Cause & Effect
Essays
Questions...
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Why did Mary change jobs?
How was the educational system affected by the new
legislation?
Why do so many people eat fast food?
Why do people take up smoking?
In what ways do advertisements affect people?
The answers of all these questions lead us to
think about either the causes or effects of events
or actions.
Analysing causes and effects helps us understand the nature of
an event, the factors that lead up to it or its consequences.
Defining Cause & Effect

A cause is the reason which makes
an event or action happen.
missing classes
ignorance of the lesson
laziness
causes (reasons)
student failure
 An
effect is the result of a certain
event or action.
unemployment
psychological problems
financial problems
social problems
results/effects
The Thesis Statement
The thesis statement usually states the causes or effects to be
discussed in the essay.
Cause Essay
A student’s failure in a lesson is generally caused by three
main factors; missing classes, ignorance of the lesson
and laziness.
Effect Essay
Unemployment can have several serious effects on people;
psychological problems, financial problems and social
problems.
Useful transitions for an essay on causes
As
Due to
Because
Since
Because of
For
Organizational pattern of a cause
essay
Introductory Paragraph
General Statements +
A thesis statement stating the situation and its causes
Body-1
Explains the relationship between the subject and the 1st cause.
Body-2
Explains the relationship between the subject and the 2nd cause.
Body-3
Explains the relationship between the subject and the 3rd cause.
Concluding Paragraph
Either listing or paraphrasing the features mentioned in the body.
+ Final Comment
Useful transitions for an essay on effects
As a result,
Therefore,
Because of this,
...so...
Consequently,
Thus,
For this/that reason,
...so that...
Organizational pattern of a effect essay
Introductory Paragraph
General Statements +
A thesis statement stating the situation and its effects
Body-1
Explains the relationship between the subject and the 1st effect.
Body-2
Explains the relationship between the subject and the 2nd effect.
Body-3
Explains the relationship between the subject and the 3rd effect.
Concluding Paragraph
Either listing or paraphrasing the features mentioned in the body.
+ Final Comment
Your Turn
Any questions so far?
Look at the topics below and decide
on three causes for each.
1.Divorce
________
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________
3. Migration
________
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________
2. Wars
________
________
________
4. Academic Success
________
________
________
Look at the topics below and come up
with three effects for each.
1.Keeping pets
________
________
________
3. Using cell phones
________
________
________
2. Being famous
________
________
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4. Telling lies
________
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________
 Writing Task 
Using one of the topics from the
previous exercises and your
brainstormed ideas, write a
complete cause analysis or effect
analysis essay