Difference Between Cause and Effect
Main difference
The main difference between Cause and Effect is that Cause is the reason behind any action or phenomenon while Effect is the consequences of a cause or the result of some chain events that have happened.
cause vs effect
The cause always tells a reason why something happened; on the other hand, the effect presents the results. In analyzing cause, we deal with questions like “why” and “how”, while effect deals with the question “what”.
Examples of causes are John went to the shoe store, but was out of shoes, John wanted. John couldn’t sit by the car window. John’s mom forgot to pack dessert for her lunch. And examples of effect are John put on white shoes and he was not happy. John was crushed in the back seat and he was sad. John did not eat dessert at lunch.
Comparison chart
| Because | Effect |
| effect producer | produced for cause |
| Nature | |
| It can be a situation, an object or an event. | Result of that event |
| Sequence | |
| Moves naturally towards an effect | always follow a cause |
| Related words | |
| “Why and how” | “What” |
| Syntax | |
| It is mainly used as a noun and a verb | Commonly as a noun, sometimes as a verb |
| Purpose | |
| explain the reason | Consequences of the cause |
What is the cause?
The cause is the main thing behind everything that happens. Behind every action, there is a cause that makes things happen. Even our actions also contain a cause. We can learn this term through many examples; for example, a man hits another in anger. Here it can be said that anger is one of the reasons why the action arose.
It was the simplest example; Let’s take another example, “Anny got 100% on her test because she worked hard.” In this example, it is obvious that Anny got the best percentage and the cause of her is her hard work. Because she worked hard for this, that’s why she got 100% on a test.
What is the effect?
In simple words, the effect is the consequences of the cause. It is the result of a reason like, “it happened” because of “it”. Here again, we can take the same example, which we have learned in the cause section to make a difference between two terms. For example, one man is hitting another in anger. Obviously, anger is one of the causes of it, but what are the consequences that he gave? The results of it could be that person gets injured now, or it could be that the other person starts hitting the first person, etc.
Let’s understand the effect with another example; “John stayed up late at night, so he’s still sleeping.” “John is still sleeping” is an effect, but is there a reason why he is still sleeping? It’s because he stayed up late at night.
Key differences
- The cause is an element and the effect is the result of that element.
- The cause is the origin of a scenario, while the effect is the result to which the cause led.
- The Source of any caused event, on the other hand, the effect gives us the answer to “therefore”.
- The cause speaks of reason; on the other hand, the effect drives the situation towards the conclusion.
- The cause is the answer to “because of”, while the effect is the end.
- A cause can be a person, event, situation or object that can result in something; on the other hand, the effect is the result of that event.
- A cause is an explanation of an effect, while the effect is a consequence.
- The cause gives us an answer to questions like “why” and “how”; on the other hand, the effect gives the answers to the question “What”.
- In a sentence, a cause can function as both a verb and a noun, while effect commonly functions as a noun, but in some cases, it can also be used as a verb.
Final Thought
Cause is a term that deals with questions like “Why does something happen?” whereas effect is a term that deals with questions like, “What happens as a result?”