I hope this is an effective column

In keeping with my pledge in my previous column, I?m going to continue with a series of columns on words and terms that are commonly misused in the English language. And once again, I must say how much I sympathize with those who are making their first forays into learning English. It must seem pretty difficult with all the strange rules and spellings, so maybe we should show a little understanding for those who are reluctant to undertake this daunting task. Just a thought.

My first example this week is a pair of words that many folks find particularly difficult to differentiate. They are ?effect? and ?affect.? These terms seem to be misused quite a bit, but once you know the secret, it?s really easy to get them right. So here it is. It?s all in the parts of speech.

Affect is a verb. Affect means ?influence.? Effect is a noun. Effect means ?execute? or ?result.?

Some examples, which by their very nature, demonstrate the confusion these terms can cause:

? Being overweight adversely affects the health of many Americans.

Affect, in this case, is obviously a verb.

? Being overweight can have an adverse effect on the health of many Americans.

Effect, in this case, is easily recognized as a noun.

The same is true of the following:

? The fact Hilary Clinton is a woman will not affect my decision on whether to vote for her.

? The fact that Hilary Clinton is a woman will have no effect on my decision to vote for her.

Another pair of commonly misused words that can be easily distinguished once you know their parts of speech is ?accept? and ?except.?

Accept is a verb, which means ?to receive.? Except is a preposition, or, in some cases, a conjunction. Except means ?exclusion.?

Some examples:

? I accept your generous gift.

? Everyone was invited to the wedding except me!

But, unfortunately, knowing the part of speech of a word doesn?t always help. Here is a pair of words that has gotten me in trouble more than once. I really have to watch what I?m doing with these two. They are ?capitol? and ?capital.?

Both of these words are nouns. Capital means ?location of government.? It can also mean ?material wealth.? Capitol is the ?building where the legislature convenes.?

Some examples:

? Washington, D.C., is where the United States Capitol Building is located.

? There are 51 capitol buildings in the U.S., one for each state legislature to convene, and one in Washington, D.C., where the U.S. Congress convenes.

? Most school students are required to memorize the name of the capital city in all 50 states at some point.

? The city now has enough capital to finance the new park.

Here is another pair of confusing nouns that can cause some problems for the unwary scribe. ?Complement? and ?compliment.?

Complement is a noun which means ?complete.? Compliment, also a noun, means ?praise.?

Some examples:

? Make sure the team has a full complement of athletes for the competition.

? The team members received some really nice compliments for their performance in the game.

Wow. What a difference an ?i? makes.

Of course, (or is it of coarse?) as I?ve been saying, (or is it like I?ve been saying?), just keep an eye out for my next column on commonly misused words and you?ll find out.

Charlie Johnson is news editor of the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].