Identifying cause and effect in texts is important as it helps us to understand the events that are happening. It helps us to understand what’s happening and why it’s happening.
A cause happens first. It’s is why something happens. To find the cause ask ‘Why did this happen?’
An effect happens after the cause. It tells us what happened.
Let’s look at some cause and effect relationships.
It rained. Carolina got wet. It raining is the cause because it must have occurred first and because it tells us why Carolina got wet.
Carolina getting wet is the effect, because it had to have happened after the cause and it tells us ‘what’ happened.
Here’s another example. Phil stayed up late. Phil was tired in the morning.
Let’s start by looking for the cause. Which happens first and tells the why? That’s right, Phil staying up late’.
Which happens after the cause and tells us what happened? That’s right, ‘Phil was tired in the morning’. This is the effect.
Cause and effect relationships occur every day. For example, if you study hard, you’ll get better grades; forget to use sunscreen on a hot day- you’ll get sunburnt; play in the mud- get muddy.
An easy way to spot cause and effect relationships in books is to look out for signal words. Cause and effect signal words tell the reader that there might be cause and effect occurring.
Here are some cause and effect signal words and phrases you might come across.
Now see if you can spot signal words in a text and then work out which is the cause and which is the effect.
“Wendy was feeling sick so she stayed home from school.”
Can you see the signal word? That’s right, ‘so’.
Now let’s work out which is the cause and which is the effect. Remember a cause happens first (but not always first in the text), and it answers the question ‘why did this happen?’
The cause must be ‘Wendy feeling sick’. It had to have happened first and it answers the question ’why’, ‘why did she stay home’.
We know ‘Wendy staying home from school’ must be the effect, because it happened after the cause and it tells us what happened. ‘Wendy stayed home’.
Let’s look at this sentence. Can you find a signal word or phrase?
“The swimming carnival was cancelled due to bad weather”. The signal phrase is ‘due to’.
What is the cause and what is the effect? See if you can work it out.
How did you go? The cause is the bad weather because it was the event that happened first and it tells us the ‘why’.
The effect is the swimming carnival being cancelled because it happened after the cause and it tells us ‘what’ happened.
Try some more on your own. In each sentence, identify the signal word or phrase, then decide which is the cause and which is the effect.
“The children were hungry because they hadn’t eaten all day.”
‘Because’ signals cause and effect. This is the cause and this is the effect.
“Since the class worked so hard, the teacher suggested a game.”
“Since” signals cause and effect. This is the cause and this is the effect.
“Max said he’d cancel the race if the track was wet.”
The word “if” signals cause and effect. 'This' is the cause and 'this' is the effect.
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