
Supporting Details in the Cause-and-Effect Analysis
When you start to decide what types of details to include in your cause-and-effect analysis, first think carefully about the thesis. Are you focusing solely on the causes of the event? Are you only looking at the effects of the event? Or does your thesis examine both causes and effects?
Using different patterns of development, especially
exemplification, description and process analysis, can be helpful in determining your supporting details. As you write your essay, you will want to use
exemplification to clarify the various causes and/or effects you are including.
Description will also come in very handy; for instance, in the letter to the editor example above, you could describe the grim conditions of the overcrowded roads. Finally, process analysis can help you to clearly lay out a chain of causes and/or effects. In Parrish’s essay, for instance, she describes how having kids actively receive a financial education will lead to kids and young adults who have more confidence in their abilities, which ultimately will lead to more financially responsible adults.