effect can also be defined as bring about; and I think it's quite logical for something to bring about allergy? – Gerry Apr 19 '17 at 15:41
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    I think very technically speaking, you could use effect. But don't do it. It is at best a very unusual, stilted way of using effect. And really, being around a puppy doesn't "make your allergies happen", your allergies already existed, and being around a puppy just causes the symptoms. – stangdon Apr 19 '17 at 15:48
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    Linguistically allergy can be understood as a condition that exists over time, whose symptoms manifest themselves as bodily reactions. Conditions don't occur or happen, they exist. Only those things which can be caused to occur can be effected. – TimR Apr 19 '17 at 15:50
  • But you could say "Will being around a puppy have an effect on your allergies?" – user3169 Apr 19 '17 at 20:06

1 Answers1

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If it's any comfort, many native speakers would flip a coin to decide whether to use "affect" or "effect". That's why they put it in quizzes that challenge English speakers.

In this case, the correct answer would be affect since it means, "to produce a change". For example:

The bad press affected my previously positive opinion of the political candidate.

meaning that the news made a change in my opinion -- which is to say, made it less positive.

"Effect", when used as a verb, is more formal and has the meaning, "to cause to happen" or "bring about". For example:

The new president's policies effected considerable disruption in government services.

Dog hair or pollen don't "bring about" allergies. The allergies already exist and are caused by other factors. So "effect" does not work in the sentence, at least as it is written. You can, however, say that these irritants "effect an allergic reaction", but this kind of verbiage is more appropriate to a scientific journal than casual conversation.

Side note: Since both can be used as a verb, with only subtle differences in meaning, the quiz seems to be less about understanding the differences between the two, and more whether you know that allergens don't cause allergies, but instead only aggravate them. Not necessarily a fair test.

Andrew
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  • I don't think this answer requires scientific knowledge. But it does require a native sense of your and an understanding of the verb effect. Native speakers say that we have an allergy or allergies. The possessive your indicates that these allergies already exist. Those things which already exist cannot be effected. They are affected. – TimR Apr 20 '17 at 10:38