58 x trlak- bal,<

cHAPTER ^*.12 /, /r
!r-
Writing About Causes ((t

and Effects (

Sometimes you will need to exptain a situation by analyling it5 causes (reasons) and iu
effects (results). To write a good expla:ration, you have to includc the cause for a 2. Cause Effect:
srtuation, as well as the cffect.

Analyzi ng a Situation for Cause and Effect ((

0
!
Look at the two plctures below. Tho llrst plcturo shows a causg. The second
i
c
picture_shows an ofiect. State lh6 causo 6nd etfoct tor oach pair ot plctures thal (
It

"^

3. Cause Effcctr

Example
Cause Iha rnan laund $1OO Effecr : thc rr.an io haoay lt

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I
J 1 +
//
()
1]
4
//
//
ti
4. Causc Effect
I ( Lr,\,1 Effcct

.14 CH,CPTER 12
\./BITING ABOUI CA.ISES AND EFFECTS 't 1
 L
WNTNNA SENTENCES OF CAUSE
Anal Causes
Wrlte a sent€nco of caus6 uslng b€cause or 6/rrce ,or each ol the sets of plclurcs
questlons' on pggss 114 and 115.
F6ad the model paragraph and answer the
Example

reasons. One reason is fhc man t6 ha.nu oae bc lornA $1OO.

English is a difficult language to leam for several
irregular . Many English words sound the
rhat thc Engiish spe lling systc I
but are sPel led diffcrcntly. Fot examplc, hcar and here sound exactly thc
samc
same, but they are spelled differ endy.
In addi rion, English is difficult ro Leam 2
becar-ise it has so manY idioms. There are over 8,000 idioms in common use by
3
English speakers. Last, and mos! imPortantly , Engl ish grammar is hard because
For exampte, manY Engl ish verbs are irtegular, Fol
it has manY exceP!ions.
f lcamers know abour these
4
every rule it seems lhat there are two exceptior$
ted
difficulties wi rh English, thqy might feel less frustta
WRTTING TOPIC SENTENCES FOR PAFAGRAPHS ABOUT CAUSES
Here are some examples of topic s:ntences fot paragraphs about causes.
l. What is fietoPic sentencel
r I decided to move to New York for several reasons.
o The economy is doing well for rhtee main reasons.
. There are sevemlcauses ofdiaberes io aduks.
2. What causes (reasons) does the authot givel
wlite a topic sentence tor the tollowing paragraphs.
1

Some people movc bccause they want to find berter jobs or to advance their
3. How are d're causes organizedi careers. Others arc attracted to new places because the weathet is bener. Srill
others want to movc to a place wirh less crime. Finally, people often wao! to
move to a place with a lower cost of living. For these reasons, every year
millions of pcoplc pack up and move to new places.
SIGNAL WOROS THAT INTRODUCE A CAUSE z
Study ths following slgnalwords and exainple
sontences

One reason so many American children are overweight is that they ear too
much junk food rhat is high in calories, sugar, and fat. Another reason rs that
bacauso since dus to
many children do oot ge! enough exercise. Because they spend so much rime
sitting in front of the television set or playing compu!er games, chey do not
move around very much. Cenelics is ano(her reason that children become
Examples
overweight. Children whose parents or brothers or sisters are overweight mav
be ar an increased risk olbecoming overvreight themselves.
I took mv umbrella because it was raining'
Because it r.vas raining, I took my umbrella

I took mv umbrella stnce it was raining

Sincc it lras raining.l took my umbrella'

I rook mv umbrella due to rhe rain'

Due to rhe rain, I took mY umbrella'

I rook mv umbrella because ot lhe tain'

Because of rhe rain. I rook my urrrbrella

WF|":1NG IBOUT CAUSES qND EFFECTS 117

t CHAPTER 12
 WRITING A PARI{GRiAPH OF CAUSES INDMDUAL ACTIVITY 3
I
Your reacher wrll put thrs ropic sentence on rhe board: In this activity you will analyze an importanr decision rhat you havc madc in your lifc.
fhe warl{ oaam6 to bc oell,lnl afiallat tor aavctal raaSona,
PrewrlUng
Prewrlting
A Choose one of th€ folldwlng toplcs and make a llst ol rsasons.

a. Think about the topic aontsnco. As a cla3s, bralnstorm roasons lo support tho
. reasons I got marricd
toplc sentsnco. Your teaoher wlll wrlto thom ln llst lorm on the board. (Rem€mbsr,
. reasons I camc to this school
o reasons I chose this job
thosE aro iust ideas, so thsy don't hav€ to be ln lontonce lorm or correct ordor.)
Copy the llst here.
r reasons I chose my apanment or bought my house

Decisionr
Reasons,

B After you have a gomplete list of causes, discuss them. O€clde whlch ones 6hould
be includod in the paragraph. Cross out th€ on99 that are not rel6vant.

