Mystery Shopper's Manual

Is it “Affect” or “Effect?”

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affect-or-effectThere are not many things that have stumped more people than the two words, “affect” and “effect.” Not only do they look very similar, but they also sound very similar. To add another layer of confusion to the mix, the times in which you use one over the other are very subtle. To finally put a stop to all the embarrassment and stress, here is how to know when you should use “affect” and when it is time to switch to “effect.”

In general, both words have to do with something changing or altering another something. The different between the two words is the order in which it is happening. If the something you are talking about is what is doing the change or alternation, then it is necessary to use the word “affect.”

“Affect” is almost always a verb. “Effect” is almost always a noun.

Three examples would be:

  • “The strong ammonia odor in the dining room affected my enjoyment of the meal.”
  • “The hot weather affected our ability to swim comfortably.”
  • “The hurricane affected the coastal cities.”

In both cases, the noun at the beginning of the sentence in the thing that is changing the second part of the sentence—this is a clue that the “a” is needed.

If the subject of the sentence is the thing that is changing, or is the change itself (meaning, it’s already happened), then you need to use “effect.”

Three examples would be:

  • “The way you drive will have an effect on your gas mileage.”
  • “Poor Halloween candy sales had a negative effect on the economy this year.”
  • “The Ryan-Gosling effect is something plaguing the hearts of many women.”

In these cases, the change has already happened, and we’re talking about the subjects that were at the receiving end of the change. Think about cause and effect—the word comes second and is the result of something changing.

“Affect” is almost always a verb. Effect is almost always a noun. In one of the examples above, we said:

“The way you drive will have an effect on your gas mileage.”

Another way to write that would be:

“The way you drive will affect your gas mileage.”

In the first example, “effect” is used because a noun is needed. In the second example, “affect” is used because it is a verb.

The way I remember the difference is that verbs are action words and “action,” like “affect,” begins with an “a.” Another way to remember the difference between the two is to remember that “a” starts the alphabet and “e” comes at the “end.” By remembering this, you can remember that “affect” comes before the change has occurred and “effect,” comes at the end, when the change has already happened.

I hope this has made the use of “affect” and “effect” clearer and not more confusing! When the words are being used in relation to you, remember these two things:

You affect things and people.

Things and people have an effect on you.

That Which Confuses Us About Which and That

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that-or-whichIf you’re like me, you have safely become a successful adult by completely avoiding situations that involve complex use of the words, “which” and “that.” They’re confusing, and hard to understand. Below is a quick and easy guide to getting rid of the stress associated with these two rascals, so that you can properly use them in a sentence. To some, it would be just one other disparity they could care less about. But for some like myself, it can drive me up the wall, and I’m beginning to thing it’s an OCD. But I’ve been getting worked up lately over trivial matters, for which, I’ve taken up stress management classes at Legacy Healing Tampa. But I digress.

So What’s the Difference?

There’s a very subtle difference between the two words, but understanding that difference is key to using the correct word in the correct way. Take the two sentences below for example:

  • The shoes, which are expensive, smelled like rubber.
  • The shoes that are expensive smelled like rubber.

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10 Hyphenation Tips

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Do you know when to use a hyphen and when not to? This infographic gives five examples of when a hyphen is needed and five examples of phrases that should not be hyphenated.

Some of these may come in handy when writing mystery shop reports. Is it “one half” or “one-half”? “Self-serve” or “self serve”? Was the steak “well-done” or “well done”?

10-hyphenation-tips

by grammar.net.
Explore more visuals like this one on the web’s largest information design community – Visually.

Modifier Madness

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Making your mystery shop reports as clear as possible is important. Using modifiers incorrectly can completely change the meaning of a sentence.

Misplaced modifiers are easy to do, and often hard to spot. Before getting into the mistake, however, let’s first explore what a modifier is. Modifiers are words that are used in a sentence to describe something else. They’re typically adjectives, which are words that describe nouns but can be any words or phrases that describe something.Continue Reading

How Mystery Shoppers Can Improve Writing Skills with College Courses

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Writing is an important skill for mystery shoppers. If you think your writing skills could be better (and whose couldn’t?) there are several ways to get the education you need. You do not have to enroll in a degree program to take advantage of college writing courses. Here, guest poster Alexis Bonari shares some of her favorite resources.

Many college graduates didn’t get to take every class they wanted to try while they were officially enrolled, so it’s common to have areas of interest that might benefit from a little extra instruction. If writing was one of those areas for you, some of the writing instruction available from online colleges and universities might be of interest. The options discussed below include both free instruction and paid college courses that award credit, so you can decide what’s best for you and your writing skills.
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When to Use ‘A’ and When to Use ‘An’

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Incorrect usage of ‘a’ and ‘an’ is one of the things that will mark you as a poor writer. Although some uses are obvious to most native English speakers, there are (as with so many other grammar rules) exceptions to the usual rules.

Most people know to use ‘a’ before a word beginning with a consonant and ‘an’ before a word beginning with a vowel:

The sandwich was served with a salad and an apple.

Simple, right? Most of the time. But here are some exceptions.Continue Reading

Using Then or Than

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Perhaps because these words are spelled and pronounced similarly, they are often confused. However, “then” and “than” are different words with different meanings and it is important to understand how and when to use each of them. Here are some tips to help you.
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Simple Sentences and Compound Sentences

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simple-sentences-compound-sentencesGood narrative writing spells out the facts in a clear, concise way. However, “concise” does not mean using sentence fragments or only short sentences. To make your writing more readable, interesting and easy to follow, vary the lengths of your sentences.

When all of the sentences you use are very short, the narrative is choppy:

I entered the store at 3:04 p.m. Mary greeted me. She told me about the sale. I found three blouses. Mary asked if I wanted to try them on. She led me to the fitting room. Mary unlocked the door. She hung the blouses in the room.

You also should not use only long sentences, especially run-on sentences:

I entered the store at 3:04 p.m. and Mary greeted me and she told me about the sale. I found three blouses, and Mary asked if I wanted to try them on then led me to the fitting room and unlocked the door and hung the blouses in the room.

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Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda

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puzzled.jpgWhat is wrong with this sentence from a mystery shopper report?

The service could of been faster.

There are a couple of problems. Not only does it express an opinion rather than an objective fact, it does so badly.

There is never a case where “could of” is a grammatically correct phrase.

The same is true of would of, should of and must of. And, even worse, coulda, woulda, shoulda, and musta. Never even think about using them in your reports.

The correct phrases are could have, would have, should have and must have.

So why do so many people use “of” instead of “have”?

Probably because when people use a phrase such as “could have” in a sentence, they tend to shorten it to “could’ve.” People who are accustomed to hearing the spoken phrase hear it as “could of” and therefore write it that way.

The grammatically correct version of the above sentence would be:

The service could have been faster.

Of course, it is still opinion and thus probably does not belong in a mystery shopper report. However, there may be times when the use of “could have” is appropriate in your reports. Just make sure that when you use it, you spell it correctly.

Apostrophe Catastrophe

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apostrophe.jpgOne of my pet peeves is the incorrect use of apostrophes. People leave them out when they should use them, then sprinkle them willy-nilly where they have no business being.

Every time I see a big sign that says “BOOK’S” I cringe.

Although apostrophe errors are common, improper use of apostrophes will mark you as an inexperienced and  uninformed writer to those who understand proper usage—such as editors at mystery shopping companies. The proper use of apostrophes will help you get better scores on your mystery shopper reports.

Here are some simple tips that will help you remember how to use apostrophes in your writing—and how not to use them. Continue Reading