cause effect essay

Often student writers are taught short-term solutions to the problem of organizing an essay. The most common short-term essay is the five-paragraph essay format. The five-paragraph essay uses the following organization: Introduction--Background and thesis First Body Paragraph--The first reason why the thesis is true Second Body Paragraph--The second reason why the thesis is true Third Body Paragraph--The third reason why the thesis is true Conclusion--Recap of essay It is important to understand that the five-paragraph essay is not necessarily bad. However, most student writers are led to believe or falsely believe that all essays must follow the five-paragraph essay format. Just a little thought makes clear that format is very limiting and limited and does not provide an adequate organization for many types of writing assignments. That is why I have crossed-out the description of the five-paragraph essay, so that you won't make the mistake of thinking that it is the best way to organize your essays. Instead, student writers should see that the form of an essay (its organization) needs to match the purpose of the essay. To begin with, we should look at one of the most common tasks student writers are asked to perform and the one of the organizational strategies effective for this task. Explaining Cause and Effect Often writers are asked to explain how certain conditions or events are related to the occurrence of other conditions or events. When a writer argues that one thing leads to another, he or she is making a cause-and-effect argument. For example, in an Economics class, students might be asked to explain the impact of increasing oil prices on the nation’s economy. Inherent in the question is the assumption that increasing oil prices is a cause, which produces specific effects in the rest of the economy. So, higher oil prices produce higher gasoline prices.
What were the causes of the American Civil War? the causes of World War I? the causes of the American Great Depression? What caused the AIDS epidemic? the bubonic plague? What are the causes of unrest in Ireland? the Middle East? What effects can be attributed to phenomena such as El Niño? the hippies of the 1950s and 60s? the Civil Rights movement of the 50s and 60s? Affirmative Action? Apartheid? the uses of DDT? holes in the ozone layer? Cause and effect papers are among the most common (and among the most fun to write) papers in a Composition course. It is intriguing to explore the causes of some event that you always took for granted or to chronicle the effects of some phenomenon in society or nature. The two strategic points you have to consider are (1) whether you're exploring causes or effects or both and (2) what is the order of the causes or effects you're going to pursue — from least to most important or vice versa. In the following two paragraphs, Bob Kutter analyzes the effects on American workers of an economy that relies increasingly on technology. In a sense, the paragraphs provide an outline for exploring the various causes and effects which are the substance of the article. (See below for a hyperlink to the entire essay (Atlantic, July 1983.) In these paragraphs, what sentences could be listed as major points and what sentences play a supporting role? What is the role of the first sentence in each paragraph? The erosion of the middle of the labor market is easy to misinterpret, because its roots are multiple. During the 1970s, the entry into the work force of an unprecedented number of women and of young adults born during the baby boom resulted in too many workers for the jobs available, and depressed wages. The decline of the middle also has something to do with the explosive growth in world trade since 1960. As manufacturing technologies have.
Review the basic concepts and essay structure for the cause and effect college composition essay. Take College Writing Essentials online.
To demonstrate a cause and its effect is never that easy in written form. Check out our cause and effect essay samples to understand how to write an essay of this type on your own. Psychological Effects of Having an Abortion Although public morals has become more flexible and indulgent in the 21st century compared to previous epochs, there are still questions and moral problems which Reasons for Anhedonia Simply living in a big city in the 21st century can be stressful: noise, rush, traffic jams, intrusive commercials, bad ecology, high prices, and other What a Lack of Sleep Does to You Everyone has at least once in their lives stayed awake throughout an entire night. Usually, being up all night is a choice of high school Positive Effects of the Feminism Movement Among the socio-political movements that managed to change the world we live in, feminism can be fairly called one of the most revolutionary and influential. Causes of Having a Bad Mood If you ask someone if they would rather be in a good or in bad mood, this person will most likely think that you are Possible Outcomes of Skipping Classes at School The times when parents were responsible for their children’s academic accomplishments – and students themselves – seem to have gone. Nowadays, many people believe that Cause of Lung Cancer Among terminal diseases which humanity has not yet learned to treat, cancer is probably one of the most feared illnesses. Unlike AIDS or other diseases How Autism Affects One’s Life Mental disorders and deprivations can take countless forms. Some of them can ruin lives of those who bear them, others are milder, and this causes Causes of Social Anxiety Disorder People are exposed to huge amounts of stress each day. Problems at work, dysfunctional relationships, insurance issues, taxes, children’s misbehavior, and so on – these Causes of Homelessness How many times have you passed.
Distinguish between cause and effect. To determine causes, ask, Why did this happen? To identify effects, ask, What happened because of this? The following is an example of one cause producing one effect: Cause You are out of gas. Effect Your car won't start. Sometimes, many causes contribute to a single effect or many effects may result from a single cause. (Your instructor will specify which cause/effect method to use.) The following are examples: Causes liked business in high school salaries in the field are high have an aunt who is an accountant am good with numbers Effect choose to major in accounting Cause reduce work hours Effects less income employer is irritated more time to study more time for family and friends However, most situations are more complicated. The following is an example of a chain reaction: Thinking about friend forgot to buy gas car wouldn't start missed math exam failed math course. 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. Find and organize supporting details. Back up your thesis with relevant and sufficient details that are organized. 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. Use appropriate transitions. To blend details smoothly in cause and effect essays, use the transitional words and phrases listed below. For causes because, due to, on cause is, another is, since, for, first, second For Effects consequently, as a result, thus, resulted in, one result is, another is, therefore Click here to visit professional custom essay writing service! When writing your essay, keep.
To write a cause and effect essay, you’ll need to determine a scenario in which one action or event caused certain effects to occur.  Then, explain what took place and why! This essay allows us to identify patterns and explain why things turned out the way that they did. How do I choose a topic and get started?  Try choosing a major event, either in your own life or an event of historical significance.  For example, The Great Depression. Cause of The Great Depression: stock market crash How would we elaborate?  We'd discuss the behaviors, carelessness, errors, and even cultural attitudes that led to the crash—explaining why it was devastating. Effects of the Great Depression: joblessness & poverty What should we say about the effects? Businesses went under—explain HOW the crash caused this Describe poverty in detail—explain how this could’ve been handled more efficiently or even avoided Narrowing a Large Topic In a short essay, it might be difficult to tackle the cause and all of the many effects of a big event like the Great Depression. To narrow a cause and effect topic down to a manageable size, ask yourself   What's the main (most important) cause?  Most people attribute it to the stock market crash, so that's a good place to start.    Can I break the different types of effects down into categories?  Yes!  I'll break my ideas down into categories like:  economic, social, employment, practical, and morale effects.  (example below) Which category interests me the most? Practical effects is the most interesting. I'll narrow the topic of my paper down so that my essay will now be about how the stock market crash affected the practical ways that people lived their lives during the Great Depression.     Can that category be broken down even further to make the topic more manageable?  I'm actually interested in the ways that the Great Depression affected the farming.