W.ltlng
wrltlng E. Writo a tirst draft ol your paragraph, uslnq your llst as a gulde. Remember to bogin
c. Wrlte a paragraph €xplaining tho reasons tho wodd geems smaller. Use your llst as with a toplc 6entence.
a guiqe. End with what you leel is thg mosl importanl reason.

Rovlalng
Revising C. Give your paragraph to one of your classmates to read. Ask him or her to make
f,,. Read over your paragraph and look tor ways to improve it. Use the revising sugqestions about ways lo improvo thg paragraph. You can also use the rovising
checklist on page 44 to help you. Revlse your paragraph and then rewrite it. checklist on page 44 to help you. Revlse your paragraph and then rewrile il.

€} CHAPTER 12 WBITING ABOUT CAUSES ANO EFFEC-S 1-I S)

 .(
SMALL GFOUP A/DT|V|TY C. Now study this table and answer the questions
st'dtnr' You have been askcd to analyze the
i"" *" " 0"r".* "a*i.,isnarlon
fJt*i"g "*. ttit,.w with a group ofstudents' Rcridenlt ollhc Foirtox tIl.t
by Age Groupr Ir E! ll
Prewrlung rr lr !l
Age of
a. R6ad the casB. Residanl'
Number of
Ultll
Raridentr
uur
o-t0................................II
I l-20................................3
$llll
ti tltt
#6 3t-d0..............................25 ll $!r
on SeDtember 5, Michael williams opened a small compact disc shop in thc d-50...............,.... ......../s u llt
suil'line The oPartment buildins is located 5t-d0.............................,57 t!0!tt
",;:"i;i#;"-*;*'epon*"nt h is th.ree miles away Irom a large dl +.........r.......................,{3 ll a!
ln-a'im"tt siae .rrcet lusioutside of town c0
rt ut t is two discount comPacl disc stores
--'v. -witti^rn..o.nt
-,iopping ""nr., CDs were
$1q000 buying CDs for his shop' Most of the
..";'i; ;;ii.';; ;"4'"*t co ro' is o0 x"Thehired
'#r;;;;;:
three people to work as
was open Mondav to l. How can you describe thc people who livc in the Fairfaxi What generalization
oJ po,a *'",n $5 50 an hour' shop
can you makc about the peoplcl
checks or credit cards'
ilil;i;"-
" -d' ;;.;;";I rc 5 rM Mr. williams would not acccPl
door
1r; Mr. williams closed his shop He put a sign on the
L\at said "Out of Business "

B Discuss thls caso ln Your grouP Why do you think tho business failod? Make a list 2. Can you use the informarion in this tablc to think of anothcr cause of the
failure of rhis business? Add ir ro your original list of causes.
ol the causes.

D. Now study this table

Numbbir of lreople Who Walk Past thE StdrE

MON TUES WEO THURS FRI SAT SUN

ln the morning 8AM-12PM 30 35 2A 29 31 32 20

ln the aflernoon 12PM-6PM 10 12 16 15 20 70 65

In lhe evening 6PM-12AM 4q 47 53 42 60 65 40

E. Write three statements based on lhis table.

DoestheinformationinthistalrleshorvanorhercauseofrhelailurerWhatisitl
.1

2O CHAPTER 12 WRITING AEOUT CAUSES AND EFFECTS 121

 wrltlng i SIGNAL WORDS THAT INTFOOUCE AN EFFECT 5
fi Writs s fi.st drslt of a pa.agraPh dl8cusglng the qau3o3 ot lho fallurg ol Mr.
willlams's compaot dlgc 8hoP.
'so therefora as a result
thus consequently
REAOY
TO WRITE
Examples
Mrs. Baker has an ulcer, so shc avoids spicy food.
Mrs. Baker has an ulccr. Therefore, she avoids spicy food.
Thur,
Coue4uznt$,
As a resuh,

Mrs. Baker has an ulcer; dere/ore, she avoids spicy food.

lhr]s,
Flevislng cotaequer*|.1,
G. Read over your group's paragraph and look lor ways to Improve lt. Uso the rovlslng . dt a Tesult,-
checklist on page 44 to help you. Rovlso tho paragraph snd then rewrlte lt.
WRITING SENTENCES OF CAUSE AND EFFECT

P"naly2ing Effects A. Look st this cartoon. Complete lhe sentences that lollow with so or therefors.

Read the modol paragraph and answor the questlons.

