Affect and effect are different in meaning, though frequently confused. Affect is chiefly used as a verb and its main meaning is ‘to influence or make a difference to’, as in the following example sentences:

　　Affect一般用作动词，其含义为：影响/改变，如下面例句所示：

　　The pay increase will greatly affect their lifestyle.

　　薪水增长会对他们的生活方式带来很大的影响。

　　The dampness began to affect my health.

　　湿气开始对我的健康带来影响。

　　The weather will affect my plans for the weekend.

　　天气状况会影响我周末的计划。

　　Effect, on the other hand, is used both as a noun and a verb, although is more commonly used as a noun. As a noun it means ‘a result or an influence’, as in:

　　另一方面，Effect一般情况下用作名词，但也可以用作动词。作为名词它表示：影响/结果。例如：

　　Move the cursor until you get the effect you want.

　　移动光标直到出现你想要的效果。

　　The beneficial effects of exercise are well documented.

　　锻炼可带来的益处是有据可查的。

　　Over time the effect of loud music can damage your hearing.

　　长期听大音量的音乐会损害你的听力。

　　Effect作为动词，其含义为：产生/达到目的。这个用法一般用于正式的语境中，在日常场合中较少使用。

　　Growth in the economy can only be effected by stringent economic controls.

　　只有通过严格的经济控制才能实现经济增长。

　　The new policies did little to effect change.

　　这些新政策几乎没有产生有效的改变。

　　The prime minister effected many policy changes.

　　总理对一些政策做了调整。

　　The key thing to remember is that effect is most commonly used as a noun, whereas affect is typically used as a verb.

　　需要记住的关键一点是：Effect通常用作名词,而Affect通常用作动词。

（编辑：何莹莹）