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How to Write a How to Write a Cause-Effect Essay Cause-Effect Essay Showing Why Something Showing Why Something Happens Happens

How to Write a Cause-Effect Essay Showing Why Something Happens

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Page 1: How to Write a Cause-Effect Essay Showing Why Something Happens

How to Write a How to Write a Cause-Effect EssayCause-Effect Essay

How to Write a How to Write a Cause-Effect EssayCause-Effect Essay

Showing Why Something Showing Why Something HappensHappens

Page 2: 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 rubthe thief’s leg?

Page 3: How to Write a Cause-Effect Essay Showing Why Something Happens

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?

Page 4: How to Write a Cause-Effect Essay Showing Why Something Happens

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 matesarguing about?

Page 5: How to Write a Cause-Effect Essay Showing Why Something Happens

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?

Page 6: How to Write a Cause-Effect Essay Showing Why Something Happens

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 whenwe see our differences?

Page 7: How to Write a Cause-Effect Essay Showing Why Something Happens

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 matesarguing about?

Page 8: How to Write a Cause-Effect Essay Showing Why Something Happens

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 effectof caffeine?

Page 9: How to Write a Cause-Effect Essay Showing Why Something Happens

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?

Page 10: How to Write a Cause-Effect Essay Showing Why Something Happens

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?

Page 11: How to Write a Cause-Effect Essay Showing Why Something Happens

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?

Page 12: How to Write a Cause-Effect Essay Showing Why Something Happens

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.

Page 13: How to Write a Cause-Effect Essay Showing Why Something Happens

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.