't'nA!{rfls'
OF

! W.rrchrng televrsron can have several positive effecc on sludents leaming ':3
I English. One effecr rs rhat students.can improve their p.onunciation by
Irsrening to the people on (elevision. In addition, srudents can obsefte geslures
and br.:dy language that are parr ofcommunicatioo. Most importantly, studenls I
are exposed ro a rvide variery of idioms that are commonly used by English I
spcakers.
I @@ 6R|AF (ljlAr'5
UJ ATAfU65/ NO ICE CUOE9 I
A{ATT
DOGI
l. Whar is rhe ropic sentence!
li
il
2. What effects does rhe author give? I

l. There are no ice cubes in Snoopy's warer, he is angry.

2. There are no ice cubes in Snoopy! warer; , he is angry.
l. \\rlrar kind ofordcr does rhe author use !o explain lhe effecrs.
3. There are no ice cubes in Snoopy! water. he is angry

122 APTEB ]2
WBITING ASOUT CAUSES ANO EFFECTS 12=
 L
Et. Wdt€ a senlenc€ ot osus6 and etfect uslng so or lhereforo tor sach ot the 6stg ol
plcturss on Pages 114 and 115. WRITINO TOPIC SENTENC|ES FOR PAR/\GRAPHS ABOUT EFFECTS
Here are some examples of topic sentences for paragraphs about effects,
Example
fhc mzn lounA SIOO: thcrcfora. hc ha
. Computec havc had several lmpotant cffecs on sociery
16
. There are a numbcr of conscqucnccs ofglobal warming.
. The birth of my twins has had several cffccts on my life.
o The flood caused several problems in our rown.

3 Wrfte a toplc sentence lor the followlng paragraphs,

4 1

For onc thing, thetc was so much snow that it was dangerous to drive and
several main roads had to bc closed. In addition, students had the day off
c. Match the caus€s and 6rfects. The first one has bEon dong for you.
because all the schools werc closed. Finally, the snowstorm cost the city a lot
of moncy to clcan up.
Efl6cts Cau6e6
2.
I'm going skiing today. a. lt was faster than the train, First of all, running increascs the effrciency of the heatt and lunge. Running
2 We'movefl to the country. b. He likes to get exercise in the also helps the body develop greater physlcal endurance. Finally, it helps the
morning. body become more mechanically efficieot.

l. We bought a new car. c. The city was too crowded. 3

4. They tbok an airplane. d, lt snowed five irrches last night. I have to be at work earlicr in the moming, andl have much more
:esponsibilicy. It also means that I make more money. All things considered,
5. She docsn't eat desserrs. e. It didn't rain enough this summcr. this is a grear opportunity and I am vcry happy with my new job.
6. Thc flowcrc in our gardcn i The old one used too much gas.
dicd.
RECOGNIZTNG IRRELEVANT SENTENCES
1. He rook an aspirin. g. She's on a dier.
8. He rides his bike to work. h. Hc has a toothache. The lollowing paragraphs oach contaln one agntgncs thal is irrelevant. Cross orl1
that sgnlencg and bg prepargd to oxplaln why lt does not belong In th€ paragraph.
9. k is vcry hot today. i. We tumcd on the air condirioner
There are several reasons why many Ahericao wornen are waiting until
Now combino the causes and etfects to make new sentences, UsEso, because, or
they are thirry years old or oldcr to havc rheir firsr baby. Some r"omen hare
good jolrs and want !o continuc rhcir carccrs. Many Amcrican couplcs have

l. l't snowcd fiv. inches lagt ni4ht, 50 l fi qoinq gkiinq tada\. two chiidren. Orher women don't want the responsibility of having children
z until they ate oldcr. Still others are waiting unril the)' are financially secr.:re

.l
before they start a family. Increased pcrsonal and professional opportr.rnitics for
women often resuk in delaying morherhood.
4

5 ). Listening to musia can have many posirive effects on children. For one

6 thing, lisrening to music can increasc verbal, emorional, and spatial

7
intelligence. Some children prefer sports to music. It can also improvc
concen(rarion and srimulate crearive thinking. Finally, another Posi(ive effect
8
of music is rhat ir can rclax children and make them feel more comtbrtable.
9
Some scientasrs rhtnk music can cven imptove children\ memo4. Overall, ir
seems music is ben.ficial to children's lcaming and scnse of rvell'being

