affect vs effect

Many students confuse affect and effect. Do you know the difference? Which one is a verb and which one is a noun?

Affect is a regular verb. It usually means to influence or change something.

The cold weather really affects my concentration.

His injury affected the result of the football match.

Effect is a noun. It is a result of something.

One effect of the cold is that I lose concentration.

His injury had no effect on the result of the football match.

Be careful because effect can also be used as a verb! It is not commonly used in this way but it can be. It means to accomplish something or to make something happen.

The dramatic tax cuts were designed to effect spending change in the economy.

Effective is an adjective which tells us that something is good for its purpose.

Her teaching methods were very effective and we all got a grade 7 in the IELTS exam.