Elements of Nonfiction

1. Elements of Nonfiction Cause and Effect

2. Cause and Effect • Is a relationship between two or more events in which one events brings about another. The event that happens first is the cause; the one that follows is the effect.

3. Cause and Effect • The purpose of most cause-effect writing is to answer this question: “Why did this happen?” Essays, biographies, autobiographies, newspapers stories, and textbooks articles frequently use cause-effect patterns.

4. Example from The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday • I returned to Rainy Mountain in July. My grandmother had died in the spring, and I wanted to be at her grave.

5. Cause and Effect • In cause-effect order, the event or situation that happens first and brings about—or causes—another is the cause. The event or events that happened as a result are the effects. Remember that there can be one or many causes for a single event. • Also, an effect can itself become a cause. In the example earlier, for instance, the author’s return to Rainy Mountain causes other events to happen later.

6. Cause-Effect Organizer • Cause: • Grandmother’s death in spring • Effect • Return to Rainy Mountain in July