Common Mistakes : influence

verb

.BAD: I don’t think that longer prison sentences would influence on criminals
.GOOD: I don’t think that longer prison sentences would influence criminals

:influence sb/sth (WITHOUT on)
.The revolution of 1789 influenced events far beyond France
:Note the alternative
.I don’t think that longer prison sentences would deter criminals

.BAD: These drugs have no influence on the virus
.GOOD: These drugs have no effect on the virus

.BAD: I asked him not to keep disturbing me, but it had no influence
.GOOD: I asked him not to keep disturbing me, but it had no effect

If someone (or something) has an influence , they help to shape the way that someone or something develops
.D.W. Griffith had an enormous influence on the motion picture industry

:If something has an effect , it causes a change to take place in someone or something
.The war had a disastrous effect on the economy

.BAD: America has given a tremendous influence to Japanese society
.GOOD: America has had a tremendous influence on Japanese society

:have an influence on sb/sth (NOT give … to/in/for)
.The book attempts to demonstrate the influence of the stars on people’s lives