The sentence:

'Not only do dropout rates affect the particular individuals, it also affects society in general. '

For word affect, should it be changed to effect? I'm confused on which word to use. Please help, thanks

effect is a noun.

affect can be either a noun or verb. You need a verb here, for the subject "it".

Look both words up, see if it has an (effect, affect) on you.
http://www.onelook.com/

I think I should use the verb for it.. but my teacher told me to change "it also affects society in general." to "effects".

I strongly disagree with your teacher.

You're right -- "it also affects society in general."

I will ask her again, maybe she made a mistake. Thank you for your help, bobpursley and Ms.Sue!

You're very welcome.

Good luck!!!

The correct word to use in this sentence is "affect." Let me explain the difference between "effect" and "affect" and how you can determine when to use each word.

"Affect" and "effect" are homophones, which means they sound the same but have different meanings.

"Affect" is most commonly used as a verb, meaning to produce an influence on something or to impact. In the sentence you provided, the word "affect" is used to convey the idea that dropout rates have an impact on both individuals and society in general.

"Effect," on the other hand, is most commonly used as a noun, meaning the result or consequence of something. For example, you could say, "The effect of high dropout rates is evident in society." In this case, "effect" is used to describe the result or outcome of the dropout rates.

To determine which word to use, ask yourself whether you want to describe the action of influencing something (affect) or the result or consequence of that action (effect). In the sentence you provided, "affect" is the appropriate choice because it describes the action of dropout rates influencing individuals and society.

I hope this explanation was helpful!