In your academic career, you’ll write a lot of essays. You’ll write some to inform your readers about a topic and others to analyze an idea. Some will argue for or against a specific position, while others will persuade the reader to take action. Authors use various strategies to achieve each of these goals, and one of the strategies they use to inform readers is the cause and effect essay.
As its name implies, a cause and effect essay explains how certain causes result in specific effects. Knowing how to write an effective cause and effect essay is an important skill for students in just about every academic field to develop.
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What is a cause and effect essay?
A cause and effect essay is a type of expository essay that explores its topic by discussing the issue’s causes and consequences. For example, a cause and effect essay about deforestation’s role in climate change might discuss a few of deforestation’s specific causes, like a demand for wood and the clearing of land for grazing pastures, and then explain how these causes create effects that contribute to climate change.
As with other types of expository essays, the purpose of a cause and effect essay is to educate the reader. As an expository essay writer, think of yourself as the informed explainer who gives their readers the information they need to think critically about a topic and reach their own conclusions. Your goal isn’t to persuade, argue, or entertain your readers—although there are instances when authors of argumentative and persuasive essays use cause and effect rhetoric in their writing. It’s also possible to write a creative essay using the cause and effect format. However, within the realm of academic essay writing, a cause and effect essay is an expository piece of writing.
Cause and effect essays are similar to other kinds of expository essays in that they present facts in a clear, logical format. They employ an objective, analytical tone and stay away from flowery and inciting language. This is how they differ from argumentative, persuasive, and descriptive essays. You might use the passive voice more frequently in cause and effect essays than in other kinds of essays, especially in cause and effect essays you write for your science courses.
How to structure a cause and effect essay
Structurally, a cause and effect essay is similar to other types of essays. It starts with an introduction paragraph where you hook your reader, state your thesis, and give a quick preview of the points you’ll make to support your thesis.
Following the introduction, each point supporting your thesis has its own section. Each section can be as short as one paragraph or contain a few paragraphs, depending on how much information you need to convey and whether your essay must adhere to a word count or page limit. There are a few different ways to organize your essay’s body paragraphs. You can discuss each cause, section by section, and then discuss each effect afterward (if there is only one effect, include just a single section about it). Alternatively, you can discuss each cause and effect pair individually, giving each pair its own section.
The best structure for your essay depends on a few factors:
- How many causes you’re including
- How many effects you’re including
- The essay length requirement, if applicable
- How closely related the causes and effects are to each other
For example, if your essay is about a single effect with multiple causes, it might be most logical to discuss all the causes first and then write a section on their shared effect. Or if the causes and effects are more isolated from each other and you need room to explain how they fit into the bigger picture, the logical choice might be to give each cause and effect pair its own section and then tie them together in your essay’s conclusion.
As with other kinds of academic writing, the most logical structure is typically the best approach. If you aren’t sure how to structure your essay, ask your instructor for guidance.
After writing the body paragraphs, write your essay’s conclusion. This final section summarizes the points you made in the body, underscores your thesis, and brings your essay’s position to a logical conclusion.
How to write a cause and effect essay
To write a cause and effect essay, follow the same writing process that you follow when you’re doing other kinds of writing. Start with brainstorming your topic and jotting down any insights you have, questions you want to answer, associations you plan to make between topics, and facts you intend to reference.
After brainstorming, take your notes and create an organized outline. Remember, your essay outline is a guideline for you to follow as you write, not a final script your essay has to follow. List each section as a header in your outline and below it write down the bullet points you plan to cover within that section. Outlining makes it easy to visualize how your final essay will look and to determine where each body paragraph logically fits into the structure.
Once your outline is finished, it’s time to write! But before you dive into your first draft, nail down your thesis statement, if you haven’t already. This is a concise and informative statement that tells the reader exactly what your essay is about. It goes in your introduction paragraph, and each body paragraph that follows should support this statement.
With your thesis statement prepared, write your body paragraphs using your notes from your brainstorming session. Remember what kind of essay you’re writing and frame its body paragraphs accordingly—if a supporting paragraph doesn’t clearly show how its subject is a cause leading to a specific effect, reframe it to fit this format. Remember, you’re only on the first draft, and there will be time to revise it later.
Once you’re finished writing, give your essay time to cool off. Ideally, take about twenty-four hours before you edit it. When you go back and edit, pay close attention to how you’ve presented each cause and effect. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Is the relationship between each cause and associated effect clear?
- Are the causes and effects presented in a logical, coherent manner?
- Does this essay make my position clear?
- Does the essay leave the reader room to draw their own conclusion, or does it attempt to persuade or convince them of my position?
With the answers to these questions in mind, revise your essay to ensure that the content is presented in the clearest, most logical way possible. At this stage, also make sure your essay’s tone is appropriate and that there are not any glaring spelling or grammatical errors. You’ll check for these again when you proofread; the editing stage is primarily for revising your essay’s content.
With a clean, revised second draft in hand, give it another proofread for grammatical mistakes. Grammarly can help you with this. Once it’s cleaned up, you’re ready to submit your work.
