INTEGRATING CAUSE AND EFFECT INTO AN ESSAY

Although some of your essays will focus solely on causal analysis, other essays will combine cause and effect with other patterns. For example, in an essay comparing two popular magazines that have different journalistic styles, you might explain the effects of each style on the reading experience. (For a reading that uses causal analysis as well as other patterns of development, see “Can Diet Help Stop Depression and Violence?”) Use the following tips to integrate causal analyses into essays that rely on other patterns of development.

  1. Introduce the causal analysis. Use transitional words and expressions to prepare readers for a causal explanation. For example, in writing about your college president’s decision to expand the Career Planning Center, you might introduce your discussion of causes by writing, “Three primary factors were responsible for her decision.”
  2. Keep the causal explanation direct and simple. Since your overall purpose is not to explore causal relationships, an in-depth analysis of causes and effects will distract readers from your main point. So focus on only the most important causes and effects.
  3. Use causal analysis to emphasize why particular points or ideas are important. For example, if you are writing an explanation of how to hold a successful yard sale, your readers are more likely to follow your advice to keep the house locked and valuables concealed if you include anecdotes and statistics that demonstrate the effects of not doing so (such as thefts and break-ins during such sales).