Writing a Cause-and-Effect Essay

The Task: Using Reasons and Results to Explain

Write a cause-and-effect essay on a topic that connects to the issue that you are
focusing on this semester. Your essay may consider causes, effects, or both.

Prewriting: Developing your Topic

When selecting an event or phenomenon to write about, be sure to choose one that you can research. You
will be required to research 5 different relevant and reliable sources to support your writing.
Considering your Purpose, Audience, and Point of View
Once you choose a topic, you need to determine your purpose. Depending on your purpose, you may
decide to explain why something occurred (causes), what happed as a result of an occurrence (effects), or
both. Keep the length of your essay in mind as you thinking about these issues. It would be unrealistic, for
example to try to discuss both the causes and effects of child abuse in a five-page paper.
As you generate ideas, keep your audience in mind. If they are unfamiliar with the topic you are writing
about or if you topic is complex, consider limiting your essay to primary causes or effects. The level of
technical detail you include should also be determined by your audience.
The point of view you choose should suit your audience and purpose. Although academic writing usually
uses the third person, the first person may be used to relate relevant personal experiences.
Discovering Causes and Effects
After considering your purpose, audience, and point of view, use the following suggestions to hop you
discover causes, effects, or both.
1. Write your topic in the middle of the page or at the top of your computer screen. Brainstorm all
possible causes and effects, writing causes on the left and effects on the right. Replay the event in
your mind. Ask yourself, Why did the event happen? and What happened as a result of it?
Make notes on the answers.
Topic:
Causes

Effects

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2. Try asking questions and writing assertions about the problem or phenomenon? What effects are
not obvious? Add these to your chart in a different color of ink or number them 2.
3. Discuss your topic with a friend. Ask her or his opinion on the topics causes, effects, of both. Add
these to your chart in a different color of ink or number them 3.
4. Ask a friend to interview you about the topic. Try to explain causes, effects, or both as clearly as
possible.

EVERYONE MUST research a minimum of five works to be incorporated in your essay as

evidence in your article! (I know Ive already said this once, but chances are Ill say it again later
too .)
Identifying Primary Causes and Effects
Once you have a list of causes or effects (or both), you next task is to sort through them and decide which
causes or effects are primary, or most important. For example. If you topic is the possible effects of
television violence on young viewers, two primary effects might be an increase in aggressive behavior and
a willingness to accept violence as normal. Less important, or secondary, effects might include learning
inappropriate or offensive words. In essays about controversial issues, primary causes or effects may
differ depending on the writer.
Use the following questions to help you decide which causes and effects are most important.
Causes

What are the most obvious and immediate causes?

What causes, if eliminated, would drastically change the event, problem, or phenomenon?
Effects

What are the obvious effects of the even, problems, or phenomenon?

Which effects have the most serious consequences? For whom?

What are your primary causes and/or effects? What makes them primary?

Checking for Hidden Causes, Effects, and Errors in Reasoning

Once you identify primary and secondary causes and effects, examine them to be sure you have not
overlooked any causes and effects and have avoided common reasoning errors. Please make sure you
read this carefully youll lose me as a reader (and sacrifice your ethos) if you use any of these. (And
wouldnt these be great on a quiz?)
Hidden causes and effects. Be on the alert for the hidden causes and effects that may underlie a
causal relationship. For example if a child often report to the nurses office complaining of a
stomachache, a parent may reason that the child has digestive problem However, a closer study
of the behavior may reveal that the stomachaches are the result of stress and anxiety. To avoid
overlooking hidden causes or effects, be sure to examine a causal relationship closely. Do not
assume the most obvious or simplest explanation is the only one.

