Language Function: Cause and Effect
Language Function: Cause and Effect
Cause and Effect means explaining why something happens (the cause) and what happens because of it (the effect). It helps us show connections between actions and results.
In schoolwork (essays, science labs, history explanations)
In news articles
In conversations about rules, behavior, or outcomes
In social media captions or rants (e.g., "Because I was late...")
In science and history to explain events
In persuasive writing to support opinions
Write about something that happened and explain why it happened.
Explain how one habit (good or bad) affects your life.
Describe what happened when you missed class or forgot something important.
Make a two-column chart—one side for causes, one for effects.
Read a short article or story and underline cause and effect relationships.
Write a paragraph explaining why a character in a story made a choice and what happened after.
Write a paragraph explaining how weather or family affects your mood or schoolwork.
Use pictures or emoji to create a comic that shows cause and effect.
Give advice to a new student using cause and effect (e.g., “If you study, you…”).
Use sentence starters to finish cause and effect statements with a partner.
Shows clear logic between ideas
Helps explain why things happen
Makes writing stronger and more persuasive
Can be confused with sequence if not clear
Sometimes students only show one side (just cause or just effect)
Overuse of "because" can make writing sound repetitive
Because of ___, ___
Since ___, ___
Due to ___, ___
As a result of ___, ___
Because ___, ___
Therefore, ___
As a result, ___
This caused ___
For this reason, ___
That’s why ___
Because many students miss school often, they fall behind in their classes. As a result, they may struggle on tests or forget important assignments. When students attend class regularly, they hear all the lessons and have more chances to ask questions. This helps them understand the material better. Therefore, students who come to school every day usually do better in school and feel more confident.