This document discusses cause and effect relationships. It defines cause as the reason something happens, and effect as the result of something happening. Most cause and effect paragraphs focus on either causes or effects, but not both. Examples are provided of direct and indirect cause-effect relationships to illustrate the difference. When writing a cause and effect paragraph, the thesis should state the topic and whether the focus is on causes or effects. Supporting details should be logical and directly related to the topic. Organization can be either chronological or from one extreme to another.

1. Mosaics Ch. 13

2.  Cause
◦ The reason something happens
 Why did I enjoy that movie?
 Why is the sky blue?
 Effect
◦ The result of something happening
 Who will win the presidential election?
 What happens when I oversleep and miss class?
◦ Most cause and effect paragraphs (or essays) focus
on one or the other. It is difficult to cover both
causes and effects well in one passage.

3.  A black cat crossed Sarah‘s path yesterday
and, sure enough, she was involved in an
automobile accident later that same
afternoon.
 Whenever I wash my car, it rains.
Clearly, washing my car is the reason it rains.
 Whenever bread is old, mold appears.
 Does mold make the bread go bad?
 Does the bread going bad make the mold appear?

4.  Direct Causes and Effects
 Reasons and reactions that are exactly tied to the
topic.
 Make sure you can prove the causes and/or effects are
directly related, not just related by time.

5.  Thesis
 What is the topic?
 Will you be focusing on causes or effects?
 Supporting Details
 Are they logical?
 Are they direct causes or effects?
 Organization
 Chronological or one extreme to the other