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Mistaking chronology for causation. Avoid the post hoc, ergo propter hoc (after this, therefore
because of this) fallacy the assumption that because event B followed even A in time, A caused
B to occur. For example, suppose you decide against having a cup of coffee on morning, and
later the same day you score higher than ever before on a political science exam. Although one
even followed the other in time, you cannot assume that reducing your coffee intake cause the high
grade.
To avoid the post hoc fallacy, look for evidence that one even did indeed cause the other.
Plausible evidence might include testimony from others who experienced the same sequence of
events or documentation proving a causal relationship between the events.
Mistaking correlation for causation. Just because two events occur at about the same time does not
mean they are causally related. For example, suppose sales of snow shovels in a city increased at
the same time sales of gloves and mittens increased. The fact that the two events occurred
simultaneously does not mean that snow shoveling causes people to buy more mittens and gloves.
Most likely, a period of cold, snowy weather caused the increased sales of these items. Again,
remember that evidence is needed to verify that the two events are related and that a causal
relationship exists.
Unsupported assumptions. Assumptions are ideas or generalizations that you or your readers
accept as truths without questioning their validity. Although assumptions can be true, in many cases
people make sweeping generalization that are untrue. For instance, it is untrue to say that all
senior citizens are nonproductive members of society because the evidence suggests that many
seniors continue to work or contribute to their communities in other ways. May assumptions are
based on stereotypes generalizations about the characteristics or behaviors of an entire groups
of people of things based on the characteristics of behavior of some members of the group.
Because unsupported assumptions can interfere with your reasoning and lead to erroneous
statements of cause and effect, examine your ideas carefully to be sure you avoid making this
error.
Developing Your Thesis
Once you are satisfied with you causes and effects and the evidence you have generated to support them,
your next step is to develop a working thesis As noted earlier, the thesis for a causal analysis identifies the
topic, makes and assertion about the topic and tells whether the essay focused on causes, effects, or both.
WRITE YOUR THESIS HERE:

After each of the bulleted tips, explain how your thesis follows the suggestion, or needs to be adjusted.

State the cause-and-effect relationship. Do not leave it to you reader to figure out the causal
relationship. In the following example, not that the original thesis is weak and vague, whereas the
revision clearly states the causal relationship.
o Breathing paint fumes in a closed environment can be dangerous. People suffering from
asthma and emphysema are particularly vulnerable.
o Breathing paint fumes in a closed environment can be dangerous for people suffering
from asthma and emphysema because their lungs are especially sensitive to irritants.
The revised thesis makes the cause-and- effect connection explicit by using the word because and
by including necessary information about the problem.

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How does your thesis clearly state a cause-and-effect relationship?

Avoid overly broad or absolute assertions. They are difficult or impossible to support.
o Drugs are the root cause of inner-city crime.
o Drugs are a major cause of inner-city crime.
The revised thesis acknowledges drugs as one cause of crime but does not claim that drugs are the
only cause.
How does your thesis avoid broad assertions?

Use qualifying words. Unless a cause-and-effect relationship is well established and accepted,
qualify your thesis statement.
o Overemphasizing competitive sports is harmful to the psychological development of young
children.
o Overemphasizing competitive sports may be harmful to the psychological development of
young children.
Changing the verb from is to may be qualifies the statement, allowing room for doubt.
Where do you use qualifying words in your thesis?

Avoid an overly assertive of dogmatic tone. The tone of your essay, including your thesis, should
be confident but not overbearing.
o There is no question that American youths have changed in response to the culture in which
they live.
o Substantial evidence suggests that American youths have changed in response to the
culture in which they live.
The phrase substantial evidences suggests creates a less dogmatic tone than there is no question.
What words in your theses convey your tone? What tone to they convey?

Writing a Working Theses and Listing Research Questions

Once youve narrowed your topic, try to determine, as specifically as possible, the kinds of information you
need to know about it. Begin by writing a working thesis for your paper and listing the research questions
you need to answer.
One student working on the general topic of child abuse, for example, used prewriting and preliminary
reading to narrow his focus to physical abuse and its causes. Since he already had a few ideas about
possible causes, he used those ideas to write a working theses. He then used this thesis to generate a list
of research questions. Notice how the students questions follow from his working thesis.
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WORKING THESIS: The physical abuse of children often stems from parents emotional instability
and family history of child abuse.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS: If a person was physically abused as a child, how likely is that person to
become an abusive parent?
What kinds of emotional problems seems to trigger the physical abuse of children?
Which cause is more significant a family history of abuse or emotional problems?
Is there more physical abuse of children now than there was in the past, or is more abuse being
reported?
A working thesis and a list of research questions will enable you to approach your research in a focused
way. Instead of running helter-skelter from one aspect of your topic to another, you will be able to zero in
on the specific information you need from sources.
Write your WORKING THESIS:

Write your RESEARCH QUESTIONS:

