How Do I Structure A Cause And Effect Essay?
A cause-and-effect analysis is any event, experience, or occurrence for which you want to examine the causes and/or effects. The essay explains the cause and effect and examines the connections between them. A cause refers to actions or circumstances that lead to a result or consequence. An effect means the result or consequence. There are several steps commended by iwriteessays.com that will help you write an effective cause-and-effect essay.
- Establish your direction- Decide whether you want to talk about causes, effects, or analyse both.
- Present a clear thesis- Thesis should inform reader of your purpose or intention. Thesis may focus on causes, effects, or both.
- Follow an organizational pattern- There are two basic ways to organize a cause-and-effect essay: chronological (time) order and emphatic order. Chronological order discusses the causes and effects in the order that they occur. Emphatic order reserves the strongest or most significant cause and/or effect until the end.
- Use transitions- Transitional words help the reader follow your cause-and-effect analysis.
- Draw a conclusion- Restate the thesis and reach a conclusion concerning the causes and/or effects.
How to write a cause and effect essay outline
Structuring the Cause Essay
a. Introduction
Provide thesis, basis for causal chain, and identify effect or effects; the key question is, what caused this?
b. Body
- Discuss various links in the causal chain, either tracing it backwards from effect to first cause, or beginning with the first cause.
- Use transitions to ANALYZE the process rather than simply providing what amounts to a glorified play-by play narration (also known as process)
- Present the causes chronologically and without missing links.
c. Conclusion
Return to thesis, then speculate on possible first causes to right a bad effect or possible other causes that might have destroyed or otherwise altered the good effect.
Structuring the Effects Essay
1. Introduction
Provide thesis and basis for effects, describe primary cause; may use more than one paragraph. The key question is, what effects result from this cause?
2. Body
Discuss each effect, tracing its path back to the causal chain and the root cause.
3. Conclusion
Return to thesis; speculate on possible first cause to right each bad effect
Important points to remember while writing a cause and effect essay
- State your organization- you should state your organization. Stating your organization means that you should (1) tell your audience what you are going to tell them, (2) then tell them, and (3) then tell them what you told them.
- List all of the causes or all of the effects, not necessarily in your essay, but in your ownbrainstorming sessionbefore you begin to write your essay.
- Support all causes or effects with supporting details. State your point clearly at the beginning of a paragraph, and then provide support to help your reader understand how or why it is true.
- Have a rationale for the order in which you present your information.