Example outline of a cause and effect essay
As we mentioned above, there are a few different ways to structure a cause and effect essay. Here is one:
- Introduction
- Cause 1
- Cause 2
- Effect 1
- Effect 2
- Conclusion
This format isn’t ideal for every essay, though. In some cases, a format like this makes the content clearer:
- Introduction
- Cause 1
- Effect 1
- Cause 2
- Effect 2
- Conclusion
When you’re revising your essay, feel free to play around with the format and see which makes more sense for the information you’re writing about. You’ll likely use each of these formats in different essays depending on their specific content.
Cause and effect essay FAQs
What is a cause and effect essay?
A cause and effect essay is an expository essay that explains the relationships between specific conditions and their consequences, often within the context of a big-picture issue. These conditions are known as “causes,” and their consequences are known as “effects.”
What is the purpose of a cause and effect essay?
The purpose of a cause and effect essay is to educate the reader about how specific conditions are linked to certain repercussions.
How do you structure a cause and effect essay?
There are a few different ways to structure a cause and effect essay. Here are two of the most common:
- Introduction
- Cause 1
- Cause 2
- Effect 1
- Effect 2
- Conclusion
And:
- Introduction
- Cause 1
- Effect 1
- Cause 2
- Effect 2
- Conclusion
FAQs
Introduce your topic in an engaging way. End your introduction with a thesis that states the main cause, the main effect, or both. Organize your essay by starting with either the cause-then-effect structure or the effect-then-cause structure.
How do you write a cause-and-effect essay? ›
Follow these six steps to write a cause-and-effect paper.
- Brainstorm Essay Topics. ...
- Establish a Thesis. ...
- Arrange Your Main Points Into Body Paragraphs. ...
- Write a First Draft. ...
- Review Your Work for Clarity and Logic. ...
- Write a Final Draft.
Examples of Cause and Effect in Sentences
Cause and effect sentences can present the cause first and follow it with the effect, or present the effect first and follow it with the cause. I ate tons of junk food, so now I feel sick. I feel sick because I ate tons of junk food.
What are key words for cause and effect essay? ›
Sometimes writing prompts include signal words that show cause/effect relationships, such as: because, so, so that, if… then, consequently, thus, since, for, for this reason, as a result of, therefore, due to, this is how, nevertheless, and accordingly.
What is an example of a paragraph with cause and effect? ›
We went to the grocery store because we needed milk, tortillas, and cheese. Cause: We needed milk, tortillas, and cheese. Effect: We went to the grocery store.
What are the 5 examples of cause and effect? ›
Practice Question Answers
| If you train your dog, he will follow commands. | cause – training the dog | effect – following commands |
|---|
| She forgot to water her plants, so they all died. | cause – forgot to water plants | effect – plants died |
| He did not study for the test at all, so he failed it. | cause – did not study | effect – failed test |
2 more rowsJul 19, 2022
In the paragraph's topic sentence, make your claim that x, or x and y, or x, y and z, were the causes for the event (effect). In the paragraph's body, use evidence and commentary to describe the process of how these causes, x, y, and z, led up to the effects.
How should I start my essay? ›
Your essay introduction should include three main things, in this order:
- An opening hook to catch the reader's attention.
- Relevant background information that the reader needs to know.
- A thesis statement that presents your main point or argument.
When brainstorming for cause and effect essays specifically, be sure to think of both reasons and results. Follow each idea from its cause to its effect to make sure that your arguments are well-founded so that you don't waste time on ideas that won't go anywhere.
What is the cause and effect pattern of writing? ›
Definition: Cause and effect is a logical system that organizes evidence to show how something happened. Description: A cause and effect paper answers the question, “How did this happen?” Effective cause and effect analyses can be written on personal topics, perhaps by asking yourself why you happened to do something.
Examples include because, since, thus, hence, consequently, therefore, accordingly, and as a result.
What is a starter sentence for cause and effect? ›
1) Sentences that start with a CAUSE and end with an EFFECT
“He studied hard for the SAT exam [CAUSE] and [CONJUNCTION] got a perfect 800 [EFFECT].” “They trained hard [CAUSE] but [CONJUNCTION] they still lost the match [EFFECT].”
What is the structure of a cause and effect paragraph? ›
A cause-effect paragraph explains the causes and effects of a certain event, condition, or occurrence. The topic sentence introduces a cause-effect connection. The body sentences give examples of specific causes or effects. The ending sentence sums up the cause-effect relationship.
What are the key points of cause and effect? ›
A cause is something that produces an event or condition; an effect is what results from an event or condition. The purpose of the cause-and-effect essay is to determine how various phenomena relate in terms of origins and results.
How do you end a cause and effect paragraph? ›
The conclusion section of a cause and effect essay is drafted like that in other types of essays. It includes a summary of the strongest points in the content and a restated thesis statement. The purpose of restating the thesis statement is to remind the audience of the writer's main stance and how it is proved.
What are the 4 types of cause and effect? ›
The four causes according to Aristotle are the material cause, the formal cause, the efficient cause, and the final cause.
