Is there a strong alternative to using “impact” as a verb?
Though it’s not proper usage, clients may suggest the term because it’s more powerful than “affects.” What could you suggest instead?
Using “impact” as a verb may cause you to roll your eyes accordingly.
Last week, we had a request to change the verb “affects” to “impacts” in a headline. The requestor thought “impact” was the better choice because it was a stronger verb.
Original headline: Recent court decision affects physicians.
Requested headline: Recent court decision impacts physicians.
Once we explained that using “impact” as a verb is not proper usage, we were asked if there was stronger verb than “affects.”
The alternatives were:
Recent court decision concerns physicians.
Recent court decision involves physicians.
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