The cause and effect essay explains why or how certain events happened, the result, etc. It represents a study of the relationship between 2 or more events or experiences. This type of essay describes why certain things happen and what may be a result.
The cause and effect writing provides reasons and explanations for events, conditions, or behavior. The cause and effect essay consists of the introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
There are several steps in the process of writing a cause and effect essay. First, go through all the necessary parameters and plan detailed research on the selected thesis. Choose the main topic and a title. Then, highlight the causes and effects to prove with an outline proposal. This type of essay should answer the question of why.
When developing a thesis, define whether you are writing about causes, effects, or both together. Present the main idea – with the cause and effect terms.
The supporting body paragraphs should be written in the chronological, order of importance or categorical manner. Use the most adequate transition words such as due to, because, for, first, second, consequently, etc. In case of effects, use thus, consequently, as a result, etc.
A cause and effect essay may be organized in two main blocks. The most common are block or chain organization. In block organization, the first is to discuss all the causes as a block, then all the effects together.
In block organization, a short paragraph separates a major section from the other major section (transition paragraph). Its main aim is to conclude one section and introduce the other one. In a chain-reaction essay, the audience describes how one event causes the other.
The initial drafting of the essay determines the cause and effects of the given thesis.
In the writing process, state both cause and effect as precisely as possible. Try to make sure to show the cause and the effect are closely related. Use words that express cause and effect (why, when, such as why, as a result, therefore, etc.). In order to write appropriately a cause and effect essay, it is necessary to define both cause and effect. The cause must provide an answer to why something happened, whilst an effect of why something happened as a result.
It is recommended to chronologically write the supporting details so to arrange details in the order in which the events occurred. The order of importance means details are arranged by splitting the topic into parts or categories.
Use appropriate transitions to provide details. Again, for causes, you may use the following: due to, one cause is, another is, because, etc. For effect, use consequently, thus, resulted in, as a result, etc. Thus, to strengthen the essay, use supporting evidence. Define terms, offer facts and statistics, and provide additional examples, as the final advice.