The Cause/Effect Paragraph

The Cause/Effect Paragraph

You can organize a cause/effect paragraph in one of three ways. First, discuss both the causes and effects of a problem or issue simultaneously or consecutively; second, state an effect first and then discuss its causes; third, state a cause first and then discuss its effects. Diagrammed these three methods look like this:

(1) C/E1, C/E2, C/E3

(2) E + C1, C2, C3,

(3) C+ E1, E2, E3

The first method, since you are discussing both ends of an issue, will call for more development than the other two and should, perhaps, depending on the amount of time you have and how much you know, be reserved for essays. As for the other two, let's look at some sample paragraphs illustrating the development of each. Suppose you were to write a paragraph on "The Causes and Effects of Air Pollution" using the Effect + C1 C2 C3 method. Your product may look something like this:

Air pollution is perhaps the most devastating form of pollution since it destroys a resource that every life form as we know it needs to sustain itself. The effects of this menace, both immediate and far ranging, are easy to summarize: unbreathable air. The causes, however, need some more inspection. Every citizen who drives a car that is not properly serviced and that does not have emission control devices is contributing noxious gases into the atmosphere. Large industries that do not have filtration mechanisms on their smoke stacks are also contributors. Every government which does not pass, or passes but does not enforce, strict air pollution legislation is also destroying the atmosphere. One may wonder why these three aspects of society are so cavalier about the air they breathe. Well, thereis an underlying cause which motivates all three groups:  money. Legislation and enforcement of laws, installation and maintenance of filtration systems cost money. The majority of these three groups seems content to save a bit of money now and to sacrifice an invaluable commodity later.

Here is a paragraph using the C + E1, E2, E3 method.

Air pollution is perhaps the most devastating type of pollution because it destroys a resource every life form as we know it needs to sustain itself. The cause of this menace is a century or so of unconcern among individual citizens, large corporations, and governments. The effects of disregarding the warning signs influence present life styles and determine the future. Now people are only inconvenienced by air pollution. Large urban areas such as Los Angeles have pollution alerts which warn elderly people and those with  pulmonary diseases to stay indoors. For those intrepid enough to venture outdoors, alerts mean stinging eyes, irritated sinuses, scratchy throats. Even though people living outside large urban areas are seldom inconvenienced today, no one should be complacent about what the future holds. If pollutants keep building up in the atmosphere at present rates a few years into the 21st century will find the delicate layers of the atmosphere so damaged as to admit the sun's ultraviolet rays full throttle, or the atmosphere will be so clogged with pollutants that not enough of the sun's warming ways will filter through to support life. Whatever happens in the upper air, the city streets will surely be nonnegotiable without a gas mask, and every home will have to have special filtration systems to make the air breathable. Without strict controls on polluters, today's inconveniences will be only a few years into the 21st century will find the delicate layers of the atmosphere so damaged as to admit the sun's ultraviolet rays full throttle, or the atmosphere will be so clogged with pollutants that not enough of the sun's warming ways will filter through to support life. Whatever happens in the upper air, the city streets will surely be nonnegotiable without a gas mask, and every home will have to have special filtration systems to make the air breathable. Without strict controls on polluters, today's inconveniences will be tomorrow's crises.

Hazards to avoid

In using this pattern the writer must be especially wary of attributing effects to superficial causes when a bit of reflection will reveal more important ones. For example, it is facile but rather superficial logic to say that the Arab oil exporting countries keep raising the price of oil only to make themselves immensely rich and to bring the rest of the world to its knees. One has only to pause a moment to ponder the Arab Nations' position. It might be reasonable to conclude that they have a finite supply of an important commodity; one day it will be gone, and the world will be powered by other sources; and therefore, they must have a hedge against the future. Cause/effect development may appear easy on the surface when in fact it is very demanding.

The Cause/Effect Essay

Expanding a cause/effect paragraph into an essay involves either expanding what you have with examples and other information or, treating more fully the element (either cause or effect) which you only briefly mentioned in the paragraphs. For example, if you principally treated the effects of an issue in the paragraph, then you would expand the causes side of the issue and vice versa. To create a cause/ effect essay, let's combine the two paragraphs on air pollution:

The world is faced with many crises, not the least of which are the various forms of pollution. And of these, perhaps the most devastating is air pollution. Since this menace is of concern to every human being, an examination of itscauses and effects will be interesting and illuminating.

The causes of air pollution seem to stem from carelessness or blatant unconcern. Every citizen who drives a car that is not properly serviced and that does not have emission control devices is contributing noxious gases into the atmosphere. Large industries that do not have filtration mechanisms on their smoke stacks are also contributors. Every government which does not pass or passes but does not enforce strict air pollution legislation is also destroying the atmosphere. One may wonder why these three aspects of society show such a lack of concern with the air they breathe.Well, the underlying cause which motivates all three groups is money. Legislation and enforcement of laws and installation and maintenance of filtration systems cost money. The majority of these three groups seems content to save a bit of money now and sacrifice an invaluable commodity later.

The effects of air pollution and disregarding its warning signals influence present life styles and determine the future. Now people are only inconvenienced by air pollution. Large urban areas such as Los Angeles have pollution alerts which warn elderly people and those with pulmonary diseases to stay indoors. For those intrepid enough to venture outdoors, alerts mean stinging eyes, irritated sinuses, and scratchy throats. Even though people living outside urban areas are seldom inconvenienced today, no one should be complacent about what the future holds. If pollutants keep building up in the atmosphere at present rates, only a few years into the 21st century will find the delicate layers of the atmosphere so damaged as to admit the sun's ultraviolet rays full throttle, or the atmosphere will be so clogged with pollutants that not enough of the sun's warming rays will filter through to support life. Whatever happens in the upper air, the city streets will surely be nonnegotiable without a gas mask, and every home will have to have special filtration devices to make air breathable. Without strict controls on polluters, today's inconvenience will be tomorrow's crises.