Writing about cause and effect means you can extend your ideas and justify your opinions.
Using a range of connectors/signposts when you do this will make your essay more academic.
‘The Internet has become more accessible for a wider range of people. As a result, an increasing number of people have access to more information.’
Read the sentence above and answer the questions below.
1. Why do more people have access to more information?
2. What has happened because of the increasing accessibility of the Internet?
3. What words connect the answers to (1) and (2)?
Answers:
1. Because the Internet has become more accessible
2. More people have access to information
3. As a result
The sentence has three parts cause, effect and connector.
The cause: The Internet has become more accessible for a wider range of people
The effect: …an increasing number of people have access to more information.
The connector: As a result
Test time
Identify the three parts (cause, effect, connector) in the following sentences. Answers are at the bottom.
1. Due to an obligatory level of education, university attendance in many countries is high.
2. The world needs to find and understand new ways of producing energy. Consequently, university courses are becoming increasingly specialised.
3. Many students find the first year of university difficult because of the freedom they suddenly experience.
4. He did not get the required grades in his A-Levels and thus his first choice university rejected his application.
5. Medicine as a profession is not as respected as it was in the past, in part a result of increasing problems in the National Health Service.
Answers
1. Cause: An obligatory level of education.
Effect: university attendance in many countries is high.
Connector: due to
2. Cause: The world needs to find and understand new ways of producing energy.
Effect: university courses are becoming increasingly specialised
Connector: consequently
3. Cause: the freedom they suddenly experience
Effect: many students find the first year of university difficult
Connector: because of
4. Cause: He did not get the required grades in his A-Levels
Effect: his first choice university rejected his application
Connector: thus
5. Cause: increasing problems in the National Health Service
Effect: Medicine as a profession is not as respected as it was 50 years ago
Connector: a result of
So when faced with a cause and effect question what do you need to remember?
1. The type of connector you can use depends on what order your cause and effect are. You need to get this right as it can make your work hard to read if you get it wrong.
The Internet has become more accessible for a wider range of people. As a result, an increasing number of people have access to more information. CORRECT
The Internet has become more accessible for a wider range of people because an increasing number of people have access to more information. INCORRECT
2. Punctuation is always important, but particularly in cause and effect sentences, with each connector and sentence structure.
The world needs to find and understand new ways of producing energy. Consequently, university courses are becoming increasingly specialised. CORRECT
The world needs to find and understand new ways of producing energy, consequently, university courses are becoming increasingly specialised. INCORRECT
Review Test
Which is the correct connector for these sentences? Don't forget about punctuation.
1.He finished the doing the dishes ___ he left the kitchen.
so
|
because
|
consequently
|
2.He had major liver problems later in life __ he drank nearly everyday for most of his life.
so
|
because
|
as a result
|
3.The students’ felt they had to work hard ___ the deadline was close and they could not afford to fail.
thus
|
as
|
therefore
|
4. Online classes are easier to enrol in. ___, an increasing number of students are choosing to study online.
as a result
|
because
|
due to
|
5. Smart phones have become increasingly expensive; ________ ,more people are choosing a budget option.
and as a
result
|
consequently
|
therefore
|
Answers
1. so
(because is incorrect, because it should be used when the effect comes before the clause) (consequently it is incorrect because it needs to either start a new sentence or have a semi colon first) (He finished the doing the dishes; consequently, he left the kitchen).
2. because
Both so and as a result are incorrect because the effect is given before the cause
3. as
Thus and therefore suggest that the deadline was close because the students had to work hard, which does not make sense because deadlines don't change.
4. as a result
Due to and because both need to be used when the cause and effect are together in one sentence, not split into two sentences.
5. Consequently
And as a result is incorrect because it would not need the preceding semi colon, and therefore is incorrect due to the order of the sentence (cause then effect) [because is used when the order is effect then cause].
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