How to Write a Cause-Effect Essay

Showing Why Something Happens

Are there kinds of causes? • There are different

types of causes. • What we first see are

often the superficial, contributing reasons.

• Hiding just out of sight us the more basic and fundamental causes.

• We call the single and most important one the primary cause. Would a dog just rub

the thief’s leg?

What is the first cause? • To figure out what’s

going on in cause and effect relationships, we especially must discover the single primary cause.

• For example, if you are to write on why room mates fight, you have to sort out a lot of minor reasons from the major cause. What are the cell mates

arguing about?

What are contributing causes?

• Off hand, we know that roommates argue over – Sloppiness – Bad music – Staying up all night

• But these are not the basic reason at all!

• They are superficial and symptomatic of a much deeper, more fundamental reason why roommates fight.

What are the house mates arguing about?

What is the real cause? • A basic cause of the

roommates arguing can be their differences: – One’s messy; the

other is neat. – One likes Snoop Dog;

the other, Mozart. – One’s a morning

person; the other is up all night.

• And that might be it—but can there still be something even deeper as to why people fight?

Do we already know that the couple will fight?

What is sufficient cause? • The differences

between roommates are legally called sufficient cause.

• Sufficient cause means it was enough to make something happen.

• Yet it may not be the primary cause.

• Roomies can cooperate even with differences.

• What about toleration?

How old are we when we see our differences?

What is the deep reason? • So maybe two people

aren’t getting along just because they don’t want to – Cooperate – Compromise – Adjust

• Example Thesis: Roomies can co-exist if they can adjust to each other’s differences.

What are the house mates arguing about?

Can we write on effects? • Of course, not every

cause-effect essay is about the causes.

• In fact, some may center on the effects of a single cause.

• Example Topic: What are the results of

air pollution? • Example Thesis: Air pollution negatively

effects plants, animals, and humans.

What is the effect of caffeine?

What kind of essay is it? • In five-paragraph

essays, we usually write about either the causes or the effects, not both.

• It’s not so much a cause and effect essay as a cause or effect essay.

• Then state it in the first paragraph if the essay is about causes or effects. Why will the parents

quit drugs?

What should be avoided? • Don’t lose focus by

covering too many parts of an issue.

• You can’t cover all of the effects of air pollution: just pick three important ones to write about.

• For example, use air pollution’s effect on plants, animals, and humans.

Is there also noise pollution?

What is in the introduction? • The introductory

paragraph includes: 1. General background

information on the topic.

2. A lead-in to the thesis.

3. The basic cause with contributing causes.

4. Or a series of effects of a cause.

Do introductions vary this much?

The Body

• Begins with the first cause and follows the chain down to the last.

• Or lists the effects in their order.

• Uses transition words to analyze the process rather than describe it.

• Remember, we’re telling WHY.

The Conclusion • Rewords the thesis and basis for the

effects

• Describes the primary cause or results

• Speculates on the best solution to the problem, as with toleration solving roommate feuds.