Cause and Effect Essay

Cause and Effect Essays

• A cause-effect essay serves one of two
purposes
– 1. It shows the effects of a thing or event
– 2. It explains the causes of a thing or event
• Cause effect essays deal with the action/result
relationship. They explain why things happen
(causes) and what happens as a result
(effects). 
 Cause and Effect Essays:
Basic Structure
There are two types of Cause and Effect Essays.
1. A cause with multiple effects
– Ex) Effects of watching too much TV
• The cause is watching too much TV – explain the effects
2. An effect with multiple causes.
– Ex) Causes of air pollution (multiple factors leading to air
pollution)
• Air pollution is the effect
3. Each of the Causes or Effects listed in the thesis
statement will correspond to a paragraph in the
body of the essay.
  Multiple causes-->effect

Uncontrolled
factory gases
Burning of
Exhaust gases low-quality
from cars coal for
heating

Air
pollution
  Multiple causes-->effect
• Topic: Causes of air pollution
– (Air pollution is the effect)
I. Intro
I. Thesis Statement: Air pollution is caused by the following
factors: exhaust gases from cars, uncontrolled factory
releases, and burning of low-quality coal for heating.
II. Body
I. Exhaust gases from cars. (Explain how this causes air
pollution)
II. Uncontrolled factory releases. (Explain how this causes air
pollution)
III. Burning of low-quality coal. (Explain how this causes air
pollution)
III. Conclusion
  Cause-->Multiple effects

Communication
problems

Eating disorders Obesity

Watching
too
much TV
  Cause-->Multiple effects
• Topic : Effects on society of watching too much TV
I. Intro
I. Thesis: 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.
II. Body
I. Eating disorders (Explain how watching too much tv causes
eating disorders)
II. Communication problems
III. Obesity
III. Conclusion
 Getting Started:
1. What is the very first step in the writing process?
Brainstorming
2. Take a couple minutes to come up with as many
cause and effect topics as possible.

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 Sample topics
• The positive effects of quitting a harmful habit • The effects of a coach or teammate on a
student’s life
• Causes of teenage depression
• The effect of a parent, teacher, or friend on a • The effects of not keeping a personal budget
child’s life • The causes of noise pollution
• The effects of cramming for an exam • The effects of noise pollution
• The effects of peer pressure • Why so few students read newspapers
• Why some students cheat • The effects of moving to a new town or city
• The effects of growing up with a personal • Why sales of DVDs are declining
computer
• Why growing numbers of people shop online
• The effects of poverty on an individual
• The effects of the steady increase in the cost of
• Why more and more students are taking online going to college
classes
• Why students drop out of high school or college
• The effects of racial, sexual, or religious
• Why so many people eat junk food
discrimination
• Why many children run away from home
• Why people exercise
• The long-term effects of unemployment on a
• Why people have pets person
• The effects of computers on our everyday lives
• The influence of a book or a movie on a person’s
• The environmental effects of bottled water life
• The effects of pressures on students to get good • The effects of music downloading on the music
grades industry
 Choosing a topic…
• Once you have done some brainstorming, take a look at 1 or 2
of the topics you like most.
• Remember, try not to choose topics that are too broad or too
narrow.
– Too broad: The Causes of Poverty
– Better: The Causes of Poverty in the Dominican Republic
– Too narrow: The effects of taking English 322
– Better: The effects of becoming a good writer
– Better: The effects of learning a foreign language
• In partners, discuss the topics you have selected and come up
with a list of ALL the possible causes or effects for your topics.
 Narrowing down your topic.
Now that you have a list, narrow down or group your causes or
effects into 3 main categories.
Effects of Air pollution in Mexico City Effects of Air pollution in Mexico City
• Necessity to stay indoors • Health problems
• More sitting in front of the tv – Runny eyes and nose
– Shorter life span
• Destruction of wildlife
– Headaches and emphysema
• Negative world attention – allergies
• Decrease in tourism • Lifestyle changes
• Allergies – More sitting in front of tv
• Emphysema – Necessity to stay indoors
– Lower quality of life
• Headaches
• Economic issues
• Poor visibilty
– Negative world attention
• Shorter life span – Decrease in tourism
• Runny eyes and nose
• Lower quality of life
 Create a Thesis Statement
• Definition of your issue followed by its causes
or effects.
Ex: A recession, which is a nationwide lull in
business activity, would be detrimental to
American society in the following ways: it
would A, it would B and it would C.

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 Thesis Statement Examples
• Principal reasons for worker dissatisfaction in
the field of customer service are low wages,
hostile environment conditions, and boredom.
• The beneficial effects of annual active family
vacations include reduced stress, increased
fitness, and improved family relationships.
 Support your Thesis and Topic Sentences
with Details
• Research your topic.
• Use specific details, facts, and statistics to
support your causes and effects and to create
a strong argument.
• Be sure to properly cite all of your information
using APA citation.
 Avoid generalizations
Generalization: The reason why Americans are
overweight is that they love fast food.
• Not ALL Americans are overweight and not ALL
Americans love fast foods.
Better: One of the main reasons behind the obesity
epidemic in the United States is the prevalence of
Fast Food in the American diet. According to a survey
by the Food and Drug Administration, 90 percent of
Americans report eating Fast Food at least once a
week.
 Use the 3rd Person
Avoid using I or you

Incorrect: I believe that the death penalty is wrong because it

is a form of murder.
The removal of the “I believe that” makes the sentence
more forceful. The purpose of a cause and effect paper
is to be as convincing as possible and to convince
readers to accept the cause and effect as plausible.
Correct: The death penalty is wrong because it is a form of
murder.
Incorrect: You can’t give the government the power to
determine who lives or dies.
Who is “You?” This pronoun is not referring to anybody in
particular, and therefore, the sentence sounds confusing.
Correct: The government should not have the power to
determine who lives or dies.
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 Avoid Negative Statements and Bias
• Avoid biased statements or make negative
statements to the reader
Too Negative: The American public is too blind to see that
the death penalty is wrong. Voter ignorance is one
contributing factor that allows policies like the death
penalty to come into law.
Better: More death penalty education is needed to provide
the voting public with the information they need to make
informed decisions.

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 SIGNAL WORDS

Transition words
• As a result,
Cause Effect
• As a consequence,  
• Consequently, For As a result
• So, Because As a consequence
• Since Because of Therefore
Since Thus
• As,
As Consequently
• Because To Result from Hence
• Due to To be the result of So
• If… then Due to The result in
The effect of To cause
• Leads to
The consequence of To have an effect on
• Therefore As a result of To Affect
• Thus As a consequence of The cause of
• One reason why ...   The reason for
• One of the most important reasons why ...
• The main reasons why ...
• There are other reasons, too, ...
 Important Questions to Ask
• Have I assumed only one cause when many causes may be
appropriate?
• Have I incorrectly assumed a causal relationship between two
events that immediately follow each other?
• Did I distinguish between long-term and short-term causes
and effects. A short-term cause or effect is a single,
immediately identifiable event; a long-term cause or effect
may be less easy to pinpoint but in the long run more
important?
• Did I distinguish between primary (most important) and
secondary (ancillary) effects?

The Cause and Effect Essay. Mount Hebron High School. 27 May 2008 <http://www.howard.k12.md.us/mth/english_dept/adv-
comp/eng_effect.html>.

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