Affect/Effect usage?

‘affect’ can also be a noun – check dictionary.com

‘effect’ can be both a noun and a verb – check dictionary.com

It gets a little complicated, but the end result gives ‘affect’ the nod in the Q sentence, as I have stated. I ‘glean’ that result from dictionary.com – someone else may see it differently !!

Effect is a noun.

Every cause has an effect but you affect change.

The correct sentence is

“Eliminating the element wouldn’t have any effect on the page count.”

Your sentence has a gerund subject (Eliminating the element)

the verb: wouldn’t have

the object: effect

However, in the sentence below, if you use it as a VERB, you can change it to affect.

“Eliminating the element would affect the page count.”

In this construction, you have the same gerund subject:

(Eliminating the element)

the verb: would affect

the object: the page count

You could say, “eliminating the element wouldn’t AFFECT the page count………:,” using it as a verb.

The only time ‘effect’ can be a verb is when you are speaking of bringing something into existence, as for example——“The marriage counselor hoped to effect communication between the alienated spouses.”

Effect=verb, transitive

Affect=noun, reflexive

Think movies: Special Effects not Special Affects (unless you are dealing with Ben Affleck, who revels in affectations).

P.S. to Ben, if you read this: nothing personal, just Wordplay