CAUSE AND EFFECT ESSAY

What Is a Cause-Effect Essay?

A cause-effect essay shows the reader the relationship between something that happens and its
consequences or between actions and results.

Just think of how many people, when they are given a piece of information, like to analyze the topic and
ask the question Why? or How? This is called the focus-on- causes method.

People who like to think hypothetically—answering the question What if?—focus on the outcome of a
particular event or action. These writers often write focus-on-effects essays.

Focus-on-causes method:

You can choose to write an essay on why people quit their jobs and brainstorm possible reasons they
may have for doing so. Each paragraph would contain a different cause

Focus-on-efFects method:

On the other hand, you may want to emphasize the effects of quitting a job—perhaps detailing the
emotional and financial consequences—in your body paragraphs. In this case, each paragraph would
address one effect.

Example Cause-Effect Essay

ACTIVITY 1 Studying an Example Essay

Read the questions that come before the example essay and think about how you would answer them.

Then discuss them with a partner or in a small group. Read the essay and then work with a partner to
answer the questions after the essay.
Developing Cause-Effect Essays

ACTIVITY 3 Outlining Practice

Complete the following two outlines with a partner. The first one outlines the causes of bullying
behavior (focus-on-causes method), and the second one outlines the effects of bullying on the young
people who are being bullied (focus-on-effects method). Use your imagination, knowledge of the topic,
and understanding of essay organization. Be sure to pay attention to the thesis statements and use
them to help you complete the outlines.
C. Paragraph 4 (Effect 3) topic sentence: If teens become damaged by the bullying, they may do almost
anything to get out of the situation.

1. They may try to escape from their painful reality by engaging in dangerous activities.

2. They might think about a plan of revenge.

3.

III. Conclusion (Paragraph 5) (restated thesis):

Sequencing Paragraphs

Connectors for Cause-Effect Essays

Read the next student essay (focus-on-effects method) and circle the appropriate connector in each set
of parentheses.

Effects of Computers on Higher Education

1. Through the ages, industrious individuals have continuously created conveniences to make life
easier. From the invention of the wheel to the lightbulb, inventions have propelled society
forward. One recent modern invention is the computer, which has improved many aspects of
peoples lives. This is especially true in the field of education. (Therefore / Because of) computer
technology, higher education today has three major conveniences: lecture variety, easy
research, and time-saving writing methods.

2. One important effect of computer technology on higher education is the availability of lectures.
(For this reason / As a result of) the development of computer networks, students can obtain
lectures from many universities in real time. They are now'able to sit down in front of a digital
screen and listen to a lecture being given at another university! In addition, interactive media
can be used to question a lecturer or exchange opinions with other students via e-mail. Such
computerized lectures give students access to knowledge that was previously unavailable. (For
this reason / Because), students can learn from professors in specialized fields, regardless of
where they are teaching.

3. The development of computers also makes it possible to have access to more information via
the Internet and databases. (Since / Consequently), when students research a topic, they do not
necessarily have to go to the library to find information because many articles and even
textbooks can be downloaded via computer. It is now extremely easy to use the Internet and
databases since all one has to do is type in a few key words and wait a few moments. The
convenience of doing this type of research from home helps busy students who would
otherwise not have time to visit a campus library.
 4. Finally, computer technology helps students with their academic writing assignments. E-mail
assignments are becoming more common at universities. (As a result / Due to), the assignments
are much quicker and easier to finish than before. When it is time to hand in assigned papers or
homework, students simply send them to their professors via e-mail. This method is beneficial
for students and convenient for teachers, who will not risk losing their students’ work in a
mountain of papers. Another time-saving computer function is the word processor. (Thus /
Because of) improved word-processing programs, students have the added benefit of spell-
checking and grammar-checking programs. If a sentence is grammatically incorrect, one of these
programs highlights the incorrect parts of the sentence and corrects them. Word-processing
programs also have built-in dictionaries and spell checkers, which help students write concisely
and accurately. (Since / As a result of) these two functions—e-mail and word processing—both
teachers and students can save a great deal of time and produce solid work

5. To summarize, computer technology has three main positive effects on higher education:
lecture variety, easy research, and time-saving writing methods. (Because of / Because) the
advent of computers in education, students can now increase their knowledge and be more
time-efficient at the same time. Academic life will never be the same!

Choosing Words Carefully

Wordiness

In academic writing in English, it is important to be as concise as possible.

Unnecessary words and phrases do not improve your writing. Instead, they make it hard for readers to
understand what you want to say.

The list on the left contains common wordy phrases.

ACTIVITY 6 Wordiness
The following introductory paragraph from a cause-effect essay contains 6 examples of wordy phrases.
Underline them as you find them. Then, on a separate piece of paper, rewrite the paragraph without the
wordy phrases and make it more concise. Note: There is more than one correct way of rewriting this
paragraph.

Redundancy

Redundancy—a kind of wordiness—is the unnecessary repetition of information. This is not usually the
case, especially if, instead of adding information, you repeat what you have already said. Repetition can
occur in the wording of short phrases as well as in sentences.

Redundant phrases The list on the left contains commonly used redundant phrases. Try to avoid them in
your writing.
Redundant sentences The second sentence below contains the same information as the first sentence.

The United States is the most influential power in the world. Partly because of its abundant material
resources and stable political system, this country has great influence in global affairs.

ACTIVITY 7 Don't Say It Twice

Underline the redundant information in this paragraph. Then compare your work with a partner’s

Many people love to watch science-fiction stories on TV or at the movies. TV shows and films, such as
Star Trek, are popular not only because they creatively show how future life might be in three hundred
years, but also because they introduce us to characters from other worlds, planets, and galaxies.
Perhaps one of the most popular kinds of characters in these futuristic programs is a person with ESP, or
extrasensory perception. ESP is a sense that allows one person to read the rpind of another without the
exchange of words. These characters,

who can read minds and know the innermost thoughts and secrets of other people, often use their gift
in less than noble ways. One must remember, however, that these scenes take place in an untrue and
fictitious situation. A more interesting concept is to think about what would really happen if ordinary,
everyday people possessed ESP.

Circle the word or phrase that is most closely related to the word or phrase on the left. If necessary, use
a dictionary to check the meaning of words you do not know

Developing Ideas for Writing

One brainstorming method that often helps is to ask questions about the topic — Who? What? Where?
When? Why? How?

This process often leads to new ideas that can be used in an essay.

ACTIVITY 10 Starting with Questions

1. Why do people gain too much weight?

2. What usually happens after a stock market crash?

3. Why do airplane crashes occur?

Brainstorming

In the next activity, you will use a brainstorming technique called clustering

Additional Topics for Writing

TOPIC 1: Children are learning to use computers at a very early age. What are some effects
(positive

or negative) that computers can have on the intellectual development of children? -• -

TOPIC 2: Going to college is a dream for many people.- Some do the work, graduate, and find
good jobs. Other students, however, never finish their university studies. Write an essay about what
causes students to drop out of college.

TOPIC 3: Friendships are an integral part of a persons life. Unfortunately, some of these
relationships do not last. Write an essay highlighting some of the reasons that friendships sometimes
die.
Why do you think people attend college or university? Use specific reasons and examples to support
your answer.

Cause-Effect Essay Guidelines

• Use the focus-on-causes method.

• Remember to give your essay a title.

• Double-space your essay.

• Write as legibly as possible (if you are not using a computer)

• Include a short introduction (with a thesis statement), three body paragraphs, and a conclusion

• Try to give yourself a few minutes before the end of the activity to review your work. Check for
spelling, verb tense, and subject-verb agreement mistakes.