I've got a few sentence here, but I always get confused whether to use affect or effect. Can you help me out?

Question

1. Furthermore, Lee and Hosseini illustrate the affect that the experiences their protagonists encounter during childhood have upon the characters as adults.

2. Similarly, The Kite Runner, which is set in Afghanistan during the 1970s, also displays the adverse affect Amir’s surroundings have upon his views.

3. Furthermore, Looking for Alibrandi and Clueless illustrate the effect of peer pressure of decisions making in the protagonists’ lives.

Answer 1

Usually...
*AFFECT is used as a verb (meaning to influence or get some result)
*EFFECT is used as a noun (meaning the result)

Sometimes, but not often...
*AFFECT is used as a noun (meaning behavior or a feeling)
*EFFECT is used as a verb (meaning to bring something into being, to make something happen)

You can look them up here for more specific definitions: http://www.answers.com

1. incorrect
2. incorrect
3. correct

Answer 2

Thankyou!

Answer 3

You're welcome. They're not easy, but if you concentrate on the pronunciation of each, you should eventually develop the right habits:

a-FECT (stress on second syllable) - verb
ee-FECT (stress on second syllable - noun or verb, but most likely noun)

[AA-fect (AA as in "man" - stress on the first syllable - noun)