Cause and effect can be organized in a variety of ways, depending on your purpose. (For more on the different orders of organization, see “Arrange Your Ideas” in Chapter 3.)
| MAIN POINT | PURPOSE | ORGANIZATION |
|---|---|---|
| The “Occupy” protests of 2011 brought attention to the economic difficulties faced by low- |
to explain the effects of the protests | order of importance, saving the most important effect for last |
| A desire to remain at a protest site for an extended period led “Occupy” protesters to create miniature towns, with food service, libraries, and more. | to describe the places where protesters camped out | space order |
| The “Occupy” protests in New York City inspired other protests throughout the country. | to describe the spread of the protest movement over time | time order |
NOTE: If you are explaining both causes and effects, you would present the causes first and the effects later.
Use transitions to move readers smoothly from one cause to another, or from one effect to another, or from causes to effects. Because cause and effect can use any method of organization depending on your purpose, the following list shows just a few of the transitions you might use.
Common Transitions in Cause and Effect
| also | more important/serious cause or effect |
| as a result | most important/serious cause or effect |
| because | one cause/effect; another cause or effect |
| the final cause or effect | a primary cause; a secondary cause |
| the first, second, third cause or effect | a short- |