How to Write a Cause & Effect Essay |

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Writing an essay has often been viewed as a difficult task for many students. On several occasions, it has given many sleepless nights. What many do not realize is that with the right guidelines, essay writing can turn out to be as easy as ABC.

The first step to writing an essay is to identify the type of essay one is supposed to tackle, considering there are many types of essays. The direction is always a key factor if you want to succeed in anything, including writing essays. This article aims at giving step-by-step guidelines on how to write a cause & effect essay. Read on to expertise your skills on cause and effect essays.
What is a cause/effect essay?
A cause and effect essay is an academic paper that examines a phenomenon and explores its causes, its effects, or both.  The cause explores the reason as to why the situation occurred. The effects examine the results of the case. A cause & effect essay tackles two questions:
Why did a situation happen? (cause of the phenomena)
What are the results of the situation? (effects of the events)
Why is cause and effect important?
The primary significance of establishing a cause and effect is to determine the relationship between different phenomena. We always want to know why and how certain events occur. Therefore, cause & effect essays aim at relating events to prevent or encourage future outcomes related to the event. These essays can be based on diverse topics and can turn out to be argumentative as they are one’s own research and findings.
What are the characteristics of cause and effect essays?
To develop a substantial cause & effect essay, one must put into consideration some factors such as the characteristics of the essay you are about to write. Features of a good cause and effect essay include:

A conceivable topic: a writer is supposed to generate a meaningful and credible cause and effect essay topic.
An appropriate structure: following the proper outline or structure is of great importance when writing any academic paper.
A general introduction: A good introduction needs to grab the attention of the reader and make them more interested in reading your work. The introduction should give a broad view of the topic at hand and finally narrow down to the thesis statement.
A strong thesis statement: A thesis statement forms the backbone of the cause & effect essay. The thesis statement should indicate the writer’s stand on the topic at hand.
A detailed body: the body of the essay should contain durable pieces of evidence supporting the claim (thesis statement) of the writer. The evidence could be in the form of facts, statistics, or based on previous scientific findings.
Use of appropriate transitional words: use of transitional words throughout the essay is of great importance—these words and phrases help in co-joining the ideas of the writer. Examples of transitional words include: due to, hence, therefore, since, consequently, because, therefore, since, thus, as a result, etc.
Fitting conclusion: at the end of the essay, a definite conclusion that reinforces the thesis is mandatory. The conclusion summarizes the ideas discussed in the body of the article.
Cause and effect essay structure
The following cause and effect essay outline must is followed to develop a precise essay.

Topic

A writer first brainstorms on the task ahead and finally decides on the subject they would prefer to handle. For example, one could choose to write a cause and effect essay about pollution. The topic of pollution could take three turns:
Factors leading to pollution (the writer intends to tackle why pollution occurs)
Effects of pollution ( the writer plans to tackle the consequences of the pollution)
Causes and effects of pollution (the writer intends to address the relationship between the roots and the effects of pollution)
Choosing a cause & effect essay topic.
Essays concerned with causes and effects tackle several diverse topics. Some topics are precisely aligned to the roots, while others are to the impacts. Others, on the other hand, are open for the writer to write either the causes, effects, or both.
For example, a cause and effect essay on smoking can force one to base their article on the effects of smoking. There are more and meaningful ideas on the results of smoking that the causes.
A cause and effect essay on accident can force one to align their composition towards the causes rather than the effects.
A cause and effect essay on pollution gives the writer room to choose which side they would want to base their essay.

Introduction

The writer should keep in mind that the introduction of an essay should be appealing to the reader. The use of a strong opening line is highly encouraged to catch the attention of the reader. The introduction of this type of essay should give a general idea that precedes a thesis statement. The thesis statement is the heart of the article as it clearly states whether the writer intends to discuss the cause, effects, or both.
Cause and effect essay thesis
Depending on the instructions given before writing, a student can decide to tackle the causes or effects or both. However, to establish the focus of the paper, a thesis statement is required. The thesis statement appears at the end of the introductory paragraph to highlight the writer’s precise stand in the given topic. Study the examples below for a better understanding of the thesis statement.
If the paper focuses on causes, the thesis statement of our case study could be:
Over the years, pollution has dramatically increased due to advancements in technology.
If the paper focuses on the effects, the thesis statement of our case study could be:
The increase in pollution has led to the hazardous impacts in the environment, such as water poisoning, deforestation, and the death of aquatic animals, among others.
If the paper is tackling both causes and effects, the thesis statement could be:
Due to advancements in technology, the environment has become prone to hazardous impacts such as water poisoning, deforestation, and the death of aquatic animals.

Body

The thesis statement should guide the writer on how heshe would develop the body. Before embarking on writing the body of the essay, the writer should first organize the ideas as followings:
Chronological order: the writer organizes the ideas according to when the events occurred
Order of significance: the writer arranges the ideas from the most important ones to the least important
Categorical order: the ideas are categorized depending on the subject that they tackle. For example, the effects of pollution can be divide into different types of pollution.
To create a smooth flow throughout the body, the writer has to consider using appropriate transitional words. These words are essential in joining paragraphs or joining sentences supporting an idea within the same paragraph. The transitional phrases can also indicate the introduction and conclusion of the essay. The following  are expressions used when introducing a paragraph:
“First, pollution mainly occurs due to…”
“The main reason why pollution has increased over the years is …”
“Pollution has led to…”
“Another effect of pollution is…”
“In conclusion …”
Cause and effect paragraph exercise
Study the paragraph below to understand how to generate a paragraph.
The main reason as to why pollution has generally increased is due to the advancement in technology. Several pollutants in the environment are attributed to the discoveries made by technology. For example, factories that manufacture products have been known to emit heavy smoke into the air, which leads to air pollution. Moreover, some of these factories drain their wastes into water bodies, posing a great danger to aquatic plants and animals. These pollutants, in turn, cause adverse effects in the organisms in the environment.

