You may be familiar with the Biblical quote “You reap what you sow.” The things you do are like planted seeds, and those seeds produce a crop which is the result of your actions.
The quote is an example of the cause and effect relationship. Your action, sowing good or bad seeds, produces a reaction, a healthy or rotten harvest.
A cause is an action, and the effect is the resulting reaction.
Contents:
- Definition of Cause and Effect
- What Does Cause and Effect Mean?
- Examples of Cause and Effect in Sentences
- Cause and Effect Relationship Examples
- Cause and Effect Words
Definition of Cause and Effect
In the cause and effect relationship, one or more things happen as a result of something else.
A cause is a catalyst, a motive, or an action that brings about a reaction—or reactions. A cause instigates an effect.
An effect is a condition, occurrence, or result generated by one or more causes. Effects are outcomes.
What Does Cause and Effect Mean?
Cause and effect means that things happen because something prompted them to happen.
A cause is why something happens. An effect is what happened.
For example, you have a picnic planned for Sunday afternoon. However, the weather becomes stormy and you have to cancel your outdoor plans.
In this situation, the cause is the stormy weather and the effect of that stormy weather is the picnic cancellation.
Cause and effect are intertwined. American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Cause and effect are two sides of one fact.”
You can’t have an effect without a cause, nor can you have a cause without an effect.
In cause and effect relationships, there may be multiple causes and multiple effects. The relationship may cycle on with a cause leading to effects that become a cause for more effects!
Let’s say that you oversleep and are late to a meeting and, because you’re late to the meeting, you miss out on the delicious pastries the boss brought in. Since you missed the pastries, you’re hungry and aggravated. This may in turn have an effect on your next interaction with a colleague or client.
Examples of Cause and Effect in Sentences
Cause and effect sentences show a clear, direct relationship between events. They show how one event or action triggers an outcome. They may also show how an effect has more than one cause, or a cause has more than one effect.
Cause and effect sentences can present the cause first and follow it with the effect, or present the effect first and follow it with the cause.
- I ate tons of junk food, so now I feel sick.
- I feel sick because I ate tons of junk food.
These sentences have the same cause and effect presented in a different order. These sentences share the same meaning and show the same relationship.
In the next five sentences, determine which comes first, the cause or the effect.
He lied to me, so I ended our relationship.
Since I was up all night with my sick child, I’m exhausted this morning.
(Video) Cause and Effect | Reading Strategies | EasyTeachingShe never gave up on her writing, and now she’s published a book!
They could finish the race because they had trained for it so diligently.
They gave the restaurant a critical review because their food was burnt to a crisp.
In the first three sentences, the cause comes first. In sentences four and five, the effect comes first.
Cause and Effect Relationship Examples
Cause and effect relationships exist in just about every subject area.
History
We can see the causes of local, national, or global events, and the effects of those events. We can ask, “What were the causes of World War II?” and then “What were the effects of World War II?”
We can examine what caused an economic recession or depression and the effects of that crisis on society.
In these cases, as with many others, there are multiple causes and multiple effects.
Science
In 2020, the world was hit with a global pandemic. Scientists saw the effects of the disease on people’s health and lives and began searching for the cause of the virus.
As the story goes, Sir Isaac Newton observed an effect, an apple falling from a tree. This prompted him to seek the cause of that fall—why did the apple fall down, not sideways or up? His observation of that effect led him to discover the cause: gravity.
When conducting experiments, scientists perform an action (cause) to see what will happen as a result (effect).
Most of us probably had to do an experiment with plants in school. We examined what happened to our two plants (effects) depending on whether we gave or withheld from them proper light and water (cause).
The Natural World
Nature is full of examples of cause and effect.
- Plants grow as a result of the sun’s heat and light.
- Bears hibernate so they can conserve energy and won’t require food during the winter months when food is scarce.
- The moon’s gravitational pull causes the ocean’s tides.
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Story
Narrative stories, both fiction and non-fiction, are often driven by cause and effect.
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Gatsby bases all of his action on pleasing Daisy because he is obsessed with winning her love.
Daily Life
Our everyday lives are full of cause and effect experiences.
- As a result of studying hard, you aced your test!
- You called in sick because you woke up with a fever.
- You meet friends for drinks because it’s your birthday.
Cause and Effect Words
There are words that signal a cause and effect relationship. These words can help readers recognize the cause and effect structure of a passage, making it easier to comprehend content.
Words that signal a cause include:
| Source | Root | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Seed | Bring about | Starting Point |
Words that signal effect include:
| Result | Consequence | Upshot |
|---|---|---|
| Outcome | Ramification | Reaction |
Signal Words in Cause and Effect Sentences
Observe how the signal words communicate the relationship in these cause and effect example sentences:
As a result of COVID, many high school students couldn’t experience graduation ceremonies.
There was a multi-car accident on the highway, so traffic was at a standstill.
(Video) What is Cause and Effect | Explained in 2 minI’ve started eating a much healthier diet. Consequently, I’ve lost weight and have more energy.
Thanks to my caring friends, I recovered from a difficult situation.
Since the weather was perfect, we spent the entire day outdoors.
My partner got his dream job 200 miles away from where we currently live. As a result, we have to sell the home and move.
