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Grammar,

Grammar Gets the Hiccups

This feature about hiccups offers practice using affect and effect

 

From the March 2019 Issue

Learning Objective: to correctly use the commonly confused words affect and effect

 

Featured Skill: Commonly Confused Words,
Common Core Standards
  • Anchor Standards
    L.3
  • Grade 6
    L.6.3
  • Grade 7
    L.7.3
  • Grade 8
    L.8.3
TEKS Standards
  • Grade 6
    6.19, 6.21a
  • Grade 7
    7.19
  • Grade 8
    8.19

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Directions

Read the blurbs below. Determine which word is correct in each bolded word pair.

Hint

Affect or Effect?

Affect is mostly used as a verb meaning “to influence or change something.” Effect is mostly used as a noun meaning “a result.”

There are other uses of affect and effect, but you will not encounter them in this activity.

nakaridore/Shutterstock.com
Hiccups can be annoying, but they usually have no harmful effects.

What Are They?

The cause of hiccups has been hotly debated for thousands of years. In ancient Greece, hiccups were believed to be a sign that your enemy was talking about you. In medieval England, hiccups were thought to be the work of evil elves.

Today, we know hiccups occur when your diaphragm (DAHY-uh-fram) spasms. Your diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle that helps you breathe. It can spasm when the nerves that connect to it get irritated.

A big meal, fizzy drinks, sudden changes in temperature, and excitement can all affect/effect those nerves. You can also get hiccups from swallowing air, such as when you chew gum, or as a side affect/effect of certain medicines.

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Humans aren’t the only ones affected by hiccups. Just ask this horse.

Can They Be Stopped?

Some people say the best hiccup cure is a sudden distraction, such as a friend shouting “BOO!” Others say that chewing peanut butter, holding your breath, sticking your fingers in your ears, or drinking super-cold water are the best remedies. If none of those things have any affect/effect on your hiccups, why not take a cue from the ancient Romans and kiss the nostrils of a mule?

There is no scientific proof that these “cures” actually affect/effect hiccups though. Luckily, most hiccups go away after a few minutes.    

Dorottya Mathe/Shutterstock.com
Hiccups are very common in puppies. How do hiccups affect puppies? They make the puppies even cuter!

Do Animals Hiccup?

Ye-UP! Just search “animals hiccuping” on YouTube and prepare to be delighted. Horses, dogs, cats, rats, penguins—they are all occasionally affected/effected by hiccups.

In some cases, hiccups have a biological function. Tadpoles, for example, hiccup as they transition from water-breathing babies to air-breathing adult frogs. The hiccups prevent water from getting into their newly formed lungs.

This article was originally published in the March 2019 issue.

Activities (1)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Activities (1)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan

Close Reading, Critical Thinking, Skill Building

1. INTRODUCE AND PRACTICE GRAMMAR SKILL

  • As a class, read Grammar’s HINT (found in the upper right corner of the second page) to introduce or review the commonly confused words addressed in the feature. Then read the annotations, which model the correct usage.
  • Have students practice the grammar skill by completing the activity as a class, in groups, or individually. In the activity, students choose which of the commonly confused words to use at several points within three short boxes of text.

2. REINFORCE SKILL

  • Use the “Affect and Effect" activity.
  • Have students observe the commonly confused words in context by searching for examples of their use in the magazine or in other reading material.

EDITOR'S TIP

Challenge students to come up with their own “affect/effect” sentences. Have them trade their sentences with a partner. What words do your students confuse? We’d love your suggestions for future grammar activities.

E-mail us at [email protected].

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