Gathering Evidence
A convincing cause-and-effect essay must give a complete explanation of each primary cause or effect
that you include. To explain your causes and effects, youll probably use one or more other patterns of
development. For example, you may need to narrate events, present descriptive details, define important
terms, explain processes unfamiliar to the reader, include examples that illustrate a cause or an effect, or
make comparisons to explain unfamiliar concepts.
Try to discover several types of evidence, including facts, expert opinions, personal observation,
quotations, and statistics.
CHOOSING and EVALUATING USEFUL SOURCES
Choosing Relevant Sources. A relevant source contains information that helps you to answer one or more
of your research questions. Answering the following questions will help you determine whether a source is
relevant.
1. Is the source too general or too specialized for your intended audience? Some sources may
not contain the detailed information your audience require; others may be too technical and
require background knowledge that your audience does not have. For example, suppose you
are researching the environmental effects of recycling cans and bottles. If you audience
consists of science majors, an article in Readers Digest might be too general. Conversely, and
article in Environmental Science and Technology would be written for scientist and may be a
bit too technical for your purposes.

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Using the sources youve found so far, evaluate and explain whether each source is too
specialized or too general?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Do you need to find any different sources?

2. Is the source recent enough for your purposes? In rapidly changing field of study, outdated
sources arent useful, except when you need to give a historical perspective. For example, a
five-year-old article on using airbags to improve car safety may not include information on
recent discoveries about the dangers that air bags pose to children riding in the front
passenger seat.
Using the sources youve found so far, write the author and date of publication. If it hasnt
been published in the last five years, why is it still relevant?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Do you need to find any different sources?
Choosing reliable sources. A reliable source is honest, accurate, and credible. Answer the following
questions to help you determine if the source is reliable.
1. Is the source scholarly? Although scholars often disagree with each other, they make a serious
attempt to present accurate information. In addition, an article that appears in a scholarly journal
or textbook has been reviewed by a panel of professionals in the field prior to publication.
Therefore, scholarly sources tend to be trustworthy.
Using the sources youve found so far, describe whether they would be considered scholarly.
If not, why would it be considered reliable?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Do you need to find any different sources?
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2. Does the source have a solid reputation? Some magazines, such as Time and Newsweek, are
known for responsible reporting, whereas other periodicals have a reputation for sensationalism
and should be avoided or approached skeptically. This is especially true for websites.
Using the sources youve found so far, describe whether they would be considered to have a
solid reputation. If not, why would it be considered reliable?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Do you need to find any different sources?
3. Is the author an expert in the field? Check the authors credentials. Information about authors
may be given in a headnote, at the end of an article, on a home page or a title page, or in the
preface of a book. You might also check a reference book such as Contemporary Authors to verify
an authors credentials.
Using the sources youve found so far, describe whether the authors would be consideren an
expert in the field. If not, why would it be considered reliable?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Do you need to find any different sources?
4. Does the author approach the topic fairly and objectively? A writer who states a strong opinion or
assertion is not necessarily biased. However, a writer who ignores opposing views, distorts facts,
or ignores information that does not fit his or her opinion may present a biased and incomplete
view on a topic. Although you can use a biased source to understand a particular viewpoint, you
must also see out other sources that present the alternative views.
Using the sources youve found so far, identify the bias of the author. Do you have a balance
of opinions or outlooks in your sources?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Do you need to find any different sources?

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First Draft: Finding your Structure

DUE:

Organizing and Drafting

Once you have evaluated your cause-and-effect relationship and thesis and considered the advice of your
classmates, you are ready to organize your ideas and draft your essay.
Choosing a Method of Organization
There are three options you have to help you structure your essay.

Introduction

Background
information about
the event or
phenomenon
Thesis statement

Background information

about the event or phenomenon

Thesis statement

Body
Paragraphs

Body
Paragraphs

Conclusion

Introduction

Reminder of Thesis
Final statement

Introduction

Conclusion

Reminder of Thesis
Final statement

Background information about the event or phenomenon

Thesis statement

Body
Paragraphs

Conclusion

Reminder of Thesis
Final statement

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Which of the previous structures presents your ideas most effectively? Why is this the best organizational
structure for you?

