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What is a Cause and Effect Essay?

A cause and effect essay is based on defining a cause and its effects. These causes could
either be negative or positive. Similarly, they are also known as result essays. However, there
are certain things that all school students need to keep in mind for understanding cause and
effect essay writing.
For example, whenever you face a stressful situation, it will make you sad. Similarly, joyous
occasions will make you happy. This example might be simple. But, it will help you
understand the connection that is between a situation and a person.
Thus, It is a twofold relationship as both the cause and the effect are dependent on each other.
Moreover, causes may have widespread effects that could affect everyone, including humans.
As per the cause and effect essay definition,
“It is an essay that examines a reason (cause) and its consequences (effect). However, the
reason could be an event, action, or decision made”.
Such essays are more common in high school and college students as they explore several
causes and their effects.
The following ways will help you arrange the cause and its effects in your essays.

· Sequential Order.
· Reverse Sequential Order.

Thus, it is not necessary to always work in a sequence when discussing causes and effects.
Instead, you can start from the main effect as well.
Also, consider the below questions to evaluate the effectiveness of a cause and effect essay.

· What are the causes and effects?


· What elements should be emphasized?
· Are there single or multiple effects and causes?
· How to list causes and effects in an essay?

Cause and Effect Essay Format


A cause and effect essay format usually follows the below pattern.
Introduction

· A hook statement.
· Basic historical information.
· A strong thesis statement indicating the causes, effects, or both.

Main Body
This section consists of 3-5 body paragraphs depending on the topic and scope of the essay.
Body Paragraph I

· Topic sentence (indicates causes and effects).


· Cause 1/effect with examples.
Body Paragraph II

· Topic sentence (indicates causes and effects).


· Cause 2/effect 2 with examples.

Antithesis Paragraph

· Discuss the opposing side of the argument.

Conclusion

· Restate the thesis statement.


· Remind the reader of the main points.
· Concluding sentence.

Font Type: Times New Roman, Arial.


Font Size: 12 pt for the essay’s text.
Line Spacing: 1.5 or Double Line Spacing.
Alignment: Justified.

How to Start a Cause and Effect Essay?


To start a cause and effect essay, follow the easy steps below. It will help you save time and
write a properly sequenced essay.

1. Brainstorming ideas
2. Conduct research work to find relevant content
3. Find credible and authentic sources
4. Set the tone of your result essay
5. Writing a strong introduction
6. Begin with an engaging hook statement
7. Making a brief and factual thesis statement

How to Write a Cause and Effect Essay?

The steps to writing a cause and effect essay are given below in detail.

Choose the Essay Topic


If the teacher has not assigned you a specific essay topic, it is your chance to choose it
yourself. This step takes a lot of effort. Therefore, the best way is to make a list of topics.
Choose the one you already know something about or the one you are interested in. it will
make it easy and fun to write and likely more interesting to read.

Brainstorm to Choose Cause and Effect


After selecting the topic, brainstorm to choose the angle you are going to write from. It can
be either the cause or the effect angle.
Thus, for any topic, make two lists i.e, one for the cause and one for effect. Furthermore,
write down all the possible causes and effects. Choose the list that seems more complete,
familiar, and easy to you. That is the angle you will choose.

Conduct Thorough Research Work


Conduct thorough research work for your cause and effect essay. Make sure to choose
credible sources and not personal blogs or unverifiable sources.
Moreover, this step will also discover common trends and questions about your topic. With
this, you will also be able to find valid supporting arguments for writing a perfect thesis.

Craft a Strong Thesis


Craft a strong thesis statement that should answer the essay’s question. It shows why you care
about the topic, along with its significance. Similarly, it will also let readers know what they
can expect to learn from reading your essay.

