The Cause & Effect

Essay*take notes on the back for your yellow packet

Cause and effect writing allows you to examine the HOW and WHY of a topic.

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2 basic structures:Focus on effects essayFocus on causes essay

Do not mix the two, as it will result in a complicated essay that will not fit the five paragraph essay format and hurt your brain.

Organization: Cause focused essay▰ Intro

○ Hook○ Background○ Thesis

▰ Body Paragraph 1 (cause 1)▰ Body Paragraph 2 (cause 2)▰ Body Paragraph 3 (cause 3)▰ Conclusion

○ Recap○ Takeaway 4

“Sample Cause Thesis

The increase in obesity in America is due to food commercials, cheap fast food, and video games.

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Organization: Effect focused essay▰ Intro

○ Hook○ Background○ Thesis

▰ Body Paragraph 1 (effect 1)▰ Body Paragraph 2 (effect 2)▰ Body Paragraph 3 (effect 3)▰ Conclusion

○ Recap○ Takeaway 6

“Sample Effect Thesis

Watching television has enormous impacts on children’s family life, interpersonal skills, and school life.

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Sample TopicsEffect Focused Essay

▰ The effects of Romeo’s rash behavior▰ The effects of a disengaged public▰ The outcomes of high school dropouts▰ The effects of climate change▰ The effects of icy Helena streets and no

snow plows

Cause Focused Essay

▰ Causes of Romeo’s death▰ Causes of low voter turnout▰ Causes of low graduation rates▰ Causes of angry English 1 teachers▰ Causes of the Holocaust▰ Causes of global warming

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How to choose your points▰ Strong and Specific▰ Logically Sound▰ Significant

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Order your pointsIn order of strength/importance1. Important cause OR effect2. More important cause OR effect3. Most important cause OR effect

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Transitions… use them▰ From paragraph to paragraph▰ From point to point▰ To show importance▰ To show relation

*I will give you a list11

One of the easiest mistakes to make in a cause and effect essay is to offer mere summary.

To avoid this:▰ Focus on causal relationships▰ Focus on evaluating relative impact of causes▰ Focus on providing evidence/analysis supporting HOW

and WHY you causes/effects are legitimate

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Be careful of logical fallacies...Post Hoc Ergo Propter HocSince that event followed this one, that event must have been caused by this one.

I dropped my pencil, then there was an earthquake; therefore, me pencil caused the earthquake.

Slippery SlopeAn argument that says a specific idea/course of action will inevitably lead to the worst possible outcome.

If you go out with that kind of guy, you will get pregnant and drop out of school.

Complex CauseOne cause is responsible for an outcome despite the fact that many causes are likely to have contributed to it.

Mr. Neck’s son didn’t get the job because an immigrant took it from him.

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