Select the most appropriate word to fill in the blank.

You don’t usually discuss money with friends, because it may ______ the relationship negatively.

affect

The most appropriate word to fill in the blank is affect.

The word affect means to have an effect on something. In this case, the speaker is saying that discussing money with friends may have a negative effect on the relationship. The other words in the options do not have the same meaning.

• Improve means to make something better.
• Strengthen means to make something stronger.
• Effect is a noun that means a result or consequence.