Cause-effect
In academic writing it is necessary to be able to express the relationship between causes and their effects, or effects and their causes. Study this paragraph from a student's essay. The language of cause and effect is highlighted in red:
... In terms of physical health, there are other risks arising from young people's use of social media. Eye diseases can be caused by spending long periods online, as the decreased blink-rate when staring at the computer or mobile screens can lead to eyes becoming too dry (Patel et al. 1991).
The writer is asserting that staring at a computer screen for long periods -> blinking less often -> eyes becoming too dry -> eye disease. Notice the chain of cause and effect, and how an effect can become a cause of something else. The paragraph continues:
... Additionally, an increasingly sedentary lifestyle is a danger. Many tasks can now be achieved more conveniently online; because of this, it is less likely that teens will go outside and do exercise, resulting in higher rates of obesity. According to a study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (2009), Australian adults who use the internet frequently are 1.5 to 2 times fatter than those who never use computers.
Cause, then effect
Verbs for cause / effect:
- lead to
- result in
- give rise to
Nouns for cause / effect:
- effect of
- result of
- consequence of
Connectors for cause / effect:
- ... as ...
- ... consequently, ...
- ... therefore, ...
Effect, then cause
Verbs for effect / cause:
- result from
- be caused by
- be produced by
Nouns for effect / cause:
- cause of
- reason for
- source of
Connectors for effect / cause:
- ... because of ...
- ... due to ...
- ... as a result of ...
Collocating prepositions
In order to achieve a natural and academic style it is important to use the correct preposition which collocates with the verb, noun or phrase.
![](icon_question.gif)
Choose the correct option.
There was no electricity at the recording location,
only acoustic or battery-operated instruments were used.![](icon_question.gif)
Many of these problems can be avoided, since they
misuse of the equipment.
![](icon_question.gif)
Copper conducts heat well
its atoms contain only one free valence electron in the outer shell.![](icon_question.gif)
Relaxation can reduce the negative
stress on the immune system.![](icon_question.gif)
The
sanitising the arm first is to minimise risk of infection during the blood donating process.![](icon_question.gif)
Complete with the correct collocating preposition.
- The company's financial losses were in part due poor management.
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- Part of the problem stemmed friction between regular and auxiliary firecrew.
- An underground fire which left thousands of people without power and caused travel chaos in central London was caused an electrical fault.
- The number one reason foreclosure differs by state and region, but this essay will consider some of the current economic theories for the distressed housing market.
- It is widely believed that many jobs will be lost as a consequence the trade agreement.
- Owing the rising cost of fuel, more commuters are turning to public transport.
- The IFRS have prepared a paper that explains how the proposed new criteria would apply to liabilities arising lawsuits.
- Certain company bosses threatened their staff with redundancy and forced them to meet aggressive sales targets. This led a catastrophic drop in morale.
- Any abuse of contributors or other site member with result the removal of your comment and a possible ban from the forum.