"AFFECT" is a verb meaning to change or modify. Example: The loss of the player will affect the team and they will play poorly. "EFFECT" can be a noun meaning meaning result - example, the loss of the player had a bad effect on the team or "EFFECT" can be a verb meaning perform or do - example, I shall effect repairs on the computer. The words are often confused with each other even by native English speakers, so don't feel bad if this is confusing... =cjs

According to professor emeritus of English literature at Washington State University, Paul Brians, Ph.D.: [Begin quote] There are four distinct words here. When “affect” is accented on the final syllable (a-FECT), it is a verb meaning “have an influence on”: “The million-dollar donation from the industrialist did not affect my vote against the Clean Air Act.” A much rarer meaning is indicated when the word is accented on the first syllable (AFF-ect), meaning “emotion.” In this case the word is used mostly by psychiatrists and social scientists— people who normally know how to spell it. The real problem arises when people confuse the first spelling with the second: “effect.” This too can be two different words. The more common one is a noun: “When I left the stove on, the effect was that the house filled with smoke.” When you affect a situation, you have an effect on it. The less common is a verb meaning “to create“: “I’m trying to effect a change in the way we purchase widgets.” No wonder people are confused. Note especially that the proper expression is not “take affect” but “take effect”— become effective. Hey, nobody ever said English was logical: just memorize it and get on with your life. [End quote] This and over 800 other common errors are covered in Professor Brians' immensely useful book "Common Errors in English," which can be downloaded here: http://www.italki.com/files/doc/27fd3a09-778c-4711-a2ca-f799616ac089.htm