Cause & Effect

The Cause and
Effect Paper
ENG 101
freshman english
sample cause-
effect essay
why they excell? (p.246*48)

1. (1)the story of Kim-Chi Trinh from
why they excell
Vietnam
2. (3)thesis: Asian-Americans are
teaching the rest of us a lessson
about the values of hard work, the
family, and education.
3. (4,5) these paragraphs are a
reflection of the thesis.
4. (6,7,8) hard work comes from
Confucianism, strong family ties from
Confucianism
5. (12) to point out the causes for the
success of Asian-American students
Why Cause-Effect
Essay
1. To understand the relationship of
events that brought about an
outcome, (Cause)
2. To understand the results that
come out of an event (Effect)
3. To understand the chain of causes
and effects between some events
(Causal Chain)
 Cause and Effect analyzes
why something happens.
 Some effects are caused
by multiple causes.
 Some causes, in turn, can
result in multiple effects.
Focus on Ef fects
EFFECT
#1
CAUSE EFFECT
#2
EFFECT
#3
Focus on Causes
CAUSE #1
EFFECT CAUSE #2
CAUSE #3
Cause and Ef fect
Chain
CAUSE
EFFECT
CAUSE
EFFECT
List Causes and Effects
• First look for immediate causes/effects.
• Then look for remote causes/effects –
underlying, more basic reasons/results.
• Make separate lists of causes/effects.
• List evidence next to each cause/effect.
• Generate additional material for weak points.
• Rate the items on the list by asking, “How
significant is this cause/effect? Would the
situation exist or have arisen without it?
 Main cause: the most important cause
 Contributory Causes: less important
 Immediate Cause: closely precedes the
effect.
 Remote cause: less obvious because it
involves something in the past or far
away.
 Causal Chain: an effect can be the
cause to another effect, on so on.
Causal Relation:
 Necessary Cause - one that must be present
for the effect to occur.
 Ex. Combustion is necessary to drive a gasoline
engine.
 Sufficient Cause - one that can produce an
effect unaided, though there may be more
than one sufficient cause of a given effect.
 Ex. A dead battery is enough to keep a car from
starting--but faulty spark plugs or an empty gas
tank will have the same effect.
 Contributory Cause - one that helps to
produce an effect but cannot do so by itself.
 Ex. Running a red light might help to cause an
accident....though other facts -- pedestrians or
other cars in the intersection -- must also be
present.
Information taken from: http://www.howard.k12.md.us/mth/english_dept/adv-comp/eng_effect.html
 Avoiding Post Hoc Reasoning:
 Do not assume that just because even A
precedes event B, event A caused even
B. This illogical assumption is called post
hoc reasoning. This error leads you to
confuse coincidence with causality.
 Do not confuse words like because,
therefore and consequently (indicating a
causal relationship), with words like
subsequently, later, and afterward
(chronological relationship words)
Planning a Cause and
Ef fect Essay
 Purpose and Thesis:
 Be sure to identify the relationships among the
specific causes and effect you will discuss.
 Thesis statement should tell the reader
 It doesn't have to be persuasive
 The points you plan to consider
 The position you will take
 Whether you will emphasize causes, effects, or
both.
 The cause and/or effect you consider most
important.
Planning a Cause and Effect Essay
 The order in which you will treat your points.
 Order and sequence; several possibilities
include:
 Chronological
 Main cause first, and then contributory causes
 Contributory causes first, and then main
cause.
 Negative effects first, then positive
 First dismiss events that are not causes, and
then discuss actual causes for an effect.
 Most obvious causes first, and then less
obvious causes.
Organizing the Essay
Introduction
• Start with a quote, a list, a description, or
statistics to catch the reader’s attention.
• Introduce the subject and explain the
situation.
• Give any background material necessary.
• Thesis: state your 3 points in the
cause/effect relationship.
Body
Patterns of Organization
Use transitions between each cause and/or effect
and each paragraph.
A. B. C. D. E.
Caus Effect Caus C/E

Cause e
e
s Effect C/E
Cause Effect
Effects Caus C/E
Cause Effect e
Effect
Conclusion
• Revisit the introduction.
• Ask “So what?” What
conclusion or point can be
drawn or made from the
points presented?
• DO NOT summarize the
points from the body of
the essay.
T he Langua ge
 Transitions are essential to this type of

essay to distinguish causes from effects.
 because, because of, for, since, as
 as a result of, thus, therefor, consequently,
 cause, result from, result in, lead to, bring
about, produce
 effect, cause, reason, rationale, result,
affect, relation, correlation
 effective, causal,etc.
Str ucturing a Cause
and Ef fect Essay
 Finding Causes
 Less important cause > effect> most important
cause
 Describing or Predicting Effects
 Cause > first effect> second effect > third (most
important) effect> conclusion (with possible
prediction of additional effects).
Revising a Cause and
Ef fect Essay
 Focus either on causes or effects
 analyze the causes and/or effects
sufficiently
 are the link in the chain clear if yours is
causal chain essay
 principles of organization: order of familiarity,
order of interest, order of importance
 The thesis statement should contain a
central idea.
Revision
• Have you clearly stated your point?
• Have you made it clear which you are
explaining - causes or effects?
• Have you given sufficient evidence to
convince readers that the cause/effect
relationships are valid, not just guesses?
• Have you claimed causes or effects (or
made assertions) that you haven’t proven?
• Are you certain that the causes produced
the effects or that the effects resulted from
the cause?
exercises

11.6 p.253

11.10 p.255

11.12 p. 258

reading 256-257

reading 262-263
Multiple Causes--
>Ef fect
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. otherInformation
formstakenoffrom:energy are too expensive, but
http://www.howard.k12.md.us/mth/english_dept/adv-comp/eng_effect.html
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.
Cause-->Multiple
Ef fects
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

Cause & Effect

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The Cause and

why they excell? (p.246*48)

Caus Effect Caus C/E

 Transitions are essential to this type of

Thesis statement: Air pollution is caused by a variety

Thesis statement: Using deodorants with chlorofluorocarbon

Thesis statement: Watching too much TV is one of

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