Explaining why something happened . . .From Reading to Writing In Stephen King’s

teleplay Sorry, Right Number, a mysterious

phone call sets off a chain of events. Not until

the end of the story does King reveal the cause

of the call itself.

Cause-and-Effect Essay

Explaining why something happened . . .

Examining causes and effects is one way to make sense of the world, and you can explore and share your understanding by writing a cause-and-effect essay. You can use this type of writing to show why something happens, how events are linked, or the consequences of an action.

Cause-and-Effect Essay

B a s i c s i n a B o x

Cause-and-Effect Essay at a GlanceRUBRIC Standards for

Writing

A successful cause-and-effect essay should

• clearly state the cause-and- effect relationship being examined

• provide any necessary background information

• make the relationship between causes and effects clear

• arrange details logically and include transitions to show relationships between effects and causes

• summarize the cause-and-effect relationship in the conclusion

Introduce the subjectIntroduction

BodyDescribe the cause and its effects*

causecause

effecteffect effecteffecteffecteffect

SummaryConclusion

*or may present an effect and then analyze the causes

Writing Your Cause-and-Effect Essay

Find out the cause of this effect.

William Shakespeare, English playwright and poet

Find out the cause of this effect.

William Shakespeare, English playwright and poet

1 Prewriting

Writing Your Cause-and-Effect Essay1 Prewriting

Brainstorm with friends about things that cause you to ask “Why does that happen?” or “What happens after that?”

Make sure you find a topic that really interests you.

Once you have decided on a topic, follow these steps.

Planning Your Cause-and-Effect Essay

1. Think about the relationship between events. Are they really linked by cause and effect? Just because one event follows another in time doesn’t necessarily mean that the first event caused the second.

2. Explore causes and effects. Does a single cause have one effect or many? Is an effect the result of multiple causes or only one? Is there a causal chain in which a cause produces an effect, which becomes the cause of another effect, and so on?

Planning Your Cause-and-Effect Essay

3. Identify your audience. What do they already know about the events you’re describing? What background information or explanation of terms will you need to include in your essay?

4. Gather supporting information. What details will support your analysis of causes and effects? What sources of information can you draw on—observation, research, or your own imagination and reflection?

Writing Your Cause-and-Effect Essay2 Drafting

Use drafting as a way to explore and figure out causes and effects.

Concentrate on just getting your ideas down on paper.

Clearly state the cause-and-effect relationship you are examining.

Writing Your Cause-and-Effect Essay2 Drafting

Include details to support your statements.

Organize your ideas into a coherent pattern. You might show a single cause leading to multiple effects or multiple causes leading to a single effect.

Writing Your Cause-and-Effect Essay3 Revising

TARGET SKILL

USING TRANSITIONAL WORDS AND PHRASES

Transitional words and phrases can help you clearly explain the relationships between causes and effects. Choose from words such as before, after, therefore, consequently, because, since, as a result, and for this reason.

Writing Your Cause-and-Effect Essay4 Editing and Proofreading

TARGET SKILL

CLAUSES AS FRAGMENTSA cause-and-effect essay should clarify ideas. However, using clauses that are not complete sentences can confuse your readers. Many times, your can fix a fragment by joining it to another sentence.