Cause and Effect Essay Examples By Alvin Park , Staff Writer

When you eat a really good pizza, you say, “yum” and likely reach for
another slice. That’s basic cause and effect. The pizza was good, so
you responded and ate more. You’ve probably partaken in so many
examples of cause and effect without even knowing it, so you already
have the basic recipe to create an amazing piece of writing. But how
do you turn all that into a zesty cause and effect essay?

What Is A Cause and Effect Essay?

Sometimes called reason and result essays, cause and effect essays
are a type of essay that explores how an event or situation came into
being (the cause) and what happens or transpires because of that
event or situation (the effect). The purpose of these types of essays is
to explore the “why” or “how” of a situation.
What Is the Basic Structure of a Cause and
Effect Essay?
You might see some slight variations in the structure of a cause and
effect essay, but for the most part, you’re looking at a pretty rigid
outline.

A basic cause and effect essay structure would look like:

​ Introduction
​ Describe the event or situation your essay will explore.
​ Include a thesis statement that illustrates your thoughts on
the main cause or effect of the event or situation.
​ Body Paragraphs (Causes)
​ Start with what you feel is the main cause of the event,
providing evidence to back up your argument.
​ Follow that up with descriptions of secondary causes.
​ Body Paragraphs (Effects)
​ Discuss the main effect that came out of the causes that
you illustrated in the previous paragraphs.
​ Provide evidence to back up your argument.
​ Subsequent paragraphs can then discuss other effects
worth noting.
​ Conclusion
​ Reiterate your thesis statement.
​ Consider further questions that could be explored within
your cause and effect analysis, including other effects or
other potential causes

Cause and Effect Essay Examples

You have a really solid idea of what should go into a cause and effect
essay, but it never hurts to see an example in action. Maybe it’ll help
you generate new ideas for your own cause and effect essay.

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Sample Cause and Effect Essay Introduction
As with other essays, the intro paragraph acts as the space for you to
introduce your subject. With a cause and effect essay in particular, the
intro is important for setting the stage. You can’t just launch into a
discussion of cause and effect and expect the reader to get it.

The homeless epidemic is a serious problem in nearly every

major city across the country. According to the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development, there are
over 500,000 people experiencing homelessness on any
given night. It’s a difficult challenge to tackle precisely
because it is so multi-faceted, both in terms of its causes and
its far-reaching effects. Homelessness affects not only the
people who must struggle to survive on the street but also the
business owners or residents in the neighborhoods. While
many factors have contributed to the rise in homeless rates,
one of the most profound is the lack of adequate social
support services.

Sample Body Paragraphs for a Cause and Effect Essay

This is the real meat and potatoes of the article. Despite the structure
mentioned above, you can go about the body paragraphs in a few
different ways. Similar to compare and contrast essays, you can use a

block structure (grouping all the causal information together before

getting into the effects) or

a point-by-point structure (considering one cause and effect at a time).

A lack of free or affordable housing could be considered an

obvious cause of homelessness. On a purely practical level, if
a city can provide enough homeless shelters and other forms
of affordable housing, the people who would otherwise sleep
 on the streets can sleep far more safely with a consistent roof
over their heads. Social support services, whether they are
funded publicly or privately, would be able to tackle many of
the immediate and long-term challenges that face people
experiencing homelessness.

The effects of homelessness are equally complex and can be

mirror images of the root causes. Because the person is
experiencing homelessness, this may put profound strain on
personal relationships. Drug abuse can become an issue, as
the person seeks some way of coping with the pain and
hardship of living on the streets. This leads to a downward
spiral that drives the person deeper and deeper into the
depths of crippling poverty and isolation.

Sample Cause and Effect Essay Conclusion

Some people think conclusions can feel tacked on, so avoid doing
that. Make your conclusion matter, whether that’s asking new
questions or looking toward the future of your topic. What are ideas
that you could see sprouting from your essay?

Every city, every neighborhood faces unique challenges when

it comes to homelessness. While the specific root causes can
vary between individuals, the lack of adequate social services
is a leading contributor. The right social services can address,
reduce, or even remove some of these other underlying
causes. With powerful effects for both the individual and
society at large, homelessness is a pressing issue and one
that must be approached with tact and compassion.
Cause and Effect Essay Topics
Coming up with a topic (for really any essay) is the hardest part. There
is such a massive breadth of subject matter to choose from. As
always, find something that you find some interest or personal
investment in. If the subject matters to you, it will show in your writing.

If you need to grease those gears and get your mind working, here’s
some food for thought to get you started.

School bullying: What are some of the contributing factors that lead
someone to become a bully in the first place? What impact can
bullying have on its victims?

Social media addiction: Do personal or cultural factors play a bigger

role in whether someone becomes addicted to social media in the first
place? What are the effects that such an addiction can have on a
student’s life?

Rush hour traffic: Focusing on a specific area or roadway, why can

traffic get really bad during a certain time of day? If these factors were
addressed, would traffic flow more smoothly?

Childhood obesity: Obesity rates are at an all-time high. Why is this

the case? What has changed in the last few decades? What are some
of the most pressing health issues for children who are obese?

Climate change: Are individual choices, like drinking from a reusable

bottle, making as much of an impact in slowing or preventing climate
change as larger factors, like industry practices? Who are the biggest
polluters?
Music streaming: It used to be the case that most people would buy
their music in some form, like on cassette or as an MP3 download, but
music streaming services have become the norm. Why did this
happen? What does it mean for artists and the music industry as a
whole?

Vaping among teens: Many health professionals are getting

increasingly concerned about the vaping trend among teenagers. How
did this trend come about? Are the supposed health risks as bad as
they sound?

Tips for Writing a Cause and Effect Essay

Keep Asking Yourself “Why” and “What Happened”
Okay, that sounds a little more existential than intended, but it’s a
good way to get yourself in the mindset of cause and effect, which can
help you generate a topic and develop your essay.

Why typically gets you to the cause of something. Why is the pizza on
the floor? The cause: The cat knocked over the plate.

By comparison, what happened can get you closer to the effect. What
happened when the pizza got on the floor? The cat had a nice
pepperoni snack.

That might admittedly sound a little simplistic, but it’s a great place to
get started, especially if you find yourself unsure how to navigate
between cause and effect. Why did that thing happen? What
happened because of that thing?

Consider the Many Causes and/or Many Effects of Any

Topic
Because of how everything tends to be interlinked, you’ll rarely have
an event or situation that has just one cause or one effect. If anything,
one effect can become a cause that branches into another effect, and
so on. The pizza got on the floor, the cat ate some of it, and now the
cat is taking an early nap from being so full.

Similarly, multiple causes can contribute to an effect. The pizza fell on

the floor partly because of the cat, partly because your friend left it
sitting precariously on the kitchen table.

That level of complication and the potential domino effect of things are
what make cause and effect essays so interesting. Considering all
those facets is part of what will add nuance to your writing.

But Don’t Worry About Covering Them All

Despite the above, don’t worry about covering every single cause
contributing to every single effect. That can lead to some strange
tangents and an endless essay. Before you know it, your essay about
the effects of World War II will somehow turn into an essay about
pasta sauce.

Allow room for all those different wrinkles, but if you find yourself
getting carried away, refocus on your thesis. If what you’re exploring is
way outside the bounds of your thesis, it might be worth cutting it
(save that pasta sauce writing for another day).