What is a cause and effect essay? You might be confused and ask this question when you assigned to do this task. But it is not so confusing and difficult as it seems at first glance. By reading this helpful overview, you will clearly understand the requirements and the specifications of this type of academic writing. Besides, you will find out how to properly write it with little effort.
Before we go any further, let us figure out the cause effect essays definition and some examples. This type of writing requires studying the underlying reason for a specific situation and then revealing its consequences. This kind of essay is the most frequently used writing in the academic world. There are situations when the writer should explore either the reason and its consequences. However, there are occasions when it is necessary to cover only a reason or only a result.
Suppose, your teacher asked you to write about the way cheating on the exam affects future life. First of all, it is necessary to give the explanation of the cause (modern students more often began to cheat on the exams; using the gadgets the students have access to any information and they use it on the exams which is prohibited). Proceed with explaining the possible consequences of this problem (cheating affects students’ future academic life as it will be a gap in their knowledge; the student may be disqualified from passing the exam which influences his/her future progress).
After all, writing requires specific skills and a lot of practice. If you are well-prepared and worked on an outline, you can cope with the task quickly and successfully. Not only students and schoolchildren ask the question “What is a cause and effect essay?” Also, representatives of various professions want to learn how to do it. For maximum efficiency of the process, a systems approach is important. So it is better to learn how to do it once and forever.
If you want to create a winning paper, follow these helpful guidelines. Sounds easy enough. But you must do your best to write an effective piece. These ideas for cause and effect essays will be extremely in handy.
You must be ready to write. This is the first step in writing a piece. It is important to make sure that nothing distracts you and that you have everything you need at hand (paper, computer). Create appropriate conditions. If you prefer to work in silence, go to the library or stay at home. If you need background noise, then turn on the music or work in a cafe.
If you want to learn how to write cause and effect essay, you should start with its topic. For a successful paper, you need to have a clear idea of it, so it is so important to decide on the topic. The easiest way is to write about what interests you, so try to choose something that will awaken your curiosity (if there is a choice). It is essential to choose a narrow topic in order to have time to consider it.
If you are given specific instructions, then decide how to approach the issue. For example, having received the assignment “Write about the women’s movement. How useful is it?”, Should immediately determine possible reasons and effects. By narrowing the focus, it will be easier to structure your paper.
If your teacher let you choose the topic by yourself, it is necessary to carefully think about it. For example, if your task sounds like this: “Write about something you are interested in,” it is not critical to pick the topic “Sport”, especially for an essay writer on cause and effect. Select a specific topic like “Wrestling: how does it affect the sportsmen’s health?”
It is essential to understand the chosen topic. For example, if you are going to write about global warming, you need to have enough knowledge to cover the reason for the issue and its consequences in details. Think about what you have already known about climate changes and global warming. Now is the right moment if you need to know more information.
If you feel difficulties in choosing the most appropriate topic, just make a list of the most interesting ones. Here is the rundown of the possible topics to consider:
If you took notes while studying a question, they in plain sight. Put them in order to easily find the right information. When using information from the Internet, it is recommended to save bookmarks in advance in order not to search them once again. Now it’s time to check for any instructions on writing an essay. If the teacher, lecturer, or professor provided you with specific instructions, be sure to follow directions.
Make careful research. Use only reliable resources to support your cause and effect essay ideas. It is better to use encyclopedias, scientific research or up-to-date scientific magazines. Note the most effective quotes. Don’t forget to write a reference list during your research in order not to get confused later.
Get your thoughts together. Will you need to walk your dog soon? Better to do it now. If you are distracted by any worries, then it is better to deal with them immediately. Next, you need to fully focus on work. Everything else you can do after writing. The better organized and more focused you are, the more effective and fast the process will be.
There are several options to formulate a thesis and express the most essential ideas for cause and effect essays. One of them is called questioning. To do this, you need to think that you or your reader would like to know about the issue under consideration. Do not make it too complicated and start with simple questions: who, what, why, and the like.
For example, when writing a paper on a topic that interests you, think about who will be your reader, what are his/her expectation about your work and why this topic is so critical.
The mind map is another way to formulate a thesis. Imagine your essay on cause and effect is a tree. Write the main idea in the center of the sheet, and then “branch off” additional ideas and thoughts.
You can use brainstorming. Start writing down everything you know or need to know about your topic. Just put thoughts on paper. This often helps before writing an outline, since you can better understand your topic.
A thesis is the most important part of the essay since it tells the reader the arguments and give constructive evidence. In other words, it clearly and briefly explains the thoughts that you are trying to convey. If you don’t have a strong thesis, your cause and effect essay will be too general. A precise and narrow thesis shows that you will use actual examples that will help clarify your thoughts. For example, when writing a paper on the sports life of universities, a weak thesis would look like this: “The sports life of universities is very contradictory.” It is too unclear. The reader may not understand what you are trying to prove.
Here is an example of a successful thesis for the same topic: “University athletes should receive a monetary reward.” So you declare the topic under consideration. It is narrow enough for you to write about its possible consequences.
If you continue learning how to write cause and effect essay, you will find out that it has s specific structure. It consists of an introduction, the main body and a conclusion.
Now you are fully prepared and can start writing! Write the body part. This stage is performed fairly quickly if you have an outline. The main body usually includes at least 3 paragraphs. They should develop each of the thesis levels and prove either cause or effects as well as their correlations
Each paragraph should have an introductory sentence. It explains the main idea of each paragraph. Start with explaining the cause. For example, when writing an essay on WWII labor resources, you can start like this: “Women constituted an important part of the labor force in World War II, as they mastered new professions previously practiced only by men.”
Each paragraph must contain a supporting example. So, if you are writing about WWII labor resources, you can say: “During the war, many women became welders, which clearly shows a change in gender roles.”
Write the introduction and conclusion after you wrote the main body. Often these are the most difficult and time-consuming parts of a cause and effect essay. The introduction should be catchy to encourage the reader to reading the entire work. Conclusion completes the essay, reminding the reader of your arguments and their importance.
Try to present an introduction in the form of an inverted pyramid. Start with a wide introductory statement and gradually narrow it down to the very thesis. Write your thesis at the end of the final paragraph. Work on the first sentence. It should be appealing to the reader and draw his/her attention. You can start with a bright example or a quote.
The conclusion should link all the arguments together. In some cases, you can include a call to action. You can also go back to the initial episode or example in the introduction so that your work has perfect symmetry.
Cause effect essays should be clear and concise. Make clear statements that are easy to understand. What can be expressed in one word does not require a whole phrase. Avoid using passive voice. Avoid verbose constructions like “It is accepted that” or “This indicates that.” Make your language simpler: “People believe that” or “It means that.”
In addition, it is important to use linking words and phrases to make the transition between the sentences more natural. Such transitions demonstrate the coherence of your cause and effect essay ideas and thoughts, show a clear attitude to the thesis. Transitions can be located at the end of one paragraph or in the introductory sentence of the next paragraph. Here are examples of such words and phrases: in addition, obviously, as a result, due to, thanks to, moreover, therefore, hence, etc.
Give you some time and then reread the text. A well-edited work is very different from your draft. But before starting this work, you should refocus your attention and relax. Clear your thoughts in order to objectively evaluate your text. Find the possible errors (grammar, spelling or lexical).
Read your essay out loud to understand how it sounds. You can also ask someone for feedback. Ask a relative, friend, or classmate to listen to your text. It is enough to even read the introductory part to identify possible problems.
By learning all these stages, you will be able to write an A+ grade paper. Good luck with demonstrating your writing skills.”