Develop a Cause and Effect Essay Outline


A cause and effect essay typically follows a standard outline. It is used to organize and
discuss ideas in one place. The sections of the cause and effect essay outline are discussed
below in detail.
Cause and Effect Essay Introduction
The introduction of the cause and effect essay gives detailed background information, a
strong thesis, and its purpose. It also provides the relevancy of the topic to the modern period.
Similarly, this section must begin with a hook statement to grab the audience’s interest.
These elements will help in getting a clear picture of the topic under discussion. Moreover, it
will also connect the reader with the main essay question.
Cause and Effect Essay Body Paragraphs
The main body provides supporting evidence about the causes that lead to the effects.
Furthermore, each body paragraph must include a description of the causes and the effects.
This cause and effect relationship helps the readers to understand the impacts on the event.
Also, a writer can suggest possible recommendations to deal with the situation.
Cause and Effect Essay Antithesis Paragraph
The antithesis paragraph of the cause and effect essay discusses the other side of the
argument. It presents the major reasons for choosing a subject and the occurrence of cause
and effect variables.
Cause and Effect Essay Conclusion
The conclusion gives a brief summary of the entire essay. It requires the writer to restate the
thesis statement and the major causes and effects of an event.
Similarly, if your chosen topic has influenced the world, state a call to action to overcome the
issue. Write a compelling concluding sentence that informs the reader about the outcomes of
your research work.
Also, check out the available conclusion examples to get an idea about the vocabulary and
structure used by other writers.
Create Your Essay Draft
Write your essay’s draft by following the above outline. Make sure to keep it simple by using
easy and appropriate language. Moreover, it is better to stick to the essay’s structure and
format. Also, use smooth transitions to connect ideas from one paragraph to another.
However, give enough time to edit between your first and second drafts. Take at least a day
or two to write and revise your final draft. It will help you identify mistakes that may go
unnoticed previously.
Typically, every cause and effect essay includes the following common errors.

· Grammatical mistakes
· Incorrect punctuation
· Spelling mistakes
· Illogical arguments
· Unclear thesis statement
· Irrelevant examples and evidence
· Incorrect format

Thus, to avoid them, make sure to proofread your essay twice. You can also hire a
professional proofreader or can ask your friends or colleagues to proofread it. This step is
vital to make a strong impact on readers.

Tips for Writing Cause and Effect Essays


Below are some useful tips for writing a perfect cause and effect essay.

· Before starting an essay, choose the topic and make a list of 3 or more causes and
their effects.
· Add quotes, facts, examples, and personal experiences to make your essay convincing.
· The main focus should be on the immediate causes and effects.
· Phases of causation are important in maintaining the links between the elements.
· Always keep in mind the purpose of your writing. It can be either to persuade or
inform.
· Use transitional words to understand the relationship between the two subjects. It will
also increase the readability of your essay.

Cause and Effect Essay Topics


Below are some good cause and effect topics to write a perfect essay.

· The relationship between alcohol consumption and bad health


· Causes of divorce and its effects on children
· The relationship between music and brain health
· The negative effects of cloning in the United States
· Effects of emotional support animal on mental well-being
· The effects of social networks on modern kids
· The pros and cons of the nuclear family system
· The pros and cons of visual aids in classrooms
· Video game and social media is a common reason for mental illnesses in teenagers
· Reasons to homestead rather than following the mainstream housing

Have a look at our list of topic ideas to find more fun cause and effect essay topics.

Which Topic is too Broad for a Cause and Effect Essay?


A broad topic is one that is very general and includes a lot of information. Similarly, the topic
with many causes or effects is considered too broad for a cause and effect essay.
It is because such themes have various factors that contribute to one result. Nevertheless, it is
not possible to discuss them in an ordinary 500 words essay. As you will not be able to fit all
the information in.
For Example:
What Causes Water Pollution In Third World Countries?
Explanation:
In this example, the writer is required to discuss water pollution in third world countries. For
this, various causes need to be analyzed, including unsafe water sources, lack of sanitation
facilities, and poor hygiene.
As discussed earlier, themes with many causes that contribute to a single effect are said to be
broad ones. Similarly, this example illustrates the different causes that lead to one major
result, which is ‘water pollution.’ Thus, it is better to avoid such broad topics while writing a
cause and effect essay.

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