Cause-Effect Essay

Introduction
 The cause-effect essay explains why or how
some event happened, and what resulted from the
event.

 This essay is a study of the relationship between

two or more events or experiences.

 In other words, cause

c and effect essays focus on
why things happen (causes) and what happens as
a result (effects).
When writing a cause and effect essay:

1. Distinguish between cause and effect.

To determine causes, ask, "Why did this

happen?"

To identify effects, ask, "What happened because

of this?“
2. Develop your thesis statement.

State clearly whether you are discussing

causes, effects, or both.

Introduce your main idea, using the terms

“cause” and/or “effect.”
3. Organize supporting details.
You can organize details in the
following ways:
• Chronological. Details are arranged in the
order in which the events occurred.
• Order of importance. Details are arranged
from least to most important or vice versa.
• Categorical. Details are arranged by
dividing the topic into parts or categories.
4. Use appropriate transitions.

To blend details, Cause Signal Words Effect Signal

Words
use the transitional
words and phrases. because, consequently,
due to, as a result,
one cause is, thus,
another is, resulted in,
since, one result is,
for, for this
the reason for, reason,
created by, therefore,
contributed by, outcome,
etc. finally,
hence, etc.
Brainstorming Technique
Diagram of cause-effect essay

Introduction
Introduce the subject

Body
Describe the cause and its effects

cause

effect effect effect

Conclusion
Summary
 Block & Chain

You can organize a cause/effect essay in two main

ways:

1. Block organization
2. Chain organization
 Block Organisation
 In block organisation, you first discuss all the causes as
a block, then, you discuss all the effects together as a
block.

Cause Effect
Effect Cause

Cause Cause
Cause Effect
Cause Effect
Effect Effect
 Example:

Cause
Effect

Your car is out of petrol.

Your car won't start
 Example:
effect
cause

Obesity

Eating disorders
 Example:

Cause Thinking about your family

Cause Forgot bring your ID card

Cause Missed writing exam

Effect Failed writing course

 Example:

Effect Decrease in personal liberties

Increase in nationalism
Effect
Greater prejudice against those
Effect of Middle Eastern decent

The events of September 11,

Cause 2001 changed the face of our
nation forever
 Block organization

Causes

Body
Effects
 Transition Paragraph

 In block organisation, a short paragraph often

separates one major section from another major
section. This paragraph is called a transition
paragraph.

 Its purpose is to conclude one section and

introduce another section.

 It is helpful when your topic is long and

complex.
 The Causes and Effects of Gaza City’s Traffic Problem  
Gaza is a modern city, but it also has a modern problem. It has a serious traffic congestion
problem. Every morning and evening, the streets are crowded with cars, taxis and trucks.
Several factors have contributed to Gaza City’s traffic problems that led to some serious
effects for the city.
One of the main causes of congestion is the high number of cars. Because of the
city’s rapid economic growth, most residents can afford private cars. Another
contributing factor is the lack of a public transport infrastructure. The absence of
buses, trains or an underground forces residents to rely on cars or taxis. The road
system is third cause of congestion. The roads are not well-maintained and are often
unable to keep up with the rapid expansion of the population.
Therefore, traffic jams have many negative consequences for the city. The biggest
effect is increased anger and frustration. Commuters and shoppers experience delays,
resulting in tension and stress as they sit in traffic. Another adverse effect is on the
environment. Air quality declines as vehicle emissions rise. Noise levels also increase. In
general, the city becomes a less pleasant place to live or work. A major effect is on
productivity and efficiency. Workers and students are late for work or school. Salesmen
and travelers waste hours in traffic jams, leading to lost profits.
Overall, too many cars for too few roads have led to severe congestion in the city.
However, if the municipal authorities encourage residents to use public transport, I am sure
Gaza will continue to be a pleasant city to live in in the future.
 Chain Organization
In a chain-reaction essay, the reader
describes how one event led to another.

Introduction Effect Effect

Cause Cause Conclusion

 Chain Organization
Introduction
Cause
Effect
Cause
Body Effect
Cause
Effect
Conclusion
 Causes of Divorce
From the past to present, people all over the world have determined to get married, which
means living together. In other words, they depend on each other for love and support. Nevertheless,
some couples are unable to maintain their relationship; therefore, they choose divorce, which is one of
the solutions to cope with problems between husbands and wives. The divorce rates continually
increase nowadays, thus it might be argued that divorces can be taken easier than the past. There are
three main causes of divorce: changing woman's roles, stress in modern living and lack of
communication.
The first significant cause of recent rise in the rates of divorce is that women have
completely changed roles. In the past, men earned the money to afford the expense of family,
whereas women only worked in the home and took care of the children and the family; hence women
had no money which led them to depend on their husband's money. These situations made it too
difficult for most women to separate from their husbands. However, the equality between men and
women in roles are very clear at the moment, thus women can work outside to earn money,
while men share the household tasks such as cooking, cleaning, washing as well as caring
for children. It can be clearly seen that women are independent from husbands as they can
earn money to support themselves. Accordingly, they now find the power in themselves to
stand on their own and the divorce rates rise day by day.
Another cause to confirm the recent increase in divorce rates is stress in modern
living. Many people have a considerable amount of pressure to earn money. Some families
can earn money, but it is not enough for covering their expenses. Therefore, it is easy to
think about divorce. Or, some people are laid off from their companies; consequently, the
stress occurs in their family, which leads to divorce. Nevertheless, the rates of
unemployment continually increase; as a result, the divorce rates can also rise. It is no
doubt that the stress in modern living may lead to recently increasing divorce rates.
The final cause of recently increasing divorce is lack of communication.
Owing to financial status in each family, many people are fairly busy.
For this reason, they have inadequate time to discuss the problems with
their partners, which produces the likelihood of divorce. Some couples
are often quiet when they have problems with each other. As a
consequence, little problems can be expanded to probably become huge
problems, resulting in divorce. It is quite clear that the more
communication that is used, the more divorce rates are reduced.
In conclusion, a family is one of the most important parts of
society, thus many people had better be aware of the significance
of their relationship. At the moment, although people tend to
think carefully before they get married, the rates of divorce
continuously rise due to the changing of women's roles, stress in
modern living and lack of communication.
 Suggestions
 Remember your purpose

 Focus on immediate and direct causes (or

effects)

 Strengthen your essay by using supporting

evidence
When evaluating a cause and effect
essay, ask the following questions:

What are the causes?

What are the effects?
Which should be emphasised?
Are there single or multiple causes?
Are there single or multiple effects?
Is a chain reaction involved?