Cause and Effect
In this starter pack tutorial for beginners, learners will be able to learn “ Cause and Effect”. What does “Cause and Effect” mean in English lesson? How it differ from each other ? How does every cause produces more than one effect?
In this lesson, you will learn how to make use of “Cause and Effect” in the past, present and future.
Cause & Effect Practices #1
Write the cause and effect for each sentence.
1. Tim forgot his math book, so he was unable to complete his homework.
Cause: ___________________________________________________________
Effect: ___________________________________________________________
2. Keegan was hungry because he skipped lunch.
Cause: ___________________________________________________________
Effect: ___________________________________________________________
3. Erin’s car had a flat tire, so she called a tow truck.
Cause: ___________________________________________________________
Effect: ___________________________________________________________
4. Gina couldn’t find the cookies because Papa hid them in the cupboard.
Cause: ___________________________________________________________
Effect: ___________________________________________________________
5. Kelly studied her spelling words and she got an A on the test.
Cause: ___________________________________________________________
Effect: ___________________________________________________________
Cause & Effect Practices #1 ANSWER KEY
Write the cause and effect for each sentence.
1. Tim forgot his math book, so he was unable to complete his homework.
Cause: Tim forgot his math book.
Effect: He was unable to complete his homework.
2. Keegan was hungry because he skipped lunch.
Cause: Keegan skipped lunch.
Effect: He was hungry.
3. Erin’s car had a flat tire, so she called a tow truck.
Cause: Erin’s car had a flat tire.
Effect: She called a tow truck.
4. Gina couldn’t find the cookies because Papa hid them in the cupboard.
Cause: Papa hid the cookies in the cupboard.
Effect: Gina couldn’t find them.
5. Kelly studied her spelling words and she got an A on the test.
Cause: Kelly studied her spelling words.
Effect: She got an A on her test.
Cause and Effect Practices 2
Read each sentence. Determine the cause and underline it in red and determine the
effect and underline it in blue.
1. I got a tummy ache when I ate too much ice cream.
2. Anne had cake for dessert because it was her birthday.
3. Thomas was feeling sleepy because he stayed up late doing his homework.
4. Dee was hungry, so her mother made her a cheese sandwich.
5. Kevin went to the eye doctor because he couldn’t see well.
6. Janice didn’t eat her breakfast quickly, so she missed the school bus.
7. It was pouring rain, so the football game was canceled.
8. Leah wasn’t watching where she was walking and she stepped in apuddle.
9. Cole wasn’t feeling well, so he stayed home from school.
10. Jackson didn’t go to school because it was Saturday.
11. My sister’s room was messy, but I helped her clean it up.
12. The baby didn’t like Cheerios, and she would not eat them.
Cause & Effect Practices 3
Read the cause and write an effect. Then, write one full sentence that states the cause and effect.
example: Cause: A blizzard hit the city.
Effect: All the schools were closed.
Sentence: A blizzard hit the city, so all the schools were closed.
1. Cause: I planted some sunflower seeds.
Effect: _______________________________________________________________________
Sentence: ___________________________________________________________________
2. Cause: My sister stayed up past midnight.
Effect: _______________________________________________________________________
Sentence: ___________________________________________________________________
3. Cause: Lizzy spilled milk all over the floor.
Effect: _______________________________________________________________________
Sentence: ___________________________________________________________________
4. Cause: David signed up for guitar lessons.
Effect: _______________________________________________________________________
Sentence: ___________________________________________________________________
Cause and Effects Practices #3 ANSWER KEYS
Read the cause and write an effect. Then, write one full sentence that states the cause
and effect.
ANSWERS WILL VARY. SAMPLE ANSWERS GIVEN.
example: Cause: A blizzard hit the city.
Effect: All the schools were closed.
Sentence: A blizzard hit the city, so all the schools were closed.
1. Cause: I planted some sunflower seeds.
Effect: Giant sunflowers grew along the fence.
Sentence: I planted sunflower seeds and giant sunflowers grew along the fence.
2. Cause: My sister stayed up past midnight.
Effect: She was very tired the next morning.
Sentence: My sister was very tired in the morning because she stayed up past
midnight.
3. Cause: Lizzy spilled milk all over the floor.
Effect: She got a mop and cleaned it up.
Sentence: Lizzy spilled milk all over the floor, so she got a mop and cleaned it up.
4. Cause: David signed up for guitar lessons.
Effect: He learned to play the guitar quickly.
Sentence: David quickly learned how to play the guitar because he signed up for lessons.
Cause & Effect Practices 4
Directions: Fill in an effect for each of the causes below.
