Which statement about affect and effect is correct?

• A. Affect is a verb; Effect is a noun.
• B. Affect is a noun; Effect is a verb.
• C. Affect is a verb and noun; Effect is a noun.
• D. Both are interchangeable.

Answer: (C)

Affect and effect come from different parts of speech, and that distinction guides their most common uses. Affect is usually a verb meaning to influence or produce a change. For example, rain can affect your plans, and a decision can affect how you feel. Affect can also be a noun, though this is mostly in psychology, where it refers to emotion or mood (the patient’s flat affect).

Effect is normally a noun meaning the result or outcome of a change. The weather had a big effect on our picnic. Effect can be used as a verb too—meaning to bring about or to cause something—but that usage is more formal and less common in everyday language (as in to effect a change).

So, the statement that affect is a verb and a noun, and effect is a noun, aligns with standard usage: affect acts as both verb and noun in limited contexts, while effect is most often a noun.