Chapter 11 Cause and Effect: Determining Reasons and Outcomes

Writing Cause and Effect

Cause and effects deal with reasons and results; they are sometimes discussed together and sometimes separately. Like other forms of writing to explain, writing about causes and effects is based on natural thought processes. The shortest, and arguably the most provocative, poem in the English language – “I/ Why?" – is posed by an anonymous author about cause. Children are preoccupied with delightful and often exasperating "why" questions. Daily we encounter all kinds of causes and effects. The same subject may raise questions of both kinds.

Example:

The car won't start. Why? (Cause)

The car won' start. What now? (Effect)

Exploring and Organizing
One useful approach to developing a cause – and – effect analysis is listing. Write down the event, situation, or trend you are concerned about. Then on the left side, list the causes; on the right side, list the effects. From them you will select the main causes or effects for your paragraph or essay.

The outline should look like:

Causes Event, Situation, or Trend Effects
1. ...................................................1.

2. ...................................................2.

3. ...................................................3.

4. ...................................................4.

As you use prewriting techniques to explore your ideas, you need to decide whether your topic should mainly inform or mainly persuade. If you intend to inform, your tone should be coolly objective. If you intend to persuade, your tone should be subjective. In either case, you should take into account the views of your audience as you phrase your ideas. You should also take into account how much your audience understands about your topic and develop your ideas accordingly.

Composing a Topic or a Thesis
You have listed your ideas under causes and effects, you are ready to focus on the causes, on the effects, or, occasionally, on both. You controlling idea, the topic sentence or the thesis, might be one of the cause.

Writing an Outline
Your selection of a controlling idea takes you to the next writing phase: completing an outline or outline alternative. There you need to

• Consider kinds of causes and effects.
• Evaluate the importance of sequence.
• Introduces ideas and work with patterns.

Paragraph of causes

Topic sentence
I. Cause 1
II. Cause 2
III. Cause 3

Essay of effects

Thesis
I. Effect 1
II. Effect 2
III. Effect 3
IV. Effect 4




Considering Kinds of Causes and Effects
Causes and effects can be primary or secondary, immediate or remote.

Primary or Secondary
Primary means "major," and secondary means "minor.” A primary cause may be sufficient to bring about the situation (subject). For example, infidelity may be a primary (and possibly sufficient by itself) cause of divorce for some people but not for others, who regard it as secondary. Or, if country X is attacked by country Y, the attack itself, as a primary cause, may be sufficient to bring on a declaration of war. But a diplomatic blunder regarding visas for workers may be secondary importance, and, through significant, it is certainly not enough to start a war over.

Immediate or Remote
Causes and effects often occur at a distance in time or place from the situation. The immediate effect of sulfur in the atmosphere may be atmospheric pollution, but the long – range, or remote, effect may be acid rain and the loss of species. The immediate cause of the greenhouse effect may be the depletion of the ozone layer, whereas the long – range, or remote, cause is the use of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons, commonly called Freon, which are found in such items as Styrofoam cups). Even more remote, the ultimate cause may be the people who use the products containing Freon. Your purpose will determine the causes and effects appropriate for your essay.

Evaluating the Importance of Sequence

Order
The order of the causes and effects you discuss in your paper may be based on time, space, emphasis, or a combination.

• Time: If one stage leads to another, as in a discussion of the causes and effects of upper atmospheric pollution, your paper would be organized best by time.
• Space: In some instances, causes and effects are best organized by their relation in space.
• Emphasis: Some cause and effects may be more important than others.

Introducing Ideas and Working with patterns
In presenting your controlling idea – probably near the beginning for a paragraph or in an introductory paragraph for an essay – you will almost certainly want to perform two functions:

• Discuss your subject. For example, if you are writing about the causes or effects of divorce, begin with a statement about divorce as a subject.
• Indicate whether you will concentrate on causes or effects or combine them. That indication should be made clear early in the paper. Concentrating on one – causes of effects – does not mean you will not mention the other; it only means you will emphasize one of them. You can bring attention to your main concern(s) – causes, effects, or a combination - by repeating key words such as cause, reason, effect, result, consequence, and outcome.

Source: Brandon, L. & Brandon, K. (2008). Paragraphs & Essays with Integrated Readings. Houghton Mifflin Company.