Did you get assigned a cause and effect essay?
Then you must be wondering how to go about it, right?
First things first, let’s understand what cause and effect really means.
Think about how you wake up for school every day. Who wakes you up or should I say what?
You’re most likely to be woken up by the loud alarm that you set on your phone.
Now, “what does that have to do with a cause and effect essay?” you must be wondering.
Well, you waking up by an alarm clock is a cause and effect situation.
In this scenario, the alarm acts as the “cause” and the effect it has is that you wake for school on time without oversleeping.
In a cause and effect relationship, an event which is a cause makes another event occur --- the effect.
A single cause can make more than a single event happen. However, to have some sort of effect, it is necessary that the cause occurs before the effect. And whenever a cause occurs the effect must also take place.
To understand that, I’d suggest that you pay attention to the things around you and how everything in the world is interrelated before diving into writing a cause and effect essay.
What is a cause and effect essay?
High school and college students are often asked to write a cause and effect essay and it is one of the more common types of essays.
Such essays require students to discuss why something took place and the consequences it has had. You can be asked to explain the effect or consequences of an event, decision or an action.
How to craft a cause and effect essay outline?
Before jumping straight to the writing part, it is important that you have an outline to work with. This helps you focus and stay on track.
Start with brainstorming different ideas, shortlist the ones that interest you the most and then create your outline or essay plan.
A cause and effect essay outline just like any other type of essay consists of the following elements:
The introduction serves as the main starting point of any essay. Similar to how people judge a book by its cover, your professor will decide whether or not to invest their time in reading your essay further by looking at your introduction.
The introduction should consist of a strong opening line and provide sufficient background information.
