CAUSE/EFFECT ESSAY

UNIT-3

WHAT IS A CAUSE? WHAT IS AN EFFECT?

Cause and effect depend on each other. You

can’t have one without the other. A plane

crashed. That is the effect. What are the

possible causes? Was it a mechanical or

human error? Was it due to the weather?

Was it a terrorist action? Obviously there are

many possible causes.

Cause and Effect analyzes why something

happens.

Some effects are caused by multiple causes.

Some causes, in turn, can result in multiple

effects.

A cause essay usually discusses the

reasons why something happened.

An effect essay discusses what

happens after a specific event or

circumstance.

Cause and Effect Essay assignments

typically use the following language:

"What are the causes of X?"

"What led to X?"

"Why did X occur?"

"Why does X happen?"

"What would be the effects of X?"

HOW TO WRITE A CAUSE / EFFECT ESSAY

STEP-1

- Decide whether you want to examine the

cause or effect

STEP-2

- Examine each cause and effect thoroughly,

using sufficient evidence to prove your

points.-

ORGANIZATION

Like any other essay, a cause and effectessay begins with an interesting introductoryparagraph, which ends in a clear andrelevant thesis statement (statement ofpurpose for the essay). In the introduction toa cause OR effect essay, you can set thestage for the rest of the essay by discussingthe cause or the effect you will be exploringin the body of your paper.

The introduction is followed by bodyparagraphs in which you will elaborate uponthe thesis.

End the essay with a memorable concludingparagraph.

MULTIPLE CAUSES-->EFFECTIn 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 carsA. government does not take enough controlB. citizens are not as conscientious as they could be

II. uncontrolled factory gasesA. no regular checks on gases released that need to be regulatedB. factories are inside the borders of residential areas and should be moved

III. burning of low-quality coal for heatingA. government does not take enough controlB. other forms of energy are too expensive, but

CAUSAL CHAIN / DOMINOIn 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 EFFECTS

In this pattern, the effects of a certain situation are explained inseparate 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 disordersA. TV meals B. obesity

II. communication problemsA. more violenceB. no interpersonal talk

Introduction

Lead-in: Introduce the topic

Transition: Present popular assumption of

the cause or the effect concerning the topic

Thesis Statement: Present your

speculation about the causes or effects of

the topic (at least three cause or effects)

BODY

Body Paragraph 1 1. Topic Sentence: Present the first cause or the first effect. 2. Supporting Details: Explain and provide examples. 3. Closing Remarks: Link the examples back to the topic

sentence.

Body Paragraph 2 1. Topic Sentence: Present the second cause or the second

effect. 2. Supporting Details: Explain and provide examples. 3. Closing Remarks: Link the examples back to the topic

sentence.

Body Paragraph 3 1. Topic Sentence: Present the third cause or the third effect. 2. Supporting Details: Explain and provide examples. 3. Closing Remarks: Link the examples back to the topic

sentence.

CONCLUSION

1. Restate the thesis statement.

2. Offer a solution or share insight.

TRANSITION WORDS

SAMPLE ‘CAUSE’ ESSAY

From the past to present, people all overthe world have determined to get married, whichmeans living together. In other words, theydepend on each other for love and support.Nevertheless, some couples are unable tomaintain their relationship; therefore theychoose divorce, which is one of the solutions tocope with problems between husbands andwives. The divorce rates continually increasenowadays, thus it might be argued that divorcescan be taken place easier than the past. Thereare three main causes of divorce: changingwoman's roles, stress in modern living and lackof communication.

The first significant cause of recent rise in the rates ofdivorce is that women have completely changed roles. In thepast, men earned the money to afford the expense of family,whereas women only worked in the home and took care of thechildren and the family, hence women, had no money leading todepending on their husband's money. These situations made ittoo difficult for most women to separate from their husbands.However, the equality between men and women in roles are veryclear at the moment, thus women can work outside to earnmoney, while men share the household tasks such as cooking,cleaning, washing as well as caring for children. It can be clearlyseen that women are independent from husbands as they canearn money to support themselves. Accordingly, they now findthe power in themselves to stand on their own and the divorcerates rise day by day.

Another cause to confirm the recent increasein divorce rates is stress in modern living. Manypeople, who live in globalization, have a considerableamount of pressure to earn money. Some familiescan earn money, but inadequate for covering theirexpenses, therefore it is easy to think about divorce.Or, some people are laid off from their companies;consequently, the stress occurs in their family, whichleads to divorce. Nevertheless, the rates ofunemployment continually increase; as a result, thedivorce rates can also rise. It is no doubt that thestress in modern living may lead to recentlyincreasing divorce rates.

The final cause of recently increasingdivorce is lack of communication. Owing tofinancial status in each family, many people arefairly busy. For this reason, they haveinadequate time to talk out the problems withtheir partners, which produces the likelihood ofdivorce. Some couples are often quiet whenthey have problems with each other, as aconsequence little problems can be expanded toprobably become huge problems, resulting indivorce. It is quite clear that the morecommunication that is used, the more divorcerates are reduced.

In conclusion, a family is one of the

most important parts of society, thus many

people had better be aware of the

significance of their relationship. At the

moment, although people tend to think

carefully before they get married, the rates of

divorce continuously rise due to the changing

of women's roles, stress in modern living and

lack of communication. Let it stop being a

substantial problem for the society.

SAMPLE ‘EFFECT’ ESSAY EFFECTS OF WATCHING TOO MUCH TV

Discoveries and invention of devices arealways welcome till we, humans, find a way to abuseits benefits and be adversely affected by it. This wasthe case when Wilhelm Roentgen discovered x-rayand within five years, the British Army was using amobile x-ray unit to locate bullets and shrapnel inwounded soldiers in the Sudan. TV was also inventedwith positive thoughts in mind – there would be nonational borders, education and communicationwould be worldwide, etc. However, there arephysiological and psychological adverse effects of TVon human beings, which we are now trying toovercome.

One of the physiological effects of

watching TV in excessive amounts is eye-

strain. It is true that there are specifications

for watching TV; TV should be 5 m. away

from the eye, the room should be adequately

lit, TV should be placed at the same height

with our eyes, etc. However, these do not

prevent our eyes from getting tired if we keep

watching TV for a long time.

Another effect is obesity, which is widely

observed in people who like watching TV and

eating snacks everyday. There is even a term

“TV snacks” to refer to fast food that is suitable

for eating in front of the TV. It can be said that TV

is such a powerful machine that people cannot

get away from it – it is addictive.

Apart from the physiological effects, TV alsocauses psychological effects. One is a result of beingexposed to violence. After seeing so many violentscenes on TV, people start considering violent actionsnormal and they lose their sensitivity to theirenvironment. Partly connected to this effect, theinterpersonal communication among peopledecreases. Being insensitive to the suffering of otherpeople causes people to become alienated. Also,after coming home from work people seek to relax infront of the TV, and generally people prefer watchingTV to talking to each other. This issue is veryimportant since lack of interpersonal relationshipsmostly end with divorces.

Shortly, inventions are meant to be

beneficial for human beings, if we know how

to benefit from them. TV is one of such

inventions that need to be used for the right

purpose only – being educated and

entertained for a reasonable (according to

age) period of time. We may, then, be safe

from or at least reduce the adverse

physiological and psychological effects of

watching too much TV.