Hi, James!  Awhile ago you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

JB>  Like aphasia affecting any part of a brain, I was more
JB>  suprised to learn what can get pickled.

JB>  I should have used "effecting any part of a brain..."?


            No, you were right the first time.  In this context
"affect" means "to act on or influence".  Typically
"in a harmful way" is also implied by the use of the word in
situations like the above.  Another example... "Alcohol may
[adversely] affect the functioning of various parts of the body."

            The shades of meaning are fairly subtle & may not be
apparent from dictionary definitions alone.  When used as a verb, though,
"effect" means "to bring about a specific result". 
While both words may be neutral the latter is typically used where the
reporter considers the outcome desirable and/or where somebody has been
actively working to make it happen.  Martin Luther King, for example,
effected change which many people regard as positive but other people may
not... nevertheless, he did it deliberately.  People drink alcohol because
it makes them feel good or at least offers temporary relief from physical
pain
& emotional distress, not because they want to damage their vital organs.

            Both "affect" and "effect" have more than
one definition, and both are also used as nouns.  But that's probably
enough for now....  :-))




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+