Cause and Effect: Why Did It Happen?

Find what happened and the reason it happened.

An effect is what happened. A cause is why it happened. Many stories and true books are full of causes and effects. Read: 'Sara forgot to water her plant, so its leaves turned brown. ' What happened? The leaves turned brown. That's the effect. Why?

Sara forgot to water it. That's the cause. To find them, ask two questions: What happened? Why did it happen?

A cause always comes first in time, even if the author writes it second, like this: 'The leaves turned brown because Sara forgot to water them. '

• 1An effect is what happened.
• 2A cause is why it happened.
• 3The cause happens first in time.