1. The children were bored _____________________________________
2. All the frogs jumped high ____________________________________
3. David did not study ________________________________________
4. Our house is old ___________________________________________
5. It was cold on Thursday _____________________________________
6. We heard a parade ________________________________________
7. Grandma told funny jokes ____________________________________
8. Our cat Tiny sat in the sun ___________________________________
9. My homework was hard ______________________________________
10.Their Dad was late ________________________________________
11.The teacher was yelling ____________________________________
12.Five dogs were barking ____________________________________
13.Gerry’s CD player broke ____________________________________
14.Everyone was hungry _______________________________________
15.Two cars crashed ________________________________________
Cause and Effects Practices #4 ANSWER KEYS
Cause and Effect Fill In Worksheet
Answers (The answers will vary).
1. They did not pay attention. They began to yawn.
2. They were not in the water anymore.
3. He failed the test. He felt badly on testing day.
4. It is falling apart. The roof is leaking. No one wants to buy it.
5. We had to wear our gloves and hats and scarves.
6. We ran to see it! We tried to find the parade.
7. We all laughed and laughed.
8. He purred and fell asleep.
9. I could not finish it. I needed help. Mom had to help me do it.
10.They did not get to practice on time.
11.The students stopped being inattentive. The students were afraid. The
teacher got a headache.
12.It was noisy in our neighborhood. The cats ran away.
13.He could not listen to music.
14.We went to a restaurant right away. Mom began to cook dinner.
15.The traffic was backed up. The police were driving fast to the accident.
Cause & Effect Practices 5
Cause and Effect Match
Match each cause on the left with an effect on the right.
Cause Effect
1. ______ Baby Lisa began to cry. a. She played in the sand.
2. ______ It was raining outside. b. He got a belly ache.
3. ______ The phone rang. c. Lance flew his kite.
4. ______ Nana plants seeds in the garden. d. He fell and scraped his knee.
5. ______ My lawn mower was out of gas. e. He ate dinner.
6. ______ Someone came to the door. f. The dog began to bark.
7. ______ It is a windy day. g. He had nothing to wear.
8. ______ The boy tripped on a rock. h. Mom gave her a bottle.
9. ______ Robert ate too many jellybeans. i. She answered it.
10. ______ Caren practiced kicking the ball. j. I couldn’t cut the grass.
11. ______ All the clothes were dirty. k. She won her soccer game.
12. ______ Lee’s mom took her to the beach. l. I shoveled the driveway.
13. ______ Tyler was hungry. m. Flowers began to grow.
14. ______ It snowed outside. n. We couldn’t get in the car.
15. ______ Mom locked the car door. o. We pulled out an umbrella.
Cause and Effects Practices #5 ANSWER KEY
Match each cause on the left with an effect on the right.
Cause Effect
1. h Baby Lisa began to cry. a. She played in the sand.
2. o It was raining outside. b. He got a belly ache.
3. i The phone rang. c. Lance flew his kite.
4. m Nana plants seeds in the garden. d. He fell and scraped his knee.
5. j My lawn mower was out of gas. e. He ate dinner.
6. f Someone came to the door. f. The dog began to bark.
7. c It is a windy day. g. He had nothing to wear.
8. d The boy tripped on a rock. h. Mom gave her a bottle.
9. b Robert ate too many jellybeans. i. She answered it.
10. k Caren practiced kicking the ball. j. I couldn’t cut the grass.
11. g All the clothes were dirty. k. She won her soccer game.
12. a Lee’s mom took her to the beach. l. I shoveled the driveway.
13. e Tyler was hungry. m. Flowers began to grow.
14. l It snowed outside. n. We couldn’t get in the car.
15. n Mom locked the car door. o. We pulled out an umbrella.
Cause and Effects Practices #6
Directions: Read the effect and write your own cause for each
sentence.
1. Cause: _______________________________________________
Effect: Halley tripped and fell down.
2. Cause: _______________________________________________
Effect: I won first prize in the fishing contest.
3. Cause: _______________________________________________
Effect: The tomato plants died.
4. Cause: _______________________________________________
Effect: The light wouldn’t turn on.
5. Cause: _______________________________________________
Effect: The kitten couldn’t find its way home.
6. Cause: _______________________________________________
Effect: Everyone had turkey for dinner.
7. Cause: _______________________________________________
Effect: The baby started to cry.
8. Cause: _______________________________________________
Effect: I got sick.
Cause and Effects Practices #6 ANSWER KEY
Answers will vary. Sample answers given.
1. Cause: Halley’s shoelace was untied.
Effect: Halley tripped and fell down.
2. Cause: I entered a fishing contest and caught the biggest fish.
Effect: I won first prize in the fishing contest.
3. Cause: I didn’t water the tomato plants.
Effect: The tomato plants died.
4. Cause: The light bulb had burned out.
Effect: The light wouldn’t turn on.
