Technical Writing S03 Providence University 1 Cause and Effect & Hypothesizing Wu-Lin Chen Department of Computer Science and Information Management PROVIDENCE UNIVERSITY College of Management

Technical Writing S03 Providence University 2 Cause and Effect

Technical Writing S03 Providence University 3 Purposes of Cause and Effect Essay Persuade your audience to approve or disapprove of something Inform your audience –EX: newspaper or magazine type essay Speculate about cause and effect relationships

Technical Writing S03 Providence University 4 Consider Your Audience Explain any unfamiliar processes or terms that are part of the cause and effect relationship you are presenting (Inform type essay) Do not pretend your cause and effect relationship is anything more than speculative if you are trying to persuade your audience with a speculative cause and effect essay –After all, it is not a fact

Technical Writing S03 Providence University 5 Two Questions in Cause and Effect Cause and effect analysis seeks answers for the following two questions: –Why (or how) did something happen? (Causes) –What were the results? (Effects)

Technical Writing S03 Providence University 6 Cause and Effect in English Cause explain why something happens and effect describe outcomes. –…a wavelength of 400 nanometers (nm) causes us to see violet. CAUSE: wavelength of 400 nm EFFECT: we see violet Sentence pattern: the cause precedes the effect. –The color brown is induced by the mixing of wavelengths. EFFECT: the color brown CAUSE: a mixing of wavelengths Sentence pattern: the effect precedes the cause. –Yellow can be produced by either its own wavelength or a mixture of the wavelengths for red and green. EFFECT: yellow CAUSE 1: its own wavelength or CAUSE 2: a mixture if the wavelengths for red and green. –Wavelengths shorter than that of violet produce ultraviolet light that can damage skin cells. CAUSE: wavelengths shorter than that of violet EFFECT/CAUSE: ultraviolet light EFFECT: damaged skin cells

Technical Writing S03 Providence University 7 Sentence Patterns A mixing of all wavelengths causes results in produces induces caused by due to induced by a result of produced by a white light. a mixing of wavelengths. White light is Cause Effect Cause

Technical Writing S03 Providence University 8 Sentence Patterns (cont.) If When As all the wavelengths are mixed, a white light is produced. A white light is produced if when as all the wavelengths are mixed. Note: If effects are also predictions, it can be expressed with the future tense. CauseEffect Cause

Technical Writing S03 Providence University 9 Using subordination to focus on the important part of the sentence –putting the focus in a main clause –following by the less important idea in the subordination or secondary clause –EX: Human beings cannot live on the moon because there is no air or water there. Subordinations Main clause: It is a independent sentence and stands alone as a sentence. Subordination: It is a dependent sentence and depends on the main clause.

Technical Writing S03 Providence University 10 Organizing the Cause and Effect Essay Proceed from a cause to an effect Give an effect and then discuss the possible reasons or causes for that effect –Connection between the effect and the cause may be speculative and beyond proof

Technical Writing S03 Providence University 11 Organizing the Cause and Effect Essay Tips –Start with what you want to emphasize –If you are dealing with more than one cause or one effect, you could first discuss all the causes then all the effects or alternate them or discuss one set of cause and effect relationships, then a second set, …and so on –DO NOT confuse your reader, make sure your presentation is clear about which cause is related to which effect

Technical Writing S03 Providence University 12 Reasoning Should not give your audience any reason to question your logic Before writing, –list the cause and their effects next to each other –Examine each cause and effect relationship and label it speculative or proved –Start with proved relationship and then proceed to speculative ones, or only discuss the speculative –Make sure these cause and effect relationships fit into your paper and help you make your points

Technical Writing S03 Providence University 13 Reasoning (Cont.) DO NOT oversimplify cause and effect relationships DO NOT mistake simple coincidence for a cause and effect relationship (i.e. Do not jump to conclusion) EX: Firing the football coach at the end of the poor season does not mean he was the cause of the team’s poor record, nor does hiring a new coach mean the team will have a good season.

Technical Writing S03 Providence University 14 Writing Skills Patterns of Organization –Time (chronology) –Space –Logic Move from the general to the specific (deductive) Move from the specific to the general (inductive) Move from the simple to the complex (never the reverse!)

Technical Writing S03 Providence University 15 Writing Skills (Cont.) Effect to cause –Try to answer why (or how) did something happen. (the effect is already known) –Discuss possible causes Cause to effect –Try to answer what were the results? (the cause is already known) –Discuss possible effects

Technical Writing S03 Providence University 16 Hypothesizing

Technical Writing S03 Providence University 17 Definition Hypothesis –a tentative or temporary solution to a science problem or an explanation for why something happens Theory –a hypothesis becomes accepted in the science world Principle or natural law –a theory explains or unifies a great deal of information

Technical Writing S03 Providence University 18 Hypothesis in English Aristotle’s hypotheses –Objects fall with a speed proportional to their weight. –The natural state of an object is to be at rest and a force is necessary to keep an object in motion The hypothesis is always in the form of a complete sentence, not a sentence fragment or a question

Technical Writing S03 Providence University 19 Hypothesis in English (Cont.) Galileo’s hypotheses –All bodies fall at equal rates. –If an object does not meet with resistance, it will continue to move at a constant speed even if no force is applied. Many hypotheses are stated in the present simple tense Sometimes, a hypothesis is expressed as a prediction, using the future tense with will

Technical Writing S03 Providence University 20 Expressing Probability in Hypotheses Hypotheses are often expressed with words that indicate their tentative nature or unproven status –There is life on Jupiter. –There must be life on Jupiter. –There is probably life on Jupiter. –There may be life on Jupiter. –There could be life on Jupiter. –There might be life on Jupiter. –It is unlikely that there is life on Jupiter. –It is impossible for there to be life on Jupiter. –There is no life on Jupiter. Strong Weak

Technical Writing S03 Providence University 21 Modal A group of auxiliary verbs that modify verbs Modals of expressing probability –must –may –could –might

Technical Writing S03 Providence University 22 Writing Skills Writing conclusions –Restate the main point for emphasis –Summary the information to review or clarify it –Relate the significant of what was written Transition words for writing a conclusion –therefore –as a result –for this reason –thus –hence –consequently –so –because of this