Impact or Impacts?

[editor79]

I always thought "impact" is an uncountable noun but now half way through editing this document, I am having doubts if in academics, it is correct to use "impacts" when you are talking about more than more impact.

Any thoughts on this?

Thanks!

[editer]

If you're using "impact" as a synonym for "effect" (and can't simply change it to "effect" for whatever reason), then some phenomenon can have more than one effect, so it can have more than one impact. That's the best I can do without seeing the text in question.

[editor79]

Thanks. I think I can change impact to effect in most cases, without any loss of meaning. For example, in the following three sentences:


"They had not fully understood the impacts of WTO accession."


"While the impacts of Confucian doctrines on the party"


"the impacts of the recent history of humiliations are real"

[Mike O'Connell]

Thanks. I think I can change impact to effect in most cases, without any loss of meaning. For example, in the following three sentences:


"They had not fully understood the impacts of WTO accession."


"While the impacts of Confucian doctrines on the party"


"the impacts of the recent history of humiliations are real"

Yes, please. Just a little nuance -- To me, "impact" suggests the magnitude of an effect, whereas "effect" suggests the type of the effect.

[editor79]

Yes, you are right. There does seem to be some difference between the two.

In the above examples, could I just change impacts to impact with any meaning loss?

Thanks!

[Powderhorn]

"Impact" has become a buzzword meant to impart more meaning than it carries. It calls to mind "everyone died on impact." I tend to shy away from the word because of this loadedness ... and it's gone on sight as a verb, unless the story is about the impacting of a molar.

[Mike O'Connell]

Without more context, this is how I'd change them:

"They had not fully understood the consequences of WTO accession."
"While the effect of Confucian doctrines on the party..."
"The legacy of the recent history of humiliations is real..."

[editor79]

Great! Thanks very much for all the replies. :)

I have incorporated the first 2 suggestions, but does the third one imply the same thing? The author means "the effects of the humiliations." Hmmm, maybe I can use effects in the last sentence.

[bthrock]

I think "impact," as a noun, gets an unfair knee-jerk reaction that's probably a spillover of its maligned status as a verb.

This business of a word imparting more meaning than it carries -- that's how connotation and nuance are born, and it's why word choice is one of the supreme skills of an editor or writer. If the auxiliary meanings of "impact" are understood widely enough to make it a buzzword, you can trust the desired effects will be understood.

In the case at hand, it seems that the writer might be using "impact" too relentlessly (robbing it of its ... you-know-what). So some variety might be appropriate.

But in some of the instances, "impact" is not incorrect unless you are rooting out all mildly figurative language, so I wouldn't change it. I certainly wouldn't do a wholesale search-and-replace trade with "effect," which is more namby-pamby than what the writer seems to have been thinking. "Effect" is good when the effect is mild, generic or unknowable: "I wondered what effect 2% milk would have on my diet." "Impact" can be better if the effect is negative or stunning: "I didn't foresee the impact his psychosis would have on office morale."

[editor79]

I agree and thanks for the reply Brian. But what do you think of "impacts" in its plural form? Can it be used that way? It sounds a little awkward to me.

[bthrock]

"But what do you think of "impacts" in its plural form? Can it be used that way?"

Sure, why not? If there's some evidence that mulitple effects could happen or (better yet) that the writer foresees several discrete consequences, then "impacts" would convey the meaning better than "impact." Or "effect."

It's up to you to discern how sloppy the writer is. You are in the position of judgng whether he or she really means "impacts" (with its connotations of negativity, severalness etc.) or whether "impacts" is just a lazy tic.

[editor79]

aah... that makes sense. :) I am off to take another look at my document and hopefully, I'll figure out what he exactly means... Thanks!

[editer]

Careful editing will make the text more impactful.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[editor79]

Too many "impacts" are impacting my ability to make the text more impactful! :wink:

[Mike O'Connell]

Thanks, Bthrock. I wonder if the hubbub started with environmental impact statements.