CAUSE & EFFECT PARAGRAPH

A. Cause and effect relationships are common in explanations. You can link a cause and
an effect when both are noun phrases in the following ways.

1. If you want to mention the cause first:

cause →→ effect

Too much alcohol causes drunkenness

leads to
gives rise to
results in
brings about

2. If you want to mention the effect first :

effect ←← cause

Drunkenness is due to too much alcohol

is caused by
results from
is the result of
is the effect of

When an effect may have several causes or a cause several effects, you add may.
EXAMPLE : Pollution may be caused by smoke.
Smoking may cause heart disease.

Exercise 1. Look at these lists. Items on the left can be causes or effects of items on the right,
but the items are mixed up. Copy the lists and join items with an arrow to show which is the
cause and which is the effect, like this:

malaria drought
mental stress heavy rain and strong winds
icy conditions mosquito
soil erosion road accidents
lack of rain overcrowding
juvenile crime loud noise
deafness broken homes

Exercise 2. Now write sentences to show the relationship.

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Example : Malaria is caused by mosquito bites.

 Some words are used to connect the causes to the effects.

cause / result in / be due to / be produced by

CAUSE EFFECT

1. transport and industry the most harmful man-made noise

The most harmful man-made noise is produced by transport and industry.

2. exposure to continuous loud noise an increase in the number of nervous people

An increase in the number of nervous people is due to exposure to continuous noise.

3. lack of vitamin B1 Beriberi disease

Lack of vitamin B1 results in Beriberi disease in man.

4. excitement an increase in the blood pressure

Excitement can cause an increase in the blood pressure.

Exercise 3. Now as in the examples connect the following causes and effects:

1. damage to the liver excessive drinking of alcohol

2. a rise in temperature the expansion of metals
3. high atmospheric pressure an increase in the boiling point of water
4. a disturbance in the ionosphere poor short-wave radio reception
5. paralysis damage to the spinal cord

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 Cause and Effect Structure Words

Connectors Connectors Verbs* Words with “to BE”** Others

between within sentences
sentences Coordinators Subordinators (These words are followed by a NOUN***)
…, for because to result from the result of due to
To Introduce
since the effect of because of
a Cause or
as the consequence of as a result of
Reason
when as a consequence of
if …, (then)
 The reaction results from heating the chemicals.
 The reaction is the result of heating the chemicals.
 As a result of heating the chemicals, the reaction occurs.

as a result …, so to cause the cause of

as a consequence to induce the reason for
To Introduce
therefore to result in
an Effect or
thus to produce
Result
consequently to lead to
hence to bring about
for this reason
 Inflation increased sharply. Thus, many  Increased tourism causes high employment.
firms collapsed  High employment is the cause of increased tourism.

* PASSIVE: Passive can be used to change the emphasis. e.g. Smoking causes cancer. (active)
e.g. Cancer is caused by smoking. (passive)

** Words with “to BE”

Use “the” if there is only one cause (reason) or effect (result) e.g. Gravity is the reason for things falling.
Use “a” if there is more than one cause (reason) or effect (result) e.g. Smoking is a cause of cancer.

Noun clause + to be + phrase + noun clause Phrase + e.g. A cigarette was the cause of the fire.
noun clause + to be + noun clause e.g. The cause of the fire was a cigarette.

***You can use a gerund (-ing) or the infinitive (V1) to produce the noun or noun phrase.

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Cause Paragraph Outline

I. Topic Sentence: This sentence should make clear that your paragraph will discuss causes of
something.

II. First Cause

A. Detail
B. Detail

III: Second Cause

A. Detail
B. Detail

IV: Third Cause

A. Detail
B. Detail

V. Summary / Concluding sentence:

Sample Cause Paragraph: Explaining WHY

Headaches can have several causes. Many people think that the major cause of
headache is nervous tension, but there is strong evidence that suggests diet and environment
as possible factors. Some people get headaches because they are dependent on caffeine. Other
people may be allergic to salt, or they may have low blood sugar. Still, other people are
allergic to house hold chemicals including polishes, waxes, bug killers, and paint. If they can
manage to avoid these substances, their headaches tend to go away. In brief, when a person
has recurring headaches, it is worthwhile to look for the underlying cause, especially if the
result of that search is freedom from pain.

Outline of Sample Cause Paragraph:

I. Topic Sentence: Headaches can have several causes.

II: Dietary factors
A: dependency on caffeine
B: allergy to salt
C: low blood sugar
III. Environmental factors
A: polishes
B: waxes
C: bug killers
D: paint
IV. Concluding Sentence: When a person has recurring headaches, it is worthwhile to look for
the underlying cause, especially if the result of that search is freedom from pain.

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Sample Paragraph

TOPIC: What are the causes of heart attacks?

Heart Attacks

heavy smoking poor eating habits stress

↓ ↓ ↓
lower oxygen content in blood foods containing cholesterol traffic congestion
and fat
↓ ↓ ↓
shortness of breath blocked blood vessels pollution
↓ ↓
faster heartbeat unemployment

Heart attacks, which are very common all over the world, have various causes. Heavy
smoking can be stated as one of the major causes of heart attacks. As a result of excessive
smoking, the oxygen content in the blood is lowered. This leads to shortness of breath which
causes the heart to beat faster. Poor eating habits also affect the heart negatively. Due to
eating foods containing high amounts of cholesterol and fat, vessels are blocked thus making
the flow of blood difficult. Another cause of heart attacks is stress. Especially people living in
big cities are under pressure because of problems such as traffic congestion, pollution, and
unemployment. In other words, spending too much time in traffic, living in a contaminated
environment and not having a regular job make people worried and this may lead to heart
attacks. In short, heart attacks, which are mostly fatal, result from a series of factors
endangering human life.

Underline the topic and the concluding sentences in this paragraph. Circle the cause
structures.

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Exercise: Write a paragraph using the information below. Pay attention to use appropriate
cause structures.

TOPIC: What are the causes of road accidents?

Road Accidents

careless drivers weather conditions too many cars

↓ ↓ ↓
ignoring the rules wet, icy, slippery roads heavy traffic

↓ ↓ ↓
drinking hard to control cars nervous drivers

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