THE CAUSE-AND-

EFFECT
RELATIONSHIP
WHAT IS CAUSE-AND-EFFECT RELATIONSHIP?

▪ When you explain why things happen

and what occurs when they do, the
technique you use is called cause and
effect.
WHAT IS CAUSE-AND-EFFECT RELATIONSHIP?
▪ Cause is why something happened.
▪ Effect is the result of what happened. Because
effects always have causes and causes always lead
to effects, we rarely see one without the other.
▪ Example:
▪ I stayed home from school
because I had the flu.
 Understanding Cause and Effect
Relationships
▪ In some paragraphs, the cause-and-effect
relationship is not directly stated.
▪ In these cases, you have to –
"read between the lines."
▪ Use clues from the paragraph to
identify cause-and-effect relationships.
CAUSE AND EFFECT SIGNAL WORDS
CAUSE EFFECT
• Because •   • As a result of
• The reason for • Outcome
• On account of • Finally
• Bring about • Consequently
• Give rise to • Therefore
• Created by • For this reason
• Contributed by • Hence
• Led to • Effect
• Due to • Then
• Since • So
Can you find the signal words?

▪ The night’s snowstorm had many

effects. People were out shoveling snow
from their sidewalks. The power lines
were draped with ice. Snow plows drove
down every street. Children were the
happiest of all. The unexpected snow
caused school to be cancelled!
Can you find the signal words?

▪ The night’s snowstorm had many

effects. People were out shoveling snow
from their sidewalks. The power lines
were draped with ice. Snow plows drove
down every street. Children were the
happiest of all. The unexpected snow
caused school to be cancelled!
Use signal words to identify which is
the cause and which is the effect.

Baby painted turtles spend all winter in their

nests. They have special chemicals in their
blood that can keep their blood from freezing.
As a result, baby painted turtles can survive
freezing temperatures!
Use signal words to identify which is
the cause and which is the effect.

Baby painted turtles spend all winter in their

nests. They have special chemicals in their
blood that can keep their blood from freezing.
As a result, baby painted turtles can survive
freezing temperatures!

This is the
cause
Use signal words to identify which is
the cause and which is the effect.

Baby painted turtles spend all winter in their

nests. They have special chemicals in their
blood that can keep their blood from freezing.
As a result, baby painted turtles can survive
freezing temperatures!
This is the
effect
 See if you can identify the
Causes & Effects.
When a solar-powered water pump was provided for a well in
India, the village headman took it over and sold the water, until
stopped. The new liquid abundance attracted hordes of
unwanted nomads. Village boys who had drawn water in buckets
had nothing to do, and some became criminals. The gap
between rich and poor widened, since the poor had no land to
benefit from irrigation. Finally, village women broke the pump,
so they could gather again around the well that had been the
center of their social lives. Moral: technological advances have
social, cultural sentence   and economic consequences, often
unanticipated.
 See if you can identify the
Causes & Effects.
Causes: When a solar-powered water pump was
provided for a well in India, the village headman took it over
and sold the water, until stopped. The new liquid abundance
attracted hordes of unwanted nomads. Village boys who had
drawn water in buckets had nothing to do, and some became
criminals. The gap between rich and poor widened, since the
poor had no land to benefit from irrigation. Finally, village
women broke the pump, so they could gather again around
the well that had been the center of their social lives.
 See if you can identify the
Causes & Effects.
Effects: When a solar-powered water pump was provided for a
well in India, the village headman took it over and sold the water,
until stopped. The new liquid abundance attracted hordes of
unwanted nomads. Village boys who had drawn water in buckets
had nothing to do, and some became criminals. The gap between
rich and poor widened, since the poor had no land to benefit from
irrigation. Finally, village women broke the pump, so they could
gather again around the well that had been the center of their
social lives. Moral: technological advances have social, cultural
sentence   and economic consequences, often unanticipated.
THE CAUSE-AND-
EFFECT
RELATIONSHIP