Ann B. sends this in:
Wildfires threaten stars’ Malibu homes
Suzanne Somers, Courteney Cox, Sean Penn among those effected by blaze (Read more...)
It's affected. Effect is usually a noun. Or, as a verb, it means to do or to make something (as in, to effect change).
Affect is almost always a verb, except in the case of psychological jargon. A person can have a "flat affect," which means he isn't lively.
This usage comes from the 19th-century German word "Affekt," which is a feeling associated with action--an emotion or mood associated with an idea or action, or the external expression of such a feeling. If you can't wrap your head around that definition, don't worry. You're not alone. And you'll generally be safe if you use effect as a noun, and affect as a verb.
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