The document provides guidance on writing a cause and effect essay. It discusses identifying a topic with a clear relationship between causes and effects. Students are advised to brainstorm potential causes and effects, and organize these graphically to clearly see the relationships. The document also provides tips for structuring the essay, such as using chronological, least obvious to most obvious, or least to most important order. It suggests transitional words to link causes and effects like "because," "therefore," and "consequently." Finally, it lists some potential topics that could be analyzed in terms of causes and effects, such as the effects of air pollution, smoking, or being an athlete.

1. Karen S. Wright

3. Why does a kite
fly?
Why a does zebra look
like a horse?
Cause and Effect Can Be as Complex as
Questioning. . . .

4. Or Cause and Effect Can Seem . . . .
As Natural As a Mother’s Love
B
E
C
A
U
S
E
W
H
Y

5. • Unemployment
•Upside down
mortgages
•Loss of property
value for a sale
•Unsafe lending

6. Cause Produces Effect
Jobs Produce Money

7. Cause 1
Cause 2
Cause 3
Effect
Be sure to give examples for each cause and effect--
explain the reasonsand the results by drawing a
picture with words. Explain why something
happens.

8. Car exhaust
Factory releases = Air Pollution
Energy from coal

9. Sometimes there are several
effects for one cause.
Cause
Effect 1
Effect 3
Effect 2
Effect 4

10. If a person is a couch potato (the
cause),what are the Effects (results)?
eye strain
Inactivity
Obesity
lack of motivation
(Being a Couch potato
produces. . .)

12. Find a topic with a clear
relationship between the cause
and effect.
Determine whether the events
can be repeated Every
time A is present, B occurred.
Brainstorm and put your information into
a graph or web so you can clearly see your
thinking.

13. •Ask yourself— “Why
did this event
happen?”
Event=effect
Why=causes
To make your essay
clear. . .

14. •What causes lung
cancer?
OR
•What effects can
happen from cigarette
smoking?

15. Check You Logic
Make sure you don’t
confuse an effect for a cause.
Consider all causes and
effects and choose the best
for your essay.

16. Use a Logical Order When You Write
Use chronological order: What
happened first, then second, etc.
OR
Use least obvious to most
obvious.
OR
Use the least important to the
most important.

17. Special Transitional Words to Help
Words that show cause and effect:
as a result consequentlytherefore
since because
because of
due to . . . so. . .
Other words to show certainty:
unquestionably perhaps possibly
inevitably certainly probably
Words of importance:
above all primarily first
initially last finally

18. What Topic Do Want to Sink YOURTeeth Into?
Effects of air pollution
Causes of air pollution
Effects of being an athlete
Effects of smoking
Effects of alcoholism
Causes of anorexia
Effects of too much TV