UNIT 4

CAUSE AND EFFECT ESSAY WRITING

 OBJECTIVES
.

 Analyze two cause/ effect essays.

 Distinguish between cause and effect.
 Plan an essay using chain or block organization.
 Recognize and use parallel structures to create symmetry.
 Incorporate quotations, statistics, and examples to support claims.
 Write, revise, and edit an essay about a historical event.
 Cause/ Effect Essay
Many phenomena, events, situations, and trends can be
better understood by describing their causes and effects.
The cause and effect essay explains what happens and
why it happens.
E.g: Obesity is a cause of/a reason for premature death.
 Cause/ Effect Essay
In a cause/ effect essay, you discuss the causes (reasons) for something; the
effects (results), or both causes and effects. In other words, cause and effect
essays focus on:
 why things happen (causes)
 what happens as a result (effects)
E.g:
 Explain the decline in reading ability among schoolchildren
 Causes
 Discuss the effects of global warming on the environment
 Effects
 Explain the causes and effects of the "Stockholm syndrome”
 Both causes and effects
In block organization, you first discuss all the causes as a block, and then you
discuss all the effects together as a block.
 Transition paragraph
 In block organization, a short paragraph often separates one major
section from another major section. This paragraph is called a
transition paragraph (The first section of the essay is one
riverbank; the second section is the other riverbank; the transitional
paragraph, like a bridge, links them.“ - Randy DeVillez, Writing:
Step by Step, 10th ed. Kendall/Hunt, 2003).
 Its purpose is to conclude one section and introduce another section.
 You do not always have to write a transition paragraph, but it is
helpful when your topic is long and complex.
 Which is transition paragraph 2 or 3?

3 is Transition paragraph

introduce new causes

 Chain Organization

Introduction
Effect Effect
Cause Cause
Conclusion

In a chain-reaction essay, the reader describes how one event led to another.
 Example: Chain Reaction of events:

My wife left me!

I received a deportation (trục xuất) from my boss.
Because of my arrest, I lost my job.
Because I lost my job, I had no money.
Because I had no money, my wife left me.
Chain Organization
 When should we use block or chain?

• The chain style: causes and effects are very closely

interrelated. The chain pattern also works better with
smaller topics.
• The block style: with larger topics, and when there is no
direct cause and effect relationship.
• Some topics require a combination of block and chain
 HOME ASSIGNMENT WRITING

 Writing task:

Today more people are overweight than ever before. What in your opinion

are the primary causes of this? What are the main effects of this

epidemic?

 Which pattern did you use in your essay? Block or chain?

How many cause signal words did you use?
Underline any phrases you want to replace by one of the following
signal words.
 Recognizing Cause Signal Words
Step 1: Underline the part of the Sentence that states a cause.
Step 2: Circle the word or words that introduce(s)the cause.
Step 3: Be able to discuss the use of each word or phrase you have
circled.
What kind of grammatical structure follows each one? Notice
especially the difference between the use of because and because of
1. The computer is a learning tool since it helps children to master math and
language skills.
2. Due to the ability of computers to keep records of sales and inventory, many big
department stores rely on them.
3. A medical computer system is an aid to physicians because of its ability to
interpret data from a patient's history and provide a diagnosis.
4. Since European audiences seem to prefer movies that explore psychological or
philosophical issues, European movies are generally quieter and more thought-
provoking.
5. Smog results from chemical air pollutants being trapped under a layer of warm
air.
How many effect signal words did you use?
Underline any phrases you want to replace by one of
the following signal words.
 Recognizing Effect Signal Words
1. The performance of electric cars is inferior to the performance of cars with conventional
internal combustion engines; consequently, some improvements must be made in them if they are
to become popular.
2. However, electric cars are reliable, economical, and nonpolluting; therefore, the government is
spending millions of dollars to improve their technology.
3. Electric cars use relatively inexpensive electricity for power; thus, they cost less to operate
than cars that use gasoline.
4. The cost of gasoline is rising; as a result, some automobile manufacturers have begun to
produce electric models.
5. Electric cars use relatively inexpensive electricity for power; thus, they cost less to operate
than cars that use gasoline.
 Using Cause/ Effect Signal Words

Step 1. Decide which sentence in each item is a cause and which is an

effect. Write C for Cause or E for Effect next to each sentence.
Step 2. Combine the sentences in each item into a new sentence that
shows a cause/effect relationship. Use the cause or effect signal word or
phrase given to form your new sentence, and circle the word. You will
have to add, delete, or change words in most sentences.
C

