cause and effect paragraphs

A cause is a reason for, or events leading up to. An effect is the results of a cause or causes. Having the skill to think in the mode of cause and effect is a key to victory in daily situations.

A cause and effect paragraph analyzes the causes or effects of a ceratain situation.

Transitional Expressions For Cause & Effect

To Show Causes

    the first cause (second, third)
    the first reason (second, third)
    yet another factor
    because
    is caused by
    results from

To Show Effects

    one important effect
    another result
    a third outcome
    as a result
    consequently
    then, next, therefore, thus, so


Avoiding Problems in Cause and Effect Writing

1. Do not oversimplify
2. Do not confuse time order with causation
3. Do not confuse causes and effects

Here are some examples of an effect paragraph:

The Positive Effects of Daycare
Since my daughter has been in daycare she has become better at a few different things. To start off, her vocabulary is much larger and more developed. Before she started daycare, my daughter had a few select words that she would say like; momma, dada, Cocoa (one of the puppies), and some other simple words. Now she tries to repeat everything that is said. Another result of her being in daycare is that she has the ability to interact with other children better. In the past, she was only around one child. Now she is around about six to eight kids, and she has learned to share her toys and to play in a group with the other children. Her learning to share has carried over at home when she tells her daddy or me that it’s his turn or mommy’s turn when putting her socks on. A third outcome of her being in daycare is the fact that she is becoming more self-reliant. Before daycare, she wouldn’t try very hard to help me with getting dressed, but now she wants to try to do it all on her own. She puts her pull ups on and tries to pull on her shirts and pants herself. Socks still go on upside down, but at least her shoes go on the correct feet I am really glad that I decided to put her in a daycare, for the benefits have been great.
~© Jessi Johnson 2005~

Effects of Alcohol
Letting alcohol take control over your life has many negative effects on a person and the people around them. One important effect is the damage you can do to your body. Drinking can lead to severe illness and even eventual death; some health consequences to consider might be liver disease, kidney failure and, for pregnant women, the loss of their unborn child. Another detriment is that an addiction could lead to drinking and driving; possibly causing a fatal car accident for either yourself and/or an innocent by stander. Another concern to consider is the relationships alcohol can destroy. Alcohol abuse can have very serious affect on a person’s temperament, which can lead to spousal and even child abuse. Alcohol often is the number one cause in divorce and spending time in jail. It can also affect relationships outside of the family; many people have lost life long friends whether it is due to foolish arguments and behavior or possibly death. Lastly, drinking has negative effects on self-esteem and rational thinking. People become more self-centered, develop low self-esteem, doing things or behaving in ways that they would not normally. They have little or no regard to the outcomes of what is said or done when they grow reliant on getting that alcohol high. The negative effects of alcohol abuse are overwhelming when considering the many consequences that drinkers and the people around them have to deal with.
~© Racheal Guza 2005~

Courage At A Cost
Many people believe that the act of courage lies within each individual, and these acts of courage can be brought out by three possible causes. The first cause, and the most obvious, is provocation. Often times this is seen in movies where the villain kidnaps and threatens to kill the hero's family. More often that not, the hero finds it within himself to put aside his fears and overcome near impossible odds to save the day. The majority of the time it is direct threats such as this one that provoke human nature to acts of courage. The second cause is a purpose. In 2001, the Twin Towers fell to terrorist attacks. Military enlistments reached all time highs as many men and women joined the armed forces. For many of these people, the prospect of serving their country, and gaining revenge for the cowardice acts of the terrorists were the only reasons necessary for their courage. The third cause is a belief in a higher power. The presence of God gives many people the courage to do things they would not be able to do otherwise. His words play clearly in their minds," Be strong and of good courage", because: "the lord thy god is with thee whithersoever thou goest"(bible reference). According to God and his followers, his presence is enough cause for courage. For these people, their courage knows no boundaries. Whatever your inspiration for courage may be, you can just about bet it was brought on by one of these three underlying circumstances.
~© Kyle Shearin 2005~

