2. WHAT IS A CAUSE? WHAT IS AN EFFECT?
Cause and effect depend on each other. You
can’t have one without the other. A plane
crashed. That is the effect. What are the
possible causes? Was it a mechanical or
human error? Was it due to the weather?
Was it a terrorist action? Obviously there are
many possible causes.
3. Cause and Effect analyzes why something
happens.
Some effects are caused by multiple causes.
Some causes, in turn, can result in multiple
effects.
4. A cause essay usually discusses the
reasons why something happened.
An effect essay discusses what
happens after a specific event or
circumstance.
5. Cause and Effect Essay assignments
typically use the following language:
"What are the causes of X?"
"What led to X?"
"Why did X occur?"
"Why does X happen?"
"What would be the effects of X?"
6. HOW TO WRITE A CAUSE / EFFECT ESSAY
STEP-1
- Decide whether you want to examine the
cause or effect
STEP-2
- Examine each cause and effect thoroughly,
using sufficient evidence to prove your
points.-
7. ORGANIZATION
Like any other essay, a cause and effect
essay begins with an interesting introductory
paragraph, which ends in a clear and
relevant thesis statement (statement of
purpose for the essay). In the introduction to
a cause OR effect essay, you can set the
stage for the rest of the essay by discussing
the cause or the effect you will be exploring
in the body of your paper.
The introduction is followed by body
paragraphs in which you will elaborate upon
the thesis.
End the essay with a memorable concluding
paragraph.
8. MULTIPLE CAUSES-->EFFECT
In this pattern, the organization is as follows:
Thesis statement: Air pollution is caused by a
variety of imperceptible, but controllable
industries.
I. exhaust gases from cars
A. government does not take enough control
B. citizens are not as conscientious as they could be
II. uncontrolled factory gases
A. no regular checks on gases released that need to
be regulated
B. factories are inside the borders of residential areas
and should be moved
III. burning of low-quality coal for heating
A. government does not take enough control
B. other forms of energy are too expensive, but
9.
10. CAUSAL CHAIN / DOMINO
In this pattern, the events lead to one another, as in the
following organization:
Thesis statement: Using deodorants with chlorofluorocarbon
gas will bring the end of world.
I. Chlorofluorocarbon gases are contained in most
deodorants and released by some factories into the air.
II. This gas causes the ozone layer to become thinner and
finally disappear in patches.
III. The unfiltered ultraviolet rays of the sun cause
overheating in the poles of the earth, where the icebergs
start to melt.
IV. The huge amount of water released from the poles leads
to a rise in the sea-level.
V. The sea will cover the land and this will be the end of the
world.
11. CAUSE-->MULTIPLE EFFECTS
In this pattern, the effects of a certain situation are explained in
separate paragraphs, with the following organization:
Thesis statement: Watching too much TV is one of
the major sociological issues of this century,
which has many effects on the physiology and
psychology of people.
I. eating disorders
A. TV meals
B. obesity
II. communication problems
A. more violence
B. no interpersonal talk
12.
13. Introduction
Lead-in: Introduce the topic
Transition: Present popular assumption of
the cause or the effect concerning the topic
Thesis Statement: Present your
speculation about the causes or effects of
the topic (at least three cause or effects)
14. BODY
Body Paragraph 1
1. Topic Sentence: Present the first cause or the first effect.
2. Supporting Details: Explain and provide examples.
3. Closing Remarks: Link the examples back to the topic
sentence.
Body Paragraph 2
1. Topic Sentence: Present the second cause or the second
effect.
2. Supporting Details: Explain and provide examples.
3. Closing Remarks: Link the examples back to the topic
sentence.
Body Paragraph 3
1. Topic Sentence: Present the third cause or the third effect.
2. Supporting Details: Explain and provide examples.
3. Closing Remarks: Link the examples back to the topic
sentence.
17. SAMPLE ‘CAUSE’ ESSAY
From the past to present, people all over
the world have determined to get married, which
means living together. In other words, they
depend on each other for love and support.