Organizing and Drafting

After deciding how to organize your essay, your next step is to write a first draft. Use the following
guidelines to draft your essay.
1. Write an effective introduction. Your introduction should identify the topic and causal relationship
as well as draw your reading into the essay (anecdotes usually work the best on this reader).
2. Provide well-developed explanations. These should clearly show me that a causal relationship
exists. It helps if you offer a number of reasons and sever types of evidence (examples, statistics,
expert opinions, etc.) to demonstrate youve correctly perceived the relationship between causes
and effects. Try to develop each cause or effect into a detailed paragraph with a clear topic
sentence.
3. Use strong transitions. These are always important, and each mode of writing uses slightly
different transitions check page 53 of your Roosevelt Writing Guide for examples (e.g., because,
since, as a result, and therefore). Make sure you use a transition each time you move from an
explanation of one cause or effect to an explanation of another. When you move from discussing
causes to discussing effects (or vice versa) or when you shift to a different pattern of development,
use strong transitional sentence to alert your readers to the sift.
4. Avoid overstating causal relationships. When writing about causes and effects, avoid words and
phrases that overstate the causal relationship, such as it is obvious, without doubt, always, and
never. These words and phrases wrongly suggest that a causal relationship is absolute and without
exception. When you do this, you affect your ethos if you make it so I can disagree with you, I
wont believe in your credibility. Instead, use words and phrases that qualify such as it is possible,
it is likely, and most likely.
5. Write a satisfying conclusion. Your conclusion may remind readers of your thesis and should draw
your essay to a satisfying close (rhetorical questions rarely do this for me) and please consider
bringing home the significance of your topic, the so what? ending. Why should I care? (See what
I did there?)

Revision:

Style imagery, figurative language, diction, & syntax

DUE 03/

Take some time after youve written your first draft before you reread or revise it. As you review your draft,
concentrate on how you organize and present your ideas, not on grammar, punctuation, or mechanics (that for our
next revision)
Start by reading your work aloud and having a conversations on your areas of success and growth: Read your essay
aloud, have your partner create an outline to see if all of your work flows successfully and makes sense structurally;
then have them compare it to the three organizational patterns given in the pre-writing section of this packet.

Could your partner correctly identify which organizational pattern you chose? What made that possible? Or
what made it difficult for them to identify?
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Do your ideas proceed logically? How do you accomplish this?

Do you see a way to organize your ideas more effectively for your readers? How?

Are there any unsupported assumptions? Errors in reasoning?

After reading your piece aloud, exchange papers and complete the following checklist. (Check the circle if you can
answer with a definite and impassioned yes! to the question. If not, dont check it. ):
Highlight the thesis.
o Does it express a qualified, manageable assertion?
o Can it be proven?
o Is the purpose of the essay clear?
Place a checkmark by each cause.
Mark an X by each effect.
o Does the essay focus clearly on causes?
o Does the essay focus clearly on effect?
o Does the essay focus clearly on causes and effects?
Place brackets around the explanation of each cause or effect.
o Is each explained fully?
Circle sections where you have recognized readers assumptions and either supported or challenged
them.
o Are these sections complete and effective?
Underline each topic sentence.
o Is each paragraph focused on a separate cause or effect?
Put a star next to the introduction and conclusion.
o Were they both effective?
Examine your syntax and consider these writing strategies to strengthen your sentence structure:

Begin your sentences in a variety of ways (No Two Sentences Start with the Same Word).
Vary the length of your sentences (not all long, complex or short, choppy sentences).
Feel free to use coordinating conjunctions to make compound sentences (but dont forget your
commas Ms. Lange hates that).
Make sure no sentences end in a preposition.
Avoid starting sentences with a coordinating conjunction.
Read your paper aloud to someone; it should have an easy flow and rhythm.

Look for and revise wordy sentences. When explaining causal relationships, writers often use complex and
compound-complex sentence. These sentences can sometimes become wordy and confusing. Look for ways to
eliminate empty phrases and simplify your wording.

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o
o

As you are already well aware, viruses of certain types in a computer file often create errors that you
cannot explain in documents and may eventually result in lost data.
Certain types of computer virus often create errors that you cannot explain and may eventually result in lost
data.

Revise to eliminate mixed constructions. A mixed construction happen when a wrtier connects phrase, clauses, or both
that dont work together in a sentence.
o
o

Samantha, although she was late for work, but was not was not reprimanded by her boss.
Although she was late for work Samantha, was not reprimanded by her boss.