Does Every Child deserve their Real Parents?
Many children are placed into foster care because their situation at home is not satisfactory according to The Department of Family Services. A lot of the situations deal with emotional, physical, and verbal abuse. A young girl named Tiffany was placed into foster care at the age of 8. The lack of a father role model in her life had life changing effects on Tiffany. As an already confused child, she was adopted by a foster home for females. It was run by females only. As a foster child at the time, when Tiffany would go out into public with either her “big sister” or foster parent, she would begin to understand that she wasn’t like most children because all the regular children had their mother and father. She began to develop insecurities about herself and feel like she just didn’t fit in with most children. An even more traumatic effect on Tiffany’s confusion was she was constantly wondering why she had to go through all this. Over the last two years Tiffany has been placed back into her home with her biological mother, but she constantly wonders when she will ever get to meet her real father. Her mother currently has a long term boyfriend. Tiffany is now starting to accept him as her father role model, but deep down Tiffany wonders every day if she will ever get to meet her real father. Tiffany not having her biological father in her life has affected her because she feels like she doesn’t have that normal family that everybody else seems to have. Inside she feels like she is missing something. Overall it hasn’t ruined her life. Tiffany excels in school, sports, and in the social life, but she cannot get rid of the empty feeling of not having her real father in her life. When she gets older she will start to understand what is really going on and maybe that feeling of loneliness will be gone.
~© 2005 Amy Neill~

The Hard Life of Farmers
The lack of rain and snow has horrible effects on farmers. with no rain their land dries up, and it is very difficult to grow anything. When the crops fail, the farmers haven't anay choice but to get a second job in order to make the money they need. Farmong is a full time job and with a second job, farmers are overworked, stressed and even depressed. Many farmers end up selling their land. Some farmers have accepted the government program the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which is the land is left idle to let the grass grow and must be left idle a certian number of years. while the land is in the CRP program, some farmers have taken outside jobs. That is why when it doesn't rain, you notice that most of the farmers are very crabby. As a farmer's daughter, I have experienced some good times and some bad times. I have gained a great respect for farmers everywhere. ~(c)2005 Laura White~

The Effects of Underage Drinking
Underage drinking has many costly consequences adolescents don’t consider before making the decision to drink. One costly affect is a criminal record that never goes away, unless you happen to be under the age of eighteen. With a criminal record job application may be hindered or employers may see that the other candidate has a clear record; therefore the employer may choose the other applicant. Other results are the penalties they receive during court appearances. Depending on the severity of the crime punishment could include, expensive fines, drivers license revocation, community service, and if you happen to be a repeat offender, jail time. Jail time, community service, and driver’s license revocation can interfere with your day-to-day activities putting a damper in your life at that time. Fines are just payments that could have been avoided; I see them as wasting hard earned money for a night of fun. A third outcome of underage drinking could result in expulsion from a schools’ athletic team. If the student is in college the result could be loss of a scholarship. Another very devastating effect is the loss of respect among peers, parents, and other people associated with the offender. Even if it is just beer others could assume that you would break the law in other areas. Although the consequences are always prevalent, some adolescents still choose to risk it to have what they believe is a good time.
~(c)Ashley Neill 2005

Dropping Out
For many teenagers, there are numerous negative factors that can lead them to give up on their education and drop out of school. The first cause is that many teenagers lack positive role models in their lives. The lack of an encouraging adult in their lives can cause them to think negatively about themselves and it does not allow them to live up to their full potential. Also, the lack of a positive role model can cause them to get involved with the wrong kind of people and activities. When students get involved in these types of negative situations, they usually don't focus on school. This can lead many impressionable young children to give up on their education. Another factor that cause a student to give up on school is a lack of determination. If they're not determined to graduate, it can be very difficult for them to stay in school. Many students find it difficult to stay focused on school when they when they feel that getting an education is useless. Some students only attend school because they are forced to and they are not there to further their education. The third and final factor is peer pressure. Many students give into pure pressure very easily. If the pure pressure is negative, this can lead them into drugs and alcohol. The drugs and alcohol can cause them to drop out very easily because that is the only thing that they are focused on and it can easily ruin a child's life.