The cause and effect essay is a type of argumentative essay that looks at an issue from multiple points of view. This can be done by either identifying causes or consequences, or by looking at both together. Using this structure allows you to present your opinion on issues in a logical manner, which makes it easy for readers to follow what you are saying, even if they disagree with your viewpoint.
This format is also commonly referred to as a cause-and-effect essay or if-then statement. In this form of writing, there is some type of event (cause) that leads up to another event (effect). The first event must take place before the second one does—either directly after it or sometime later on down the road—and there must be some sort of connection between them:
- Cause: Smoking causes cancer. Effect: Smokers have a higher risk of developing lung cancer than non-smokers do.* Cause: You left too much food out in warm temperatures overnight when no one was home; Effect: Your refrigerator died because it overheated
Describe the effect (what happened) first
You may be used to the more common format of beginning a cause and effect essay with the cause and ending it with the effect. However, if you want to write an original piece, consider reversing this structure. In this case, you’ll start off by describing what happened as a result of your cause—for example: “The rise in popularity of streaming services can be traced back to the development of high-speed internet.” Then end with your first sentence: “I believe that high-speed internet is responsible for increasing demand for streaming services.”
The number of paragraphs is up to you
The number of paragraphs is up to you. You can have as many paragraphs as you want, but the maximum should be three. If you only have one paragraph, then it may not be enough to support your argument.
If you choose to write multiple paragraphs, each one will focus on a single cause or effect and its causes or effects respectively. For example:
- The first paragraph will discuss how the protagonist’s cheating has led to his current situation. This paragraph should include at least three examples of how his cheating has affected his life negatively in some way (e.g., “he ended up losing all his friends because other people found out about what he did and no longer wanted anything to do with him”). You could also choose another approach such as writing about negative effects on other people (e.g., “his wife left him when she found out about his affair”), but we recommend using this method instead because it requires less detail than explaining all possible consequences from this event happening again in future installments if there are any sequels made based off this movie/book etcetera later down the line! Plus there’s no need for additional sentences whereas detailing every possible outcome would require more space which wastes valuable paper resources.”
Focus on one cause and one effect. Avoid overlapping causes and effects by limiting yourself to two or three possible ones in your paper. While you can address more than one cause and effect, it’s best to keep your focus narrow. Try limiting yourself to two or three possible causes and effects in the essay. This will make it easier for you to back up your claims with evidence and reasoning because the number of causes and effects will be reduced considerably.
To avoid overlapping causes and effects, pay attention to signal words that signal causality (i.e., “because”) rather than just coincidence (“and”). For example: “`
The reason why people are so afraid of sharks is that they’ve heard stories about shark attacks on television since they were little children; this has caused them to associate sharks with danger in their minds even though most shark encounters don’t result in injury or death.
Focus on measurable outcomes
It’s important to distinguish between what a cause is, and what an effect is. A cause is a specific event or action that occurred before another thing happened as a result of it. An effect is the outcome of that cause—what happened because of it. For example:
There was a great deal of rain in the month of April this year, which caused school attendance to decrease by 10%.
You could write about this situation using something like:
- There was much more rain than usual this past April due to El Nino, which meant fewer students attended school during lunchtime recess as they were waiting out storms at home. This change in weather patterns led to lower attendance rates for teachers who taught classes throughout lunch hours during regular school days.”
Write a strong thesis statement
The thesis statement is the summary of your paper. It states the main idea and gives readers a preview of what’s to come. Write an introductory paragraph that includes a hook, a statement about how you will approach your topic, and an overview of what you plan to cover in each body paragraph. Remember: You want to write one or two sentences for this section, not four paragraphs!
>Thesis statements should be brief and provide a short overview of the topic and points covered in each body paragraph. The thesis statement should also be arguable (meaning that there are people who might disagree with it), as well as specific enough so that readers can understand its implications within the context of their own lives or experiences—not just yours!
Use signal words that signal causality such as ‘because’, ‘resulting in’, and ‘since’.
- Use signal words that signal causality such as ‘because’, ‘resulting in’, and ‘since’.
- For example: “Nuclear reactors produce nuclear waste which leads to radioactive contamination of the environment. This can occur when radioactive material falls on soil or water, or when it is carried by the wind into the air (along with dust particles) where it can be inhaled or ingested by humans and animals.”
Signal words are used to show causality between events. You can use them yourself when you write an essay but also look out for them in your own reading materials.
Writing an excellent cause and effect essay implies sticking to a specific structure, including an introduction, body, and conclusion. To organize your thoughts correctly, note down the main points that have to be included in each section (introduction, body, conclusion) of the paper.
Writing an excellent cause and effect essay implies sticking to a specific structure, including an introduction, body, and conclusion. To organize your thoughts correctly, note down the main points that have to be included in each section (introduction, body, conclusion) of the paper.
You should also pay attention to signal words used in topic sentences for each paragraph or section of your paper as well as strong thesis statements that clearly state what you’re trying to prove with your paper.
In this way, you will be able to focus on one cause and one effect in an analytical way without going off track by describing only one of them at length without mentioning anything about its connection with another factor mentioned before it in your text. The best way is just not to mention any other factors at all.
It’s important for writers to try their hands at writing CAE essays for high school entrance exams or university entrance exams like SAT II Writing Subject Test etc., so check out how these authors handle their papers below!
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