Cause
and effect
essays
They
become
obese
They don’t
exercise
They don’t
interact with
real people
Their grades
drop
They don’t
study
Children
watch a
lot of TV
Effect
They don’t
develop
social skills
I missed class
the day before
Contributory cause
I didn’t study
Main cause
I failed a math
test
Effect
I was out sick for
two months when
multiplication
tables were taught
in the 3rd grade
remote cause
I didn’t study
immediate cause
I failed a math test
effect
Chain of events
causes
• My grandmother passed away two nights ago.
• My house was full of family for two days.
causes
• I missed class
• I didn’t get the notes
causes
effect
• I didn’t check my teacher’s wiki
• I failed my English test.
For cause and effect essays
It’s important to ask
HOW not WHY
A cause and effect thesis
1. It makes clear the causes or effects
of the situation you are discussing
2. It tells your position on the relative
importance of the causes
3. It makes clear the order in which
you will discuss the causes or
effects.
When deciding to cheat most students do not
seriously consider effects like getting the wrong
answers, losing a teacher’s trust, and compromising
academic honor.
Sample thesis for cause and effect essay
Organize your cause and effect essay
Put causes and
effects in
chronological
order
Place the least
important
cause or effect
first and then
build up to the
main
Begin by
writing about
events that
were not
causes and
then explain
what the real
causes were
Begin with the
most obvious
causes or
effect and
move to more
subtle factors
Focus on HOW….not why
Assignment. Select a prompt and develop a flow chart of the causes /effect.
Sample prompts
How can power test a person’s character? What Is the effect of power on a
person’s character?
The effect of a parent, teacher, or friend on your life
The effects of cramming for an examination
The effects of peer pressure
Why some students cheat
The effects of growing up with a personal computer
The effects of poverty on an individual
Why one college course is more rewarding than another
Why many people don't bother to vote in local elections
The effects of racial, sexual, or religious discrimination
Why people exercise
Why people keep pets
The effects of computers on our everyday lives
Why some people choose not to carry a cell phone
The environmental effects of bottled water
Why reality shows are so popular
The effects of pressures on students to get good grades
The effects of a coach or teammate on your life
The effects of not keeping a personal budget
Why so few students read newspapers
Why baseball is no longer the national pastime
The effects of stress on students in high school or college
The effects of moving to a new town or city
Why growing numbers of people shop online
The effects of the steady increase in the cost of going to college
Why students drop out of high school or college
Why some roommates don't get along
Why many teenagers run away from home
The influence of a book or a movie on your life
The effects of music downloading on the music industry
Sentence practice on sentence strips
Simple
Telegraphic
Imperative
Compound
Short
Interrogative
Complex
Medium
Exclamatory
Compound
complex
Long
Declarative
Sentence beginnings
Subject verb
Subordinate
clause
Prepositional
phrase
Infinitive
Verbal
Adverb
Effect
1
Thesis
Effect
3
Effect
2
Introductions for cause and effect essay
Get the attention of the audience with an
interesting statistic, or hypothetical situation.
Concede that there are other sides to the
issue and list the possible causes or effects
that are not to be given much time in the
essay.
The thesis must be includeed.
Paragraph development
•Must be a debatable topic sentence. Without debate or
controversy, you will hit a wall when trying to elaborate
on a detail.
•There must be details from your own experiences,
observations, and other media.
•Each detail must be accompanied by elaboration (also
know as commentary, opinion and analysis.)
•Other methods of development may be included.
Assignment
Choose a favorite teacher and complete this
sentence.
Mr./Mrs. __________ is a _____________teacher.
debatable
Follow this with one or two sentences of opinion about how
that detail shows the truth of the topic sentence.
Underline your opinion sentences to show me it’s opinion.
(don’t do this on the test)
Paragraph 1 Intro (3 sentences, no more than 4)
•Introduce the EVENT to be discussed
•Give any necessary background information about the EVENT
•Thesis statement (sets up the outline or structure for the paper)
Ex. “ Three effects of … on …”
Paragraph 2 Body (4-6 sentences)
Write a sentence that identifies the first effect of the event.
Give 2-3 sentences of detail or explanation about the effect.
Transitional sentence using a cause/effect transition word from
the list.
Paragraph 3 Body (4-6 sentences)
Write a sentence that identifies the second effect of the
event.
Give 2-3 sentences of detail or explanation about the
effect.
Transitional sentence using another (different)
cause/effect transition word from the list.
Paragraph 4 Body (4-6 sentences)
Write a sentence that identifies the third effect of
the event.
Give 2-3 sentences of detail or explanation about
the effect.
Transitional sentence using different cause/effect
transition word from the list.
Paragraph 5 - Concluding paragraph (2-3 sentences)
Restate your thesis but use different words (do not copy word for word)
Choose
1
of the following ways to END your essay
Admonition or instruction: what the reader can do about the issue
Prediction: an insight into how the future might be different, better or worse.
Strong, punched statement: prehaps a one-sentence paragraph with
powerful meaning.
Anecdote: a brief history that reiterates the essence of the issue or situaton.
Pointed question: leaves the reader thinking.
Echo: circles back to the lead
Causal
essay
formula
Paragraph 1 Intro (3 sentences, no more than 4)
•Introduce the EVENT to be discussed
•Give any necessary background information about the EVENT
•Thesis statement (sets up the outline or structure for the paper)
Ex. “ There are many causes of …”
Paragraph 2 Body (4-6 sentences)
Write a sentence that identifies the first cause of the event.
Give 2-3 sentences of detail or explanation about the cause.
Transitional sentence using a cause/effect transition word from the list.
Paragraph 3 Body (4-6 sentences)
Write a sentence that identifies the second cause of the event.
Give 2-3 sentences of detail or explanation about the cause.
Transitional sentence using another (different) cause/effect transition
word from the list.
Paragraph 4 Body (4-6 sentences)
Write a sentence that identifies the third cause of the event.
Give 2-3 sentences of detail or explanation about the cause.
Transitional sentence using different cause/effect transition word from
the list.
Paragraph 5 - Concluding paragraph (2-3 sentences)
Restate your thesis but use different words (do not copy word for word)
Choose
1
of the following ways to END your essay
Admonition or instruction: what the reader can do about the issue
Prediction: an insight into how the future might be different, better or worse.
Strong, punched statement: perhaps a one-sentence paragraph with powerful
meaning.
Anecdote: a brief history that reiterates the essence of the issue or situation.
Pointed question: leaves the reader thinking.
Echo: circles back to the lead
Use a transitional
phrase
• Accordingly, also, as a result, another, at last, finally, for example,
for instance, furthermore, however, in fact, otherwise, similarly,
such, then, therefore, thus, secondly, moreover, nevertheless, on
the other hand, since, consequently
Use a pronoun
• Walter’s anger defines him. It also causes him to overreact when
he learns the money is not going to him.
Repeat a key word
(word chain)
Refer directly to a
preceding idea
• Walter’s anger defines him. This anger and his disgust for his
situation, force him to take drastic action
Walter’s anger defines him. His inability to tolerate any other
emotion causes him to be cruel to his family.