STRUCTURES: CAUSE/ EFFECT ENGL 1301 Dr. R. Ramos Revised 10/29/2014

DEFINITION  Cause and Effect (also known as Causal Analysis) answers the question “What causes that and/or are the consequences of that?”  Similar to a Division essay, Cause and Effect explains one event or phenomenon by dividing it into its three or more key past causes, one cause per body paragraph. If required, it looks into the present and/or future, explaining three or more key effects of that event or phenomenon.  The body paragraphs are organized by emphatic (that is, importance) order, from least to most important cause (or effect) or from most to least important.

ACCURATELY FINDING CAUSES  Cause and Effect is always based on Narration: you can’t answer why something happened unless you clearly know what happened.  In analyzing an event’s narrative timeline, you accurately identify causes that may be remote in time but are also main (or root) causes of the event or phenomenon. While immediate (that is, recent) causes are easy to identify, they are often only contributory (secondary) causes. So it is best for you to analyze all causes before settling for the top three or more causes.  Don’t confuse chronology (A happened before B) with causality (A caused B). Mistaking chronology for causality is called a “post hoc fallacy,” a common error in reasoning.

THESIS In a Cause and Effect essay mostly analyzing causes: Thesis = event or phenomenon + overall opinion of that event or phenomenon and/or the causes + at least THREE key causes. In a Cause and Effect essay mostly analyzing effects: Thesis = event or phenomenon + overall opinion of that event of phenomenon and/or the effects + at least THREE key effects.

BODY PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE 1 OF 4 Classification Method of Causes: Different Kinds of Causes Intro with Thesis, analyzing Causes I.Body or Section 1: Cause 1 – with Exemplification II.Body or Section 2: Cause 2 – with Exemplification III.Body or Section 3: Cause 3 – with Exemplification IV.Body or Section 4: Overview of Key Effects – with Exemplification Conclusion: Restate thesis; other comments; end with strong concluding statement.

BODY PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE 2 OF 4 Classification Method of Effects: Different Kinds of Effects Intro with Thesis, analyzing Effects I.Body or Section 1: Overview of Key Causes – with Exemplification II.Body or Section 2: Effect 1 – with Exemplification III.Body or Section 3: Effect 2 – with Exemplification IV.Body or Section 4: Effect 3 – with Exemplification Conclusion: Restate thesis; other comments; end with strong concluding statement.

BODY PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE 3 OF 4 Causal Chain Method (The Domino Effect Method) Intro with Thesis, analyzing Causes I.Body or Section 1: Root Cause A causes Effect B – with Exemplification II.Body or Section 2: Effect B causes Effect C – with Exemplification III.Body or Section 3: Effect C causes Final Effect D, which is the event being analyzed – with Exemplification IV.Body or Section 4: Overview of Key Effects after Effect D – with Exemplification Conclusion: Restate thesis; other comments; end with strong concluding statement.

BODY PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE 4 OF 4 Backwards Causal Chain Method (The Detective Method) Intro with Thesis, analyzing Causes I.Body or Section 1: Event or Phenomenon caused by Immediate Cause C – with Exemplification II.Body or Section 2: Immediate Cause C caused by Cause B – with Exemplification III.Body or Section 3: Cause B caused by Root Cause A -- with Exemplification IV.Body or Section 4: Overview of Key Effects after Event or Phenomenon – with Exemplification Conclusion: Restate thesis; other comments; end with strong concluding statement.

SUPPORTING DETAILS Exemplification: Depending on how personal or impersonal your subject is, your descriptive examples can be personal experiences, facts, statistics, or quotes from witnesses and experts. Whatever your examples are, make sure that they are 1) specific, 2) concrete, and 3) relevant. Note: Avoid using the pronoun “you” in the Body paragraphs. In less-personal essays, avoid using “I” as well – in those cases, find a substitute person to stand in for you.