What are the three parts of cause and effect? ›
The Cause and Effect Essay has three main parts: introduction, body and conclusion.
What are signal words for cause and effect? ›
Effect is defined as what happened. Cause is defined as why something happened. Clue words that signal causal relationships include: such as, because, so, consequently, therefore, thus, and since.
What is an example of a thesis statement for cause and effect? ›
If the focus of your paper is the effects of obesity, your thesis statement might be something like this: The recent increase in childhood obesity has resulted in children suffering from numerous health problems, including high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
How many paragraphs should a cause and effect essay be? ›
Develop Cause and Effect Essay Body Paragraphs
According to a standard cause and effect essay format, the body should consist of 2-5 paragraphs. Each body paragraph explores a specific facet of the causal relationship.
And, in addition to, furthermore, moreover, besides, than, too, also, both-and, another, equally important, first, second, etc., again, further, last, finally, not only-but also, as well as, in the second place, next, likewise, similarly, in fact, as a result, consequently, in the same way, for example, for instance, ...
What is the best word to start an essay with? ›
So, to get you started on polishing your own essay writing ability, try using the words in this list as an inspirational starting point.
- Words to use in your introduction. ...
- Firstly, secondly, thirdly. ...
- In view of; in light of; considering. ...
- According to X; X stated that; referring to the views of X. ...
- Adding information and flow.
63 lovely hook sentences.
- I lost my arm on my last trip home. ...
- A screaming comes across the sky. ...
- It began the usual way, in the bathroom of the Lassimo Hotel. ...
- Miss Brooke had that kind of beauty which seems to be thrown into relief by poor dress. ...
- We slept in what once had been the gymnasium. ...
- It was love at first sight.
A cause-effect essay tells how one event (the cause) leads to another event (the effect). In other words, your essay may focus more on the effects of a cause or more on the causes of one effect. Either approach provides a useful means of discussing the possible relationship between the two events.
What are the verbs for cause and effect? ›
Typical verbs that start with an effect and then introduce the cause include lead to, result in, cause, produce, account for, trigger, give rise to, affect, influence, and contribute to.
What are 3 example sentences of cause? ›
Example Sentences
Their marriage was a cause for celebration. I can support a cause that means something to me. I'm willing to donate money as long as it's for a good cause. Verb He swerved and caused an accident.
What are the two types of cause and effect essay structure? ›
There are two main ways to structure a cause and effect essay. These are similar to the ways to structure problem-solution essays, namely using a block or a chain structure. For the block structure, all of the causes are listed first, and all of the effects are listed afterwards.
How do you introduce a cause and effect? ›
A simple way to help young readers is to use the word because or so with statements to introduce the concept. Both words signify a cause-effect relationship and the phrases found on either side of the word are the cause and the effect.
How do you start a cause and effect sentence? ›
Cause and Effect Sentence Construction
Its structure is very simple and straightforward. There are two basic types of cause and effect sentences: 1) You start with a CAUSE, then connect it to an EFFECT with a CONJUNCTION. 2) You start with an EFFECT, then connect it to a CAUSE with a CONJUNCTION.
What is a good way to start an essay example? ›
Take a look at these common ways to start an essay:
- Share a shocking or amusing fact.
- Ask a question.
- Dramatize a scene.
- Kick it off with a quote.
- State your thesis directly.
- Pick the right tone for your essay.
- When you're stuck, work backwards.
Before you start a charity
- Do some background research. Focus on what you want to achieve and consider if setting up a new charity is the best way to achieve these goals. ...
- Outline your purpose. ...
- Consider the resources required. ...
- Consider any fundraising requirements.
For example, a man offends his neighbor by insulting him (the cause). His neighbor becomes angry (the effect and the next cause) and he in turn tells his friends (the next effect and cause). His friends also become angry (another effect and cause) and tell their friends (another effect and cause).
What is the cause and effect structure? ›
A cause–effect structure connects events that happen (effects) with why they happen (causes). Words such as because, as a result, therefore, and if . . . then often signal this structure.
How do you start an introduction for a cause and effect essay? ›
Start with the cause and then talk about the effect. Start with the effect and then talk about the cause. Strong evidence is particularly important in the cause-and-effect essay due to the complexity of determining connections between phenomena.
What is the first step in cause and effect? ›
Identify the problem. Work out the major factors involved. Identify possible causes. Analyze your diagram.
What is the best first sentence in an essay? ›
Avoid long, dense sentences—start with something clear, concise and catchy that will spark your reader's curiosity. The hook should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of the topic you're writing about and why it's interesting. Avoid overly broad claims or plain statements of fact.
What is an example sentence for good cause? ›
go to a good cause The money will go to a good cause, a charity which helps disadvantaged youngsters. for a good cause "It's for a good cause," he said of his donation.
What's a word for a good cause? ›
- contribution.
- donation.
- alms.
- philanthropy.
- offering.
- benefaction.
- assistance.
- grant.
If you say that something is for a good cause, you mean that it is worth doing or giving to because it will help other people, for example by raising money for charity.