4 WFITINJ AAOUT CAUSES AND EFFECTS 1215

 3 The introduction of affordable automobiles had scveral effects on North
Flevlslng T
Amerlcan soclcty. First of all, eutomobllcr ctcatcd a more mobilc soclcty' E. Road over your paragraph and look
for
Auromoblles made ir possible fot people to move out of the cities and into the *rec*rst on pas'e ni'i;; il]"i;i J",f,:"r:#H;Jl,lr"irll".X,J,lilli.
1

suburlx. Automoblles also affectcd the g:owth of ncw busincsrcs, Gar gtatioru,
auro r€pair shops, and roadside restaurants bccame ncccsary, Railroads had a
ANALYZINO EFFECTS
great effecr on sociery too. ln aCdition, ncw toads wcre built as a result of the
increase in the number of cars. Al[ of thcse changcs meant that thc The Effeats of Sugar
automobile was transforming the ltfestyle of millions of North Americans. Prewrltlng
A. Read the followlng llst of facts about
whtto sugar.
WRITING EFFECTS PARAGRAPHS o robs the body of vitamin
B
. causes tooth decav
Prew'riUng . interferes wirh caicium metaboltsm
A. Your teachor will put thls topic sontonco on the board: r contributes to hardening of arteries
^ 7he.e are 1avetal aflccf,a ol ?ollulion
B. Use the llst to wrlte a paEgraph
about tho offects of white sugar on
body. Begln wlth a.toplc sentence. the human
B What ettects can you and your classmato$ think of? Bralnstorm a list of efrects.
Your teacher will write them in list form on the board. (Remembor, thesg are Just
ideas, so lhey don't havo to be ln sgntence fom or conoct ordor.) Copy tho list her6.

c. After you have a complete list ol €ftects,.discuss them. Oecide which should bo
includod ln tho paragraph. Cross out th6 ones lhat ar6 not strong or relevant.

Wrlting
D. Write a paragraph about the ellects ot pollution, uslng your list as a gulde. End Revlslng
with what you teel Is th6 most important etlecl. C:. Read over your paragraph and look for ways to tmprove lt.
check st on page 44 to hetp you. nuri"u jou, Us6 the rovislno
p"Jgr"pt ;fi#,"*,il'i
The Effects ot a Declsion
Prewrlflng
A. Choose one ot the following topics and
make a list ol the etfects that decision
had on your life, has

. getling married .
I picking a school
.
choosing a career . coming !o ao English_speaking country
buying a house

126 CtsAPIER I:
WFMNG ABOUT CAUSES ANO EFFECTS 12
 wrttlng
t'.
/
Wr{to a rlrst dratt ol your paragraph, uslng your llst as a guldo. Bemomber to begln wrttlng i I
, wlth a toplo sentsnce, Ci. Chooso one of the groups bolow.

1. You are a group of conscrvative tesidcnts who doesn't want Acton to change.
On a separare.piecc of papcr, wrire a parag.aph prcdicting the ncgative eff;ts
IEADY the factory will have on the town.
) WRITE
2. You are a group of progressivc residcnts who is open to changes in your
communiry. On a'separate piecc ofpaper, write a paragraph predicting the
positive effects rhe ncw factory will have on the town.

Revlslng
D. Rsad over your group's paragraph and look for ways to improvo lt. Use tho revising
checklist on page 44 to help you. Revise your paragraph and then row'ite it.
Revlalng
c. Glve your paragraph to ono of your classmatos lo rsad. Ask hlm or hor to make
suggostlons ebout ways to lmprove th6 paragraph. You can us6 the rovlslng
PAIR ACTIVIry
ch€cklist on page 44 to help you. Roviss your paragraph and thon rowrlte it. Prewriting
A. Look at the diagram below. lt shows how plants and anlmals dopsnd on each
other in a farm pond. Dlscuss the diagram wlih a classmate. lmaglno that you
SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY
have been asked to writo a shod explanation of thls diagram for a children,s
Prgwriting science magazlne.

A Read the following lnformation

Acton is a small town in rhe Midwest. It has a popularion of 2,500. k is

a safe, quiet, and clean place rolive. Mosr of thc people have lived rhere all
rheir lives and know each orher vcry wcll. The towo has nor charged very
much in the past one hundred years.
Last monrh, Sranley Manufacturing decided ro open a large factory in
0 r 6LUEGIIL.BA9S CYCLE
\
Acron. This will bring many new people to the community. Somc people are
wonied about the oegative effects the new facrory will have on the rown.
Other people are excited about the posicive effects the new facory will have on

\t ..,
blo€lllr.it !m.n.n 6.h --,
&%
E ln small groups make predictions about the impact tha new lactory will have on
Acton. Make a list of all the possible efieots you can think of,
B. Make a list ot the eflects that plants and animals in the pond havo on each other.
Nsgatlve
fiore tobS polrltan

:lB CHAPTEIT 12
\A'FfiI\G AEOL]i CAUSES AND EFFECIS 129