Cause+and+Effect

Why is the sky blue? Why does it rain? Why do good people die?

We often try to understand and explain "why" things happen. Doing so requires identifying an "effect" (e.g. "Rain") and connecting it with a cause to explain why. (e.g. "Bad Korean music.")

"__Many people are homeless__ //because// **their homes have flooded**."

__effect __ //connector //  **cause** Now look at that simple sentence again. Notice it is NOT a simple sentence ... __it is a complex sentence__ //because// **it has two clauses**. The first clause is independent. __The second is dependent__ //because// **it starts with a subordinator ("because").** So, being skilled writers and brilliant students, you know that you can change the order of the clauses. You can write CAUSE + EFFECT or EFFECT + CAUSE for this type of sentence. As we will learn, not all cause/effect sentences follow this pattern of clause + clause. Read on, young bravehearts!

__**Nyan notes:**__
== READ CHAPTER SIX! You will not need to write a cause/effect essay. On the final, you will need to be prepared to answer //general questions// about //how// to write cause/effect essays. AND you will probably be required to write some intelligent //cause/effect sentences.// ==

__Causal Connectors__

You can write a clause or a noun phrase for your cause or effect. Which one you use //depends on which connector you use.//

Now review the handy, helpful summary sheet of the causal connectors which I've prepared for you below (Table 1). You might consider memorizing some of your favorite combinations.

Look at "because." The effect comes first, followed by the cause. Notice both the cause and effect are "clauses." Just like our example above about the flood. (Both the cause and effect parts have a subject and verb.)

Now what if we change "because" to "because of?" Well, we keep the CAUSE + EFFECT order. But the cause needs to be a NOUN PHRASE. Oy. How do we do that? Simply:

"
Many people are homeless because of flooding in their homes

."
We changed it so the cause part is not a clause. Not a sentence. Just a phrase.

Practice these doing the exercises in the book and the practices at below Table 1. I've included answers.

__**Table 1: Cause and Effect connectors **__ bring about lead to  result in  || noun phrase. ||
 * **cause ** || **verb ** || **<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">effect ** ||
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">noun phrase || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">cause
 * || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">cause || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">noun + to (infinitive).  ||
 * || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">make || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">noun + infinitive.  ||


 * **<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">cause ** || **<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">connector ** || **<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">effect ** ||
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">clause || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, so  || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">clause.  ||
 * || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">; thus, ||   ||
 * || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">; therefore, ||   ||
 * || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">; consequently, ||   ||
 * || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">; as a result, ||   ||
 * || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">; for this reason, ||   ||
 * || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">; because of this, ||   ||


 * **<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">cause ** || **<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">marker ** || **<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">effect ** ||
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">sentence. || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Thus,  || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">clause.  ||
 * || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Therefore, ||   ||
 * || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Consequently, ||   ||
 * || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As a result, ||   ||
 * || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For this reason, ||   ||
 * || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Because of this, ||   ||

<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Due to  <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Owing to  || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">noun phrase,  || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">clause. ||
 * **<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">connector ** || **<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">cause ** || **<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">effect ** ||
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Because of


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">effect || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">verb  || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">cause  ||
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">noun phrase || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">BE + due to  || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">noun phrase.  ||
 * || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">BE + the result of ||   ||
 * || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">BE + brought about by ||   ||
 * || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">BE + caused by ||   ||
 * || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">result from ||   ||
 * || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">come from ||   ||


 * **<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">effect ** || **<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">connector ** || **<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">cause ** ||
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">clause || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">because of  || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">noun phrase.  ||
 * || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">due to ||   ||
 * || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">owing to ||   ||


 * **<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">effect ** || **<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">connector ** || **<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">cause ** ||
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">clause || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">because  || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">clause.  ||
 * || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">as ||   ||
 * || <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">since ||   ||

Practice

<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A noun phrase has no verb that indicates tense. These are noun phrases:
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">the rising crime rate in American cities
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">unemployment in urban areas

<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Change each noun phrase into a clause. Use present continuous for the first phrase and present simple tense for the second.

Answer: <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">- The crime rate is rising in American cities. <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">- There is unemployment in urban areas

<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2. Combine or link the cause and effect using one expression from each box.

<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A clause must have a subject and a verb. These are clauses:
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The marketing campaign is failing.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There has been an increase in censorship.

<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How can you change each clause into a noun phrase?

<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Answer: <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">- the failing marketing campaign. <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">- increasing censorship