Review your diction and consider these strategies to strengthen your word choice:

Eliminate weak verbs and adjectives

Avoid dead words or untouchables
Use consistent tense in your writing (present? past?)
Select accurate, strong, specific, powerful words that energize your writing
Use transitions consistently in the writing to show that you are moving from one detail to the next (Thats
right. Its going in the rough draft and revision phases.)

Final Draft: Usage, Punctuation, & Grammar check

DUE: 3/

Please check your Roosevelt Writing Guide for any possible errors. Circle or highlight these for your partner.
Make sure you avoid the awkward expressions is when or is where in defining your term. Instead name the
class to which the term belongs.
Make sure subjects and verbs agree in number.
Use a comma between coordinate adjectives that are not joined by and.
o Kaiden was a confident, skilled pianist.
You can tell if you need a comma because they can be switched and it still makes sense:
Kaiden was a skilled, confident pianist.
Do not use commas between cumulative adjectives.
o Two frightened brown eyes peered at us from under the sofa.
You wouldnt write frightened two brown eyes.
Use a hyphen to connect two words that work together as an adjective before a noun.
o Well-used book
o Perfect-fitting shoes
o Foil-wrapped pizza
Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction when joining two independent clauses.
o I love writing descriptive papers, but they seem out of place when they are not integrated into a
full essay.
Look at adjective and adverbs and their degrees of comparison positive, comparative, and superlative.
o Make sure you change the form of adjective and adverbs when you compare two items
(comparative) and when you compare three or more items (superlative).
Both The Others and Hannibal were suspenseful, but I liked The Others better (not best).
Make sure that items in a pair linked by correlative conjunction (either or, neither nor, not only but
also) are in the same grammatical form.
o The Grand Canyon is not only a spectacular tourist attraction, but also scientists consider it a useful
geological record for scientists.

Writing Reflection
What do you consider your greatest strength in this paper?

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What part of this paper would you revise again if you could?

What do you think youve improved the most in the writing of this paper?

What was the most difficult thing you wrestled with in writing this paper?

What would you like Ms. Lange to think about as shes reading your paper?

I Want an A Checklist
Topic
Prompt has been answered: Select an
important value or concept that lies at the

heart of an issue you care about deeply,

including an exploration of the terms various
applications and explanation of all that term
means to you.
Thesis includes standard definition with these
three things:

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 Term
Class
Characteristics
Thesis includes an explanation of why

the extended definition of the term might

be useful, interesting or important to
readers
uses negation, explaining what the term
is and what it is not
includes etymology of the term in an
interesting fashion

Structure
Introduction introduces the term
Introduction provides any needed

background information
Introduction states your thesis
Strong opening sentence(s)
Thoughtful transitions clearly show how ideas
connect
Each paragraph encompasses a
distinguishing characteristic of the term
Supporting details are included in each body
paragraph
Sequencing that is logical and effective
Pacing is effective (writer knows when to
elaborate with details or to pick up the pace
and move on)
Paragraph structure matches the purpose of
writing and flows smoothly
Solid closing sentences that drives home the
dominant impression or theme
Conclusion brings essay to a satisfying close

Sentences vary in length

No sentences end with a preposition
No sentences start with a coordinating
conjunction

Usage, Grammar, and

Punctuation
Elimination all of the phrases is when and is
where.
Every subject and verbs agree in number
Use a comma between coordinate adjectives
that are not joined by and.
Do not use commas between cumulative
adjectives.
Use a hyphen to connect two words that
work together as an adjective before a
noun.
Use a comma before a coordinating
conjunction when joining two independent
clauses.
Adjectives and adverbs should reflect their
degree of comparison
Make sure that items in a pair linked by
correlative conjunction (either or, neither
nor, not only but also) are in the same
grammatical form.
Use MLA heading

Diction
No weak verbs or adjectives are included
Included vocabulary that is striking and
varied
Consistent tense is used throughout writing
No dead words or untouchables
Transitions are used to make reading clear
and smooth (oh, look! Its in two sections)

Syntax
Complete sentences are used throughout the
writing
Sentences begin with a variety of ways
(NTSSWTSW)
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