Conclusion

At the end of the essay, the writer should include a concluding paragraph that summarizes the main idea of the essay. The most common bridgetransitional phrase used in most articles is “In conclusion…” The writer should maintain the flow of the essay while giving the concluding statement. The writer can also offer recommendations in the case where the essay tackled adverse effects.
As seen above, technological advancements have led to pollution, which has several adverse effects on the environment. As much as technology is of great importance in today’s world, its side effects are lethal. A preventive measure needs to be taken to save our environment from pollution. By so doing, we would be assured of a safe and healthy environment which translates to a healthy workforce.
To write a good cause & effect essay, the writer should follow the above guidelines. They offer a step by step outline that would make a writer’s work easy when writing the essay. If you are still experiencing troubles writing the essay assignment, we are always here to help. Click on these links to have your assignment done within a short period: do my assignment for me, write my assignment, and write my essay.
Examples of cause & effect essays topics
There are millions of issues that a writer can decide to write on. Below is a list of topics that one can choose to write.
Cause & effect essay on droughtfamine
Cause & effect essay of civil wars
Effects of civilization on the third world countries
Causes of forest fires
Causes and effects of pollution
Impacts of sanctions on countries
Cause & effect essay on xenophobic attacks
Consequences of poor leadership
Cause & effect essay on obesity
Consequences of abortion
Causes of early pregnancy
Corruption as an economic threat

Points to note while writing a cause & effect essay
Maintain the flow of your paper: as you develop your paper, be keen on whether you intend to argue or inform. Once you decide your stand, maintain the flow of the paper.
Make the essay as persuasive as possible: the paper should use supporting evidence to persuade the reader into believing all the ideas presented by the writer. Evidence can be in the form of facts & statistics, examples, or even relevant references.
Take keen note on chain reactions: take note of possible chain reactions. For example, drainage of waste in water bodies leads to water pollution, which in turn affects aquatic plants and animals. Furthermore, feeding on contaminated water animals has adverse effects on humans.
Effects do not necessarily translate to adverse outcomes: the example we have tackled is based on the adverse effects simply because there are no known benefits of pollution. Most students often assume that when addressing effects, one is talking about adversity. However, this is not the case. Effects cover both positive and negative consequences.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) on cause & effect essays
How do you explain cause and effect?
cause and effect refer to how and why an event occurred as well as the results of the event. The cause & effect essay aims at correlating the roots to the effects of events.
Cause- to determine this, ask yourself why the phenomenon occurred
Effects- to determine this, relate the event to the consequences
What is effect example?
As discussed above, effect translates to the outcome of the event. Therefore, in writing an essay on the impacts of smoking, the thesis statement should indicate that smoking has negatives effects. The statement could be something like:
Health practitioners all over the world have proven that smoking leads to many diseases such as lung cancer, stroke, and heart disease.
How is effect used in a sentence?
The above case study on the effects of smoking elaborates on the use of ‘effect’ in a sentence.
Example essay  
Cause & effect essay on obesity
CAUSES OF OBESITY
Obesity is a condition characterized by the accumulation of fats in the body. In the olden times, obesity used to be related to wealthy people, and often been considered a “disease of the rich.” However, the problem seems to be affecting all members of society. According to WHO, obesity-related cases have tripled since 1975.  The changes in lifestyle seem to be the backbone of obesity among people.
Fats accumulating in the body translate to an imbalance between its intake and accumulation. Therefore, an unhealthy diet is among the leading causes of obesity. In most cases, people consume foods with a high fat composition, which poses a risk to their bodies. These high-fat foods are commonly known as fast foods and are usually readily available. High consumption of these foods increases the weight of an individual, which in turn leads to obesity.

The increase in physical inactivity also leads to obesity. When fats accumulate in the body, it is easy to eliminate them by increased physical activities such as exercising. However, upon inactivity, the accumulation poses a risk to the individual as it leads to obesity. Increasing urbanization has greatly encouraged inactivity. For example, most people work behind a desk, after which they use a modern means of transport to get home. At the end of the day, as much as the individual was productive, their metabolism is quite low. A low metabolism leads to obesity.
Lack of proper information from the public is among the leading causes of obesity. Information on the causes and effects of obesity is of great importance when tackling obese issues. A few percentages of people are in knowledge of the causes and dangers of obesity, hence work towards preventing obesity. However, the majority of people lack a clear understanding of how to evade obesity and, in the long-run, end up obese.
Lastly, stress also causes obesity. Challenges in recent have led to tension among individuals. Most of the people undergoing stress usually turn to high-calorie foods as a way of relieving stress. As a result, the calories accumulate in the body and hence obesity.

In conclusion, the lifestyle of an individual affects their general well-being—how individuals carry themselves impacts on their general metabolism. However, obesity is preventable. A positive change in lifestyle goes a long way in preventing obesity.
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