CAUSE/EFFECT TEXT

Krisna Yudha Bakhti, M.Pd.

Cause and effect (which can be called reason

and result) is one of the most used forms of
organization in academic writing.
Remember!!!
It is important to distinguish between causes and effects. Cause is the
reasons for something; it happens earlier. An effect is the result of
something; it happens later.
Cause

People clear land for agriculture by cutting down trees

Effect

The topsoil washes away

Before writing cause and effect essay, you must consider

to the following steps:
1. Understand the meaning of essay (cause and effect; to address
the cause you ask yourself why do this thing happen, to
address the effect you ask yourself what happened cause of
this)
2. Develop your thesis statement (causes/effects/cause effcet)
3. Find and organize your supporting details
4. Use transition words
5. Focus on direct causes and effects by using supporting
evidences to prove your points to the readers.

There are two patterns of cause and effect essay:

Effect multiple causes
In this pattern, the organization is as follows:
Cause
1
Effec
t

Cause
2
Cause
3

Thesis statement: Air pollution is caused by the following factors: exhaust

gases from cars, uncontrolled factory releases, and burning of low-quality
coal for heating.

Cause multiple effects

In this pattern, the organization is as follows:
Effect
1

Caus
e

Effect
2
Effect
3

Thesis statement: Watching too much TV is one of the major sociological issues of
this century, which has many effects on the physiology and psychology of people.

structure of cause-effect
paragraph
Introductory Paragraph
General Statement (Cause)
Thesis Statement

Introductory Paragraph
General Statement
Thesis Statement

Effect 1

Cause 1

Effect 2
Effect 3
Concluding Paragraph
Restate the points
Comment

Cause 2
Transition Paragraph
(optional)
Effect 1
Effect 2
Concluding Paragraph
Restate the points
Comment

structure of effect-cause
paragraph
Introductory Paragraph
General Statement (Effect)
Thesis Statement
Cause 1
Cause 2
Cause 3
Concluding Paragraph
Restate the points
Comment

Cause and Effect structure words

Cause Structure Words

Effect Structure Words

The first cause

The first effect

The next reason

As a result

Because/because of

As a consequence

Since / as

Consequently,

The main reason why

Thus

One of the most important reason

why

Therefore,
Hence..
So

Sample of effect - cause essay

GS/Effect

Topic
Sentence

Thesis St.

Topic
Sentence

Conclusion

Sample of cause-effect
essay

Topic
entence

GS/Cause

Thesis St.

Topic
Sentence

onclusion

Sample cause-effect essay

EFFECTS OF WATCHING TOO MUCH TV
Discoveries and invention of devicesare always welcome till we,
humans, find a way to abuse its benefits and be adversely affected by
it. This was the case when Wilhelm Roentgen discovered x-ray and
within five years, the British Army was using a mobile x-ray unit to
locate bullets and shrapnel in wounded soldiers in the Sudan. TV was
also invented with positive thoughts in mind there would be no
national borders, education and communication would be worldwide,
etc. However, we are now trying to overcome its physiological and
psychological adverse effects on human beings.
One of the physiological effects of watching TV in excessive amounts is
eye-strain. It is true that there are specifications for watching TV; TV
should be 5 m. away from the eye, the room should be adequately lit,
TV should be placed at the same height with our eyes, etc. However,
these do not prevent our eyes from getting tired if we keep watching
TV for a long time. Another effect is obesity, which is widely observed
in people who like watching TV and eating snackseveryday (there is
even a term TV snacks to refer to fast food that is suitable for eating
in front of the TV). TV is such a powerful machine that people cannot
get away from it it is addictive.

Apart from the physiological effects, TV also causes

psychological effects. One is a result of being exposed to
violence. After seeing so many violent scenes on TV, people
start considering violent actions normal and they lose their
sensitivity to their environment. Partly connected to this
effect, the interpersonal communication among people
decreases. Being insensitive to the suffering of other people
causes people to become alienated. Also, after coming home
from work people seek to relax in front of the TV, and
generally people prefer watching TV to talking to each other.
This issue is very important since lack of interpersonal
relationships mostly end with divorces.

Shortly, inventions are meant to be beneficial for human

beings, if we know how to benefit from them. TV is one of
such inventions that need to be used for the right purpose
only being educated and entertained for a reasonable
(according to age) period of time. We may, then, be safe from
or at least reduce the adverse physiological and psychological
effects of watching too much TV.

Introductory Paragraph
Woman Liberation in the USA
The essay describe the causes and effects of woman liberation in the USA
The development of effective birth control method
The development of mechanized labor saving devices at home
The arrival of World War II
Transition Paragraph (optional)
Women are being felt at home
Women are being felt in business/in the job site
Women are being felt in government
Concluding Paragraph
Women are acquiring greater independence at home, in business, and in
government
Although American women do not yet completely have the equality with
men, they are making steady gains.

Suggestion for Cause and effect topic :

1. The effect of parents/friend in your life
2. The effect of selecting your major
3. Why some students cheat during exam
4. Why people keep pets
5. The environmental effect of the bottled water
6. Why many adults enjoy animated movies
7. Why so many people eat junk food
8. The effect of music downloading on the music industry
9. The effect of entering university/college
10. The effect of living in a foreign country
11. Why students study English
12. Why boys are smoking
13. Why girls love spicy food
14. Why people are participated in the General Election
15. The effect of new President for people