Nevertheless, some couples are unable to
maintain their relationship; therefore they
choose divorce, which is one of the solutions to
cope with problems between husbands and
wives. The divorce rates continually increase
nowadays, thus it might be argued that divorces
can be taken place easier than the past. There
are three main causes of divorce: changing
woman's roles, stress in modern living and lack
of communication.
18. The first significant cause of recent rise in the rates of
divorce is that women have completely changed roles. In the
past, men earned the money to afford the expense of family,
whereas women only worked in the home and took care of the
children and the family, hence women, had no money leading to
depending on their husband's money. These situations made it
too difficult for most women to separate from their husbands.
However, the equality between men and women in roles are very
clear at the moment, thus women can work outside to earn
money, while men share the household tasks such as cooking,
cleaning, washing as well as caring for children. It can be clearly
seen that women are independent from husbands as they can
earn money to support themselves. Accordingly, they now find
the power in themselves to stand on their own and the divorce
rates rise day by day.
19. Another cause to confirm the recent increase
in divorce rates is stress in modern living. Many
people, who live in globalization, have a considerable
amount of pressure to earn money. Some families
can earn money, but inadequate for covering their
expenses, therefore it is easy to think about divorce.
Or, some people are laid off from their companies;
consequently, the stress occurs in their family, which
leads to divorce. Nevertheless, the rates of
unemployment continually increase; as a result, the
divorce rates can also rise. It is no doubt that the
stress in modern living may lead to recently
increasing divorce rates.
20. The final cause of recently increasing
divorce is lack of communication. Owing to
financial status in each family, many people are
fairly busy. For this reason, they have
inadequate time to talk out the problems with
their partners, which produces the likelihood of
divorce. Some couples are often quiet when
they have problems with each other, as a
consequence little problems can be expanded to
probably become huge problems, resulting in
divorce. It is quite clear that the more
communication that is used, the more divorce
rates are reduced.
21. In conclusion, a family is one of the
most important parts of society, thus many
people had better be aware of the
significance of their relationship. At the
moment, although people tend to think
carefully before they get married, the rates of
divorce continuously rise due to the changing
of women's roles, stress in modern living and
lack of communication. Let it stop being a
substantial problem for the society.
22. SAMPLE ‘EFFECT’ ESSAY
EFFECTS OF WATCHING TOO MUCH TV
Discoveries and invention of devices are
always welcome till we, humans, find a way to abuse
its benefits and be adversely affected by it. This was
the case when Wilhelm Roentgen discovered x-ray
and within five years, the British Army was using a
mobile x-ray unit to locate bullets and shrapnel in
wounded soldiers in the Sudan. TV was also invented
with positive thoughts in mind – there would be no
national borders, education and communication
would be worldwide, etc. However, there are
physiological and psychological adverse effects of TV
on human beings, which we are now trying to
overcome.
23. One of the physiological effects of
watching TV in excessive amounts is eye-
strain. It is true that there are specifications
for watching TV; TV should be 5 m. away
from the eye, the room should be adequately
lit, TV should be placed at the same height
with our eyes, etc. However, these do not
prevent our eyes from getting tired if we keep
watching TV for a long time.
24. Another effect is obesity, which is widely
observed in people who like watching TV and
eating snacks everyday. There is even a term
“TV snacks” to refer to fast food that is suitable
for eating in front of the TV. It can be said that TV
is such a powerful machine that people cannot
get away from it – it is addictive.
25. Apart from the physiological effects, TV also
causes psychological effects. One is a result of being
exposed to violence. After seeing so many violent
scenes on TV, people start considering violent actions
normal and they lose their sensitivity to their
environment. Partly connected to this effect, the
interpersonal communication among people
decreases. Being insensitive to the suffering of other
people causes people to become alienated. Also,
after coming home from work people seek to relax in
front of the TV, and generally people prefer watching
TV to talking to each other. This issue is very
important since lack of interpersonal relationships
mostly end with divorces.
26. Shortly, inventions are meant to be
beneficial for human beings, if we know how
to benefit from them. TV is one of such
inventions that need to be used for the right
purpose only – being educated and
entertained for a reasonable (according to
age) period of time. We may, then, be safe
from or at least reduce the adverse
physiological and psychological effects of
watching too much TV.
