A cause and effect essay distinguishes the connection between a specific event, its cause and effect. A cause and effect essay should fully explain results or reasons of an event, behavior or condition therefore you will dwell on the reason behind a particular event and its results.
Identify the Event or Problem
Start by identifying the suitable essay topic by asking yourself the exact event of problem that you want to discuss. These are the basic questions you need to resolve. Your essay may have many possible topics but you should pick just one. Clarify the cause of a problem or the reason behind an event by determining if it would still exist after removing possible causes.
If an event will change or cease to exist if you remove the possible cause, then you have not identified the true cause. It could be caused by something else. The formula to identify the real cause is Event-Cause = no event.
List down Effects of an Event or Problem
Determine the effects by asking yourself the results of an event. Choose only the most relevant effects as all things that occurred after an event might not be an important part. The important effects are those that cease to exist in absence of the event. Effect – event = no effect is the simple formula to identify the relevant effects. Thus an effect is indeed an effect of particular event.
Synthesize Causes and Effects
It is not adequate if you simply list down the causes and their effects. This will make your cause and effect essay to look like it is made up of separate observations that are not related. You can use this formula to synthesize causes and effects: Causes- Event-Effects.
A basic example would be: “Due to a heavy downpour [cause], streets were flooded [event] prompting business owners to close their shops early [effect].”
Conclude the Cause and Effect Essay
A good cause and effect essay should not be completed with just restating of causes and effects of an event or synthesis. You should also have a brief commentary or try to suggest an alternative explanation. State whether you believe if the causes and effects have any relationship with the event. If you believe they have a relationship, your cause and effect essay should provide you with a brief explanation as to why you say this.
