Unit 3  Cause and Effect


Task 1 Discussion

Many things can have an effect on our daily lives. Work in pairs and discuss the impact of two or
more of the following phenomena on your lives. Give reasons and examples.

-         Transport

-         Accommodation

-         Technology

-         The environment

-         Education


Task 2 Cause and effect – searching for connections

Work in pairs. Speculate on how two or more of the following phenomena can be connected using cause
and effect relationships. Suggest possible reasons.

1.      drug abuse and increasing alcohol consumption among younger people

2.      rapidly increasing urban populations

3.      social problems such as homelessness

4.      more reporting by doctors of cases of depression

5.      more students dropping out of school

6.      greater awareness of environmental issues

7.      an increase in the number of single-person households


Task 3   Identify the nouns and verbs relating to cause and effect in sentences 1-6.

1.       Reducing speed limits should lead to fewer deaths on the roads.

2.       The financial collapse was triggered by a computer failure.

3.       Ideas and discoveries from past civilizations such as the Greeks and Sumerians still have
a huge impact on our lives today.

4.       The main cause of change in the modern world is not technological advances, but human
imagination.

5.       Human behaviour has contributed most to the changes that we see in the planet today.


Task 4   Academic language Cause and Effect (2)

Compare the sentences below using the word result and notice the word class.

One result of long-term stress is a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. (noun)

Stress is a significant phenomenon. As a result, people are at a higher risk of cardiovascular
disease.  (adverbial)

Cardiovascular disease may occur as a result of long-term stress. (prepositional phrase)

Stress may result in cardiovascular disease. (verb)

Cardiovascular disease may result from stress. (verb)


Now complete the sentences with prepositions in, of, from.

1.       Headaches may result ___ stress and dehydration.

2.       One result ___ improving secondary school education is likely to be greater competition
for university places.

3.       Sudden adoption of a low-calorie diet may not result ___ weight loss as intended.

4.       Arguably this phenomenon results ___ three major causes.


Write at least three sentences containing the phrases result in, from, as a result about your area
of study. (Tasks 1-5 adapted from Chazal, E.; McCarter, S. Oxford EAP. A Course in English for
Academic Purposes. Upper-Intermediate. OUP, 2012)


Task 5  Listening - Science of stress

Before you listen: What are the major causes of stress in general/ for yourself?

Watch the video and note down:

-          What are the main types of stress?

-          What do they cause?

-          How can we prevent stress-related diseases?

-          Is stress always negative?


Check the vocabulary in italics:

Being stressed takes a toll on our bodies.

Cortisol gives us the fuel we need for that quick physical boost.

Stress hormones are kicking in.

Under chronic stress the body releases cortisol continuously.

 (http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/science/health-human-body-sci/human-body/science-stress
-sci/)

Task 6 Word formation.  Cause or effect of stress?

Complete the gaps with suitable forms of the words in brackets, then decide whether it is a cause
or an effect of stress.
  * Headache
  * Working under …………….. (danger) conditions
  * Fatigue
  * ……………….. (difficult) sleeping and concentrating
  * Having unclear ………………….. (expect) of your work, or no say in the decision-making process
  * Changes in sex drive
  * Having to give speeches in front of colleagues
  * ……………. (irritable)
  * Upset stomach -- cramps, constipation, and diarrhoea
  * Taking care of an elderly or sick family member
  * Weight gain
  * …………….. (fertile)  problems
  * Having a heavy workload or too much ……………….. (responsible)
  * Being ………………….. (security) about your chance for advancement or risk of termination
  * Getting married
  * Moving to a new home
  * High blood pressure
  * Increase in financial ……………………… (oblige)
  * Emotional problems - …………….. (depress), ……………. (anxious), anger, grief, guilt, low self-esteem
  * ………………….. (lose) of a job

Task 7  Write a paragraph summarising the main causes and effects of stress.