Since some breeds of dogs have a stronger desire to perform a service than other
breeds, they are more suitable as search-and-rescue animals.
E

Due to their very large eyes, seals and other aquatic mammals can see when they are
hunting for food in the dark ocean depths at night.
C
E

Metals have many free-moving electrons; consequently, metals are good

conductors of heat.
C
E
E
My company began offering employees flexible working hours; as a result,
productivity has increased, and absenteeism has declined.
E
C
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant had no confinement shell; hence, radiation could
escape into the atmosphere.
E
C

The nuclear reactor at Chernobyl underwent a meltdown because of the fact that the
operators had disregarded safety rules.
 Review
- Focus on cause/ effect essay
- Common cause/effect patterns of organization
+ Block
+ Chain
- Transition paragraph between blocks
- Use various cause/effect signal words to help your reader
follow your ideas.
 SAMPLE ESSAY WRITING TASK
Cause and effect essay questions give you a problem and ask you
to state the main causes of this problem and discuss its possible effects.
In this lesson you will see:
- how to generate ideas for causes and effects
- answer structure for cause/effect essays
- cause/effect model essays
Today more people are overweight than ever before. What in your opinion are
the primary causes of this? What are the main effects of this epidemic?

 Generating ideas
 After you’ve read the question, you can determine the problem: a growing
number of overweight people.
 But before you start to write your essay, it’s a good idea to think of 2-3
causes and 2-3 possible effects of the problem.
 Causes of obesity:
 inactive lifestyle (relying on cars instead of walking, fewer physical
demands at work, inactive leisure activities)
 unhealthy eating habits (eating fast-food, drinking high-calorie beverages,
consuming large portions of food, eating irregularly)
Effects of obesity:
 physical health problems
 loss of productivity
 depressions and mental disorders
 Essay structure

 Introduction
 Body
- Paragraph 1 - causes
- Paragraph 2 - effects
 Conclusion
Today more people are overweight than ever before. What in your opinion are
the primary causes of this? What are the main effects of this epidemic?

Introduction: in two sentences

 Sentence 1 - paraphrase the statement (you can use ‘nowadays/ today/
these days’ to start): Nowadays the number of overweight people is
constantly growing.
 Sentence 2 – Thesis statement: say what you’ll write about in your essay:
This essay will discuss the main reasons for this epidemic and then
describe the possible effects of the problem.
 Body: Paragraph 1 - causes

 Sentence 1 - state all the main causes of obesity:

 In my opinion, the foremost causes of obesity are inactive lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits.
 Sentences 2-3 - describe the first cause. Assume that your examiner has no knowledge in this area and
you must explain all the details to him.
 Today, more and more people rely on cars instead of walking, have fewer physical demands at work,
and prefer inactive leisure activities. This results in burning fewer calories and gaining weight.
 Sentences 4-5 - describe the second cause. Don’t forget that it’s useful to give examples while
describing causes!
 Moreover, the problem is accentuated by the growing number of people, who eat irregularly and
consume large portions of high-calorie food. For example, about 50% of the adult population in Europe
with so-called disordered eating suffer from obesity.
 Body: Paragraph 2 - effects

 Sentence 1 - state all the possible effects:

 The possible effects of this problem include physical health problems and loss of productivity.
 Sentences 2-3 - explain the first effect and give an example
 First of all, obesity results in incorrect functioning of the human body and contributes to the
risk of developing some chronic illnesses. For example, as body fat percentage increases, the
person’s metabolism worsens, which in turn may result in diabetes or heart disease.
 Sentences 4-6 - explain the second effect and support it with an example:
 Secondly, overweight people are very unhealthy and often suffer from stress and tiredness.
This lessens their work capacity and results in lower productivity. For example, it has been
proven that an obese person needs to put more effort into completing some tasks than a person
with a normal weight.
 Conclusion

 For the conclusion you need simply to restate the problem and sum up the causes and
effects that you described in your body paragraphs:
 To sum up, obesity is a big problem that affects a lot of people nowadays. It’s mainly
caused by inactive lifestyles and eating disorders and results in severe health problems
and loss of productivity.
 Some examples
1. It is observed that in many countries not enough students are choosing to study
history subject. What are the causes? And what will be the effects on society?
2. Today more people are overweight than ever before. What in your opinion are the
primary causes of this? What are the main effects of this epidemic?