ES5000 Chap.9 The Cause-Effect Pattern
The Cause-Effect Pattern
A pattern that organises much of academic writing
The Week 5 handout describes the cause-and-effect pattern as one of the most common ways of organising ideas in academic writing. It can structure a whole essay or only part of a longer one, and a text may examine causes and effects, causes only, or effects only.
Reading the prompt carefully to see which of the three is wanted is the first step.
Block and chain
The handout describes two structures. In block structure all the causes come first, followed by a transition and then all the effects. In chain structure every cause is paired at once with the effect it produces, and that effect often becomes the cause of the next one.
The handout credits both: block is generally clearer, especially for shorter texts, while chain ensures that every effect relates directly to a cause given.
Its model essay, on the growing number of women in paid work and its effects on families and society, uses block structure with a single transition between the causes and the effects.
Structure words and direction
The handout lists cause-and-effect structure words, using X for the cause and Y for the effect, and insists that a writer keep the two roles distinct and pick the signal that fits them.
A cause happens first and the effect later, but the sentence does not always follow time order. Some signals put the cause first, such as because of and results in. Others put the effect first, such as is due to and is the consequence of.
A writer who assumes every signal runs from cause to effect can reverse a relationship without noticing.
Practising the pattern
The exercise gives extracts from published research on language learning and asks two questions of each: which cue words signal cause or effect, and which is presented first.
The same two questions are the most useful check on your own paragraphs, and they lead directly into the first written assignment.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Cause-and-effect, causes-only and effects-only tasks
- 02
Block structure and its transition
- 03
Chain structure and linked effects
- 04
Choosing a structure from the prompt
- 05
Structure words with the cause first
- 06
Structure words with the effect first
Worked example · free
Checking direction in structure words
- 1Mark X as heavy rain and Y as the flooding.
- 2Check where each signal places X and Y.
- 1State which sentences keep the intended direction.
Key terms
- Block Structure
- An organisation in which all causes are presented first and all effects afterwards, joined by a transition.
- Chain Structure
- An organisation in which each cause is followed by its effect, which then often causes the next effect.
- Structure Word
- A transition signal, such as as a result or due to, that marks a cause-and-effect relationship.
- Causal Direction
- Which idea in a sentence is the cause and which the effect, regardless of their order in the sentence.
- Transition Sentence
- A sentence or short paragraph in block structure that moves the reader from the causes to the effects.
The Cause-Effect Pattern FAQ
Should I use block or chain structure for a cause-effect paragraph?
Use block when the causes and effects are separate lists, since the handout calls it generally clearer, especially for short texts. Use chain when each effect leads to the next, because chain keeps every effect attached to the cause that produced it.
Does the cause always come first in the sentence?
No. A cause happens first in time, but signals such as due to, the effect of and the consequence of place the effect first in the sentence. Always check which idea is the cause rather than relying on word order.
Do I have to discuss both causes and effects?
Only if the task asks for both. The handout shows that a text may examine causes only or effects only, depending on the prompt. Writing about both when only one is asked for uses up words the marker did not request.
How many different structure words should I use?
Enough to avoid repetition while keeping each relationship clear. Varying between as a result, consequently and one effect of reads well, but accuracy matters more than variety: each signal must point in the direction you intend.
Assessment move
For each cause-effect sentence you draft, write its bare form, X leads to Y, in the margin. Compare the margin with the sentence. This takes seconds and catches the reversed signals that are otherwise invisible on rereading.
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