His financial hardships are due to his careless spending.
She campaigned the hardest, therefore she won the vote.
The doctor’s optimism is the reason for our positive outlook.
Your sister is several years older than you. Accordingly, she has more responsibility and independence.
TIP: Observe the sentences that start with cause signal words (As a result, Thanks to, Since). There are two clauses in those sentences and they are connected by a comma.
The first clause is dependent meaning that it must be attached to an independent clause to make sense. When left alone, dependent clauses can become sentence fragments which are grammatically incorrect.
ProWritingAid is a thorough grammar checker that will alert you to any fragments and make suggestions for revision.
A Final Word on Cause and Effect
A cause and effect relationship is one in which an event generates an outcome. We see these relationships everywhere: from history to science to nature to literature to daily life!
When you’re reading or writing about cause and effect, look for or use signal words that make the relationship between the event (cause) and the outcome (effect) clear.
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FAQs
What is cause and effect and examples? ›
Cause and effect is the relationship between two things when one thing makes something else happen. For example, if we eat too much food and do not exercise, we gain weight. Eating food without exercising is the “cause;” weight gain is the “effect.” There may be multiple causes and multiple effects.
What is cause and effect definition? ›What Does Cause and Effect Mean? Cause and effect means that things happen because something prompted them to happen. A cause is why something happens. An effect is what happened.
What are the 3 types of cause and effect? ›Two teaching strategies are often effective in teaching students to recognize and understand the cause/effect text structure: teaching signal words (because, so, and since) and teaching the three types of cause/effect relationships (stated, unstated, and sequential).
What is an example of cause and effect paragraph? ›Scientists believe that the meteorite was very big and that the impact may have produced a large dust cloud that covered the Earth for many years. The dust cloud may have caused plants to not receive sunlight and the large plant eaters, or herbivores, may have died off, followed by the large meat eaters, or carnivores.
What are some examples of effect? ›For example, you can feel the effects of a cold or an earthquake, and the sun coming out can have a positive effect on your mood. Some synonyms of effect include words like result, repercussion, consequence, outcome, aftermath and the noun version of impact.
What is the definition of cause and effect in literature? ›Definition: Cause and effect is a logical system that organizes evidence to show how something happened. Description: A cause and effect paper answers the question, “How did this happen?” Effective cause and effect analyses can be written on personal topics, perhaps by asking yourself why you happened to do something.
How do you identify cause and effect? ›To find cause and effect relationships, we look for one event that caused another event. The cause is why the event happens. The effect is what happened. Sometimes there can be more than one cause and effect.
How do you differentiate cause and effect? ›- Cause is the producer of an effect, while an effect is produced by a cause.
- The cause can be a person, object, situation, or event that can result in something, while an effect is the result of the actions of the person or the outcome of some chain of events that have happened.
- (A) If statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect;
- (B) If statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect;
- (C) If both the statements I and II are independent causes;
- (D) If both the statements I and II are effects of independent causes; and.
A cause-effect paragraph explains the causes and effects of a certain event, condition, or occurrence. The topic sentence introduces a cause-effect connection. The body sentences give examples of specific causes or effects.
How do you explain cause and effect to a child? ›
Cause and Effect | English For Kids | Mind blooming - YouTube
What is cause with example? ›[count] : something or someone that produces an effect, result, or condition : something or someone that makes something happen or exist. His symptoms had no apparent physical causes. She is the cause of all their problems. He died of/from natural causes. [=he died because of old age or an illness]
What is an example of a cause in a sentence? ›"Ice on the road was the clear cause of the accident." "Smoking is the common cause of cancer."
Why is cause and effect important? ›Cause-and-effect thinking, or causality, allows us to make inferences and reason about things that happen around us. Causality helps us understand things as simple as “If I don't water the plants they'll die” to things more complicated such as other people's intentions and behaviors.
What is an example of a cause and effect text structure? ›The cause and effect text structure is used so commonly that you have probably written a paragraph using it and not noticed. Example 1: Many people think that they can get sick by going into cold weather improperly dressed; however, illnesses are not caused by temperature- they are caused by germs.
What is the difference between cause and effect essay? ›Basic Structure and Purpose
They explore how this event or situation came into being (the “cause”) and what is happening because of this event or situation (the “effect”). In other words, the purpose of these types of essays is to explore the “why” or “how” of a situation.
To find cause and effect relationships, we look for one event that caused another event. The cause is why the event happens. The effect is what happened. Sometimes there can be more than one cause and effect.
How do you write cause and effect? ›- Brainstorm Essay Topics. ...
- Establish a Thesis. ...
- Arrange Your Main Points Into Body Paragraphs. ...
- Write a First Draft. ...
- Review Your Work for Clarity and Logic. ...
- Write a Final Draft.
A cause and effect essay is a type of academic writing that explores the causes of a particular issue and its consequences. It includes researching available evidence and developing sensible claims regarding the topic.
What is the best definition of a cause and effect paragraph? ›A cause/effect paragraph is one which shows either the reasons or the results of something. A paragraph giving causes answers the question, “Why does/did this happen?” A paragraph giving effects answers the question, “What are/were the results of this?” The paragraph below gives the causes of a social concern.