5. Cause: The kitten wandered far away from its home.
Effect: The kitten couldn’t find its way home.
6. Cause: It was Thanksgiving.
Effect: Everyone had turkey for dinner.
7. Cause: My brother pulled the baby’s rattle away from the baby.
Effect: The baby started to cry.
8. Cause: Somebody sneezed on me.
Effect: I got sick.
Cause and Effects Practices #7
Directions: Identify if the underlined phrase is a cause or an effect.
1. We turned up the heat since it was getting cold.
cause effect
2. Tommy and Matthew are good friends because they have many
common interests and hobbies.
cause effect
3. Anna practiced math during summer vacation, therefore, she finds
math easy.
cause effect
4. I fell off my bike and scraped my knee.
cause effect
5. O ur apartment is on the 11 th floor, therefore, we have a great view of
the city.
Cause effect
6. Because I helped my mother, she was able to finish her work quickly.
cause effect
7. It was a very windy day, therefore, we were able to fly our kite.
cause effect
8. Since the class was good this week, they were able to have movie
Friday.
cause effect
Cause and Effects Practices #7 ANSWER KEYS
Cause & Effect
A cause is a person, event, condition, or reason that is responsible
for an action or result.
An effect is a result brought about by a cause or an agent.
1. We turned up the heat since it was getting cold.
effect
2. Tommy and Matthew are good friends because they have many
common interests and hobbies.
effect
3. Anna practiced math during summer vacation, therefore, she finds
math easy.
cause
4. I fell off my bike and scraped my knee.
effect
5. O ur apartment is on the 11 th floor, therefore, we have a great view of
the city.
cause
6. Because I helped my mother, she was able to finish her work quickly.
effect
7. It was a very windy day, therefore, we were able to fly our kite.
effect
8. Since the class was good this week, they were able to have movie
Friday.
cause.
Cause and Effects Practices #8
Directions: Fill in a positive and negative effect for each cause:
1. Marcus and Pat did not have a lot of shopping money
Positive: ____________________________________________________
Negative: ___________________________________________________
2. In three weeks, the winter holiday break will begin
Positive: ____________________________________________________
Negative: ___________________________________________________
3. Many department stores are having special sales
Positive: ____________________________________________________
Negative: ___________________________________________________
4. The snow began falling earlier this year than last year
Positive: _____________________________________________________
Negative: ____________________________________________________
5. Some families have large dinners with many people.
Positive: ____________________________________________________ Negative: ___________________________________________________
Cause and Effects Practices #8 ANSWER KEYS
Answers (The answers may vary)!
1. Positive – They did not overspend.
Negative – They were not able to buy a lot of gifts.
2. Positive – We will have a nice break.
Negative – We will not be learning at school.
3. Positive – Many buyers can find bargains.
Negative – Stores will be very crowded.
4. Positive – We will have a “white” holiday season.
Negative – The weather may poorly affect traffic.
5. Positive – People will get to know more family members!
Negative – People may feel shy when they are around people they
don’t know well.
Cause and Effects Practices #9
Directions: Fill in an effect for each cause below.
1. The Christmas trees were expensive
2. Our class practiced the holiday show
3. Some kids brought the teacher gifts
4. Outside, the weather was cold
5. Winter vacation starts soon
6. Joel forgot his homework packet
7. Grandpa dressed up like Santa
8. Kwame celebrates Kwanzaa
9. Hanukah is coming
10. All the stores were crowed
11. Mom wanted jewelry
12. Our church opened early
13. Dad found the decorations
14. Kim and Greg sang carols
15. My baby sister saw the lights
Cause and Effects Practices #9 ANSWER KEYS
(Answers will vary)
1. The family could not afford to get one. The family had to buy a tree elsewhere. The
family did not get a tree.
2. We sounded great at the performance. Our parents were proud of us.
3. The teacher was happy. The teacher was surprised.
4. We had to wear coats and hats and gloves.
5. We will not be in school.
6. He was not able to do his homework.
7. He was the Santa Claus in our town. He surprised all the grandchildren.
8. He will celebrate it this year.
9. Families will celebrate it this year.
10. We had to wait in line for a long time.
11. We shopped for jewelry for Mom.
12. We were able to go in early. We worshipped earlier than usual. We were able to get a
good seat. People were able to sit in new places.
13. He decorated our house. We did not buy new ones. He was happy.
14. Their throats were sore. They shared the holiday joy through music.
15. She was very excited. She smiled and clapped. She was amazed.
For more readings
- How to agree and disagree in English using short answers
- The difference between “a little” and “little”
- The Difference between A FEW and FEW in English
- When to use “a little” and “a few”: English Grammar Rules
- Compound Words: English Vocabulary
- The difference between MUST and HAVE TO
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