The birth rates in Europe are so low that there are now more people in Italy over 60 than under the age of 20. Greece, Spain, and Germany will all be in the same boat soon; not enough young people to support the aging population.
The everyday use of âaffectâ is the verb, meaning âto influenceâ (his methods affected me greatly), but it also means âto feignâ (he affected nonchalance). The everyday use of âeffectâ is the noun, meaning âresultâ (the effect of this has been to make him proud) or âinfluenceâ (he has had such an effect on me).
AFFECT/EFFECT. There are five distinct words here. When âaffectâ is accented on the final syllable (a-FECT), it is usually a verb meaning âhave an influence onâ: âThe million-dollar donation from the industrialist did not affect my vote against the Clean Air Act.â.Occasionally a pretentious person is said to affect an artificial air of sophistication.ess common is a verb meaning âto createâ: âIâm trying to effect a change in the way we purchase widgets.â No wonder people are confused. Note especially that the proper expression is not âtake affectâ but âtake effectââbecome effective.