Actually, the noun one can be a verb, roughly meaning "cause" or "produce". Thus the XKCD grammar-nazi trap "Did this effect (cause) the situation?"
Unfortunately, I can never remember which one is usually a noun. I just think "affect starts with an 'a', which is a noun, but I'm always wrong so it must be a verb".
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Actually, the noun one can be a verb, roughly meaning "cause" or "produce". Thus the XKCD grammar-nazi trap "Did this effect (cause) the situation?"
Unfortunately, I can never remember which one is usually a noun. I just think "affect starts with an 'a', which is a noun, but I'm always wrong so it must be a verb".