2. Cause-and-Effect Cause-and-effect helps us understand why things happen or what the results of events will be. An effect is what happened. A contributing cause is why it happened.
3. Why Use Cause-And-Effect? Cause/Effect helps us… make sense of things. envision the future or understand the past. plan. make decisions. implement changes.
4. Multiple Causes and Effects A cause can have many effects; an effect can have many causes. These multiples should be mentioned, otherwise, you will be oversimplifying.
5. Identify Underlying Causes/ Effects Not all causes and effects are obvious. Be sure to closely examine all details, so that your reader does not make assumptions (or worse, is confused).
6. Prove Your Point Do not simply state that something is a cause or effect. Provide evidence to prove it is a cause or effect. Adequate details show as well as tell.
7. Identify Immediate & Remote Causes Immediate causes occur near the time of an event. Remote causes occur in a more distant time. Consider the shortage of nurses… An immediate cause is that lowered pay has reduced their numbers. A remote cause is that the baby boom generation has given record number of aging Americans in need of medical care.
8. Reproduce Causal Chains A causal chain occurs when a cause leads to an effect, and that effect becomes a cause, and so on. Consider the effects of raising the cost of a stamp… The government raises the price of stamps. The effect of this is that it costs more to mail a letter. This causes businesses to raise their prices. The effect of this is that the cost of doing business goes up. This causes business to raise the price of goods & services. And so on…
9. Consider Your Audience Consider your audience: Your audience may not be aware of all causes or effects, so explain them in careful detail. Explain why or why not something is a cause or an effect, especially if your audience may make assumptions.
10. Responsible Use Sometimes writers exaggerate causes or effects to achieve their writing purpose. They will also omit information to achieve their purpose. Remember, you can achieve your purpose and also use information accurately.
