CAUSE AND EFFECT WRITING – COMPLEMENTARY MATERIAL

 In cause paragraphs, time is important. That is, the causes for an effect are explained in their
chronological order: first this happened, and then that happened, and after that…
 Because cause-effect essays are often explanations, they are generally organized in the same way as
explanatory pieces of writing. Therefore, they arguments are arranged from most-to-least important, or
least-to-most important.
 Some connectors are used specifically with cause and effect essays, and they help the reader to distinguish
between causes and effects. Use these connectors correctly and appropriately. Notice also the relationships
the make between ideas – causes (C) and effects (E), and the punctuation used before/after them.

CAUSE AND EFFECT CONNECTORS

Short words Long words Subordinating words Other words
C…, so… E Therefore, E E… because… C First, C or E
Thus, E Consequently, E E… because of C Second, C or E
Hence, E As a result, E E… due to… C The effect of X on Y
For this reason, E E… since… C The consequences of…
E… as… C The result of…
C… results in… E

Practice I. Read each pair of sentences. Determine which is the cause (C) and which is the effect (E). Then
write a combined sentence from each pair of sentences using the connector from the chart above.

1. Henry got late / he missed the bus: _________________________________________________________

2. He was hungry / he stopped at McDonald’s for breakfast: ____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. She’ll get fat / she always eats junk food: ___________________________________________________
4. There are always new foods to try / eating has become an enjoyable hobby for him: __________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
5. We often grab any food at easy reach / we are always in a hurry: _________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
6. Fast food restaurants prepare so much food so quickly / sometimes there are problems with the cleanliness
of the food____________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
7. One consumer was astonished / he found a dead cockroach in his bottle of soda: ____________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Practice II. Using the following sentences as causes/ effects, make up meaningful causes/ effects to go with
each sentence. Use appropriate and different cause and effect connectors in each sentence.

1. Miami is a magnificent place. Effect: _______________________________________________________

2. Santa Fe, New Mexico, is famous for its artisans. Effect: _______________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
3. Salaries in engineering are very high. Cause: ______________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
4. Most students do not have enough time to study. Cause: _____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
5. Writing in English is different from Spanish: Effect: _________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

Practice III. These paragraphs focus on causes and effects. With a small group of classmates, determine
which are causes, and which are effects. Do any causes become effects (and vice-versa)

Housing in Damascus

A major problem in Damascus is the cost of housing. Many things have caused the price of houses to
increase. First, the population of Damascus ten years ago was 700,000; however, now the population is more
than two million. As a result, the number of available houses has decreased, and housing prices have
escalated. Second, construction materials like iron, cement, and wood have become very costly. World
economics, some shortages of supplies, and production expenses have caused the prices of these materials to
nearly double in the last decade. Third, the price of land is 15 times higher than it was ten years ago;
therefore, ordinary people can't even afford to buy land, much less to build a house.

The effects of these prices touch most young people who live in Damascus. For example, many of
them cannot marry because traditionally, young couples must be able to buy a house before marriage. In
some cases, these young people may marry, but then they will have to spend as much as 50% of their income
on renting a small apartment. Consequently, most of the young people leave Damascus, go to other countries,
and earn higher salaries for several years before they return to Damascus and settle down. If the government
could solve the problem of expensive housing in Damascus, many of the social problems in that city would
be eliminated.