Question 1

Is it "side affects" or "side effects"?

Accepted Answer

"Side effects." The side things are results, not actions — that's the noun effect. Side effects are the unintended results a medicine or decision produces — they are nouns you can point at. Affect is a verb, so "side affects" reads as if the sides are doing something. If you can put "the" in front and it still works, the word is effect. Pharmaceutical labels, medical patient inserts, and health articles use this phrase constantly — which makes the typo conspicuous when it slips through. The compound noun side effect has been in use since the 1880s and is one of the most fixed idioms in English medical writing. Exception: There is no exception here. Side effect is always a noun phrase; side affect is never correct in normal writing.

Question 2

Is "affect" a verb?

Accepted Answer

Yes. "Affect" is almost always a verb, meaning to influence or change something: the weather affected our plans.

Question 3

Is "effect" a noun?

Accepted Answer

Yes. "Effect" is almost always a noun — the result of something: the effect was immediate.

Question 4

Is it "affect" or "effect"?

Accepted Answer

Use affect for the verb (influence). Use effect for the noun (result).

Question 5

Is it "deeply affected" or "deeply effected"?

Accepted Answer

"Deeply affected." The word describes an action done to someone — that's the verb affect.