Chapter

Cause-Effect Essays
5

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 What Is a Cause-Effect Essay?
A cause-effect essay shows the reader the relationship
between something that happens and its
consequences, or between actions and results. For
example, if too much commercial fishing is allowed in
the North Atlantic Ocean (action), the fish population in
some areas may diminish or disappear (result). Cause-
effect essays can be informative, analytical, and
insightful.

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 What Is a Cause-Effect Essay?
In this chapter, you will study two kinds of cause-effect
essays. Very simply, in one method, the writer focuses
on the causes of something. This is called the focus-on-
causes method. In the second method, the writer
emphasizes the effects or results of a cause. These
writers often write focus-on-effects essays.

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 What Is a Cause-Effect Essay?
These two cause-effect essay methods answer different
questions. Essays that use the focus-on-causes method
answer the question, “Why does something happen?”
Essays that use the focus-on-effects method answer the
question, “What happens when…?”

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 Grammar for Writing (I)
Connectors for Cause-Effect Essays
Connectors show relationships between ideas in
sentences and paragraphs. In cause-effect essays,
writers commonly use the connecting words and
phrases in the following charts.

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 Grammar for Writing (I)
Connectors That Show Cause

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National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Company. © 2021 Cengage Learning, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This presentation tool is for
teaching purpose only. May not be reproduced in any form, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. p. 97
 Grammar for Writing (I)
Connectors That Show Effect

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teaching purpose only. May not be reproduced in any form, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. p. 97
 Grammar for Writing (II)
Consistent Verb Tense Usage
Good writers are careful to use the same verb tense
throughout an essay. While it is true that an essay may
have, for example, some information about the past
and some information about the present, most of the
information will be about one time, most likely either
past or present. Do not change verb tenses without a
specific reason for doing so.

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 Grammar for Writing (III)
Sentence Fragments
Writing a fragment instead of a complete sentence is
considered a very serious error because it shows a lack
of understanding of the basic components of a
sentence, namely a subject and a verb that express a
complete thought. Because fragments are one of the
most serious errors in writing, it is imperative to learn
how to avoid them.

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Original Student Writing: Cause-Effect Essay
In this section, you will follow the seven steps in the
writing process to write a cause-effect essay. If you need
help, refer to Chapter 3.

Step 1: Choose a Topic

For a cause-effect essay, you want to choose a topic for
which you can develop three causes of one effect or
three effects from one cause.

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Original Student Writing: Cause-Effect Essay
Step 2: Brainstorm
Carefully consider the causes and effects. If you have
more causes, then you should write a focus-on-causes
essay with one effect. If you have more effects, then you
should write a focus-on-effects essay with one cause.

Step 3: Outline
Prepare a simple outline of your essay. Focus either on
causes or on effects.

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Original Student Writing: Cause-Effect Essay
Step 4: Write the First Draft
Use the information from Steps 1–3 to write the first
draft of your cause-effect essay.

Step 5: Get Feedback from a Peer

Exchange papers from Step 4 with a partner. Be sure to
offer positive suggestions and comments that will help
your partner improve his or her essay.

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Original Student Writing: Cause-Effect Essay
Step 6: Revise the First Draft
Often, writers will need to write a third or even a fourth
draft to express their ideas as clearly as possible.

Step 7: Proofread the Final Draft

Be sure to proofread your paper several times before
you submit it.

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teaching purpose only. May not be reproduced in any form, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. pp. 108-109