cause-and-effect vs cause and effect

Both "cause-and-effect" and "cause and effect" are correct, but they are used in different contexts. "Cause-and-effect" is typically used as a compound adjective to describe a relationship between events, while "cause and effect" is used as a noun phrase to refer to the principle of causation.

Last updated: March 27, 2024 • 668 views

cause-and-effect

This is a correct compound adjective used to describe a relationship between events.

This phrase is used to describe a relationship in which one event is the result of another. It is commonly used in academic writing and scientific contexts.

Examples:

The study aimed to analyze the cause-and-effect relationship between smoking and lung cancer.
The teacher explained the cause-and-effect chain of events that led to the American Revolution.

Show examples from the web [+]

the cause-and-effect relationship shall be investigated if possible;
So this is a cause-and-effect artifact.
For commitments or guarantees to constitute stranded costs, it must be possible to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between the entry into force of Decision 168/1999 and the difficulty that the undertakings concerned have in honouring or securing compliance with such commitments or guarantees.
In order to establish such cause-and-effect relationship, the Authority will take into account any fall in electricity prices or market share losses suffered by the undertakings concerned.
If this investigation shows that there is a cause-and-effect relationship between the beating received and his death, are you willing to condemn them?
all particulars of any unintended event, whether harmful or not, and of any measures taken in consequence; the cause-and-effect relationship shall be investigated if possible;
Although I do agree with Rube on the old cause-and-effect chaos theory.
The Commission appears to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between the environmental problems of water within the EU mainland and the fact that water resources can be used at little cost.
With regard to the specific case of ammunition that contains depleted uranium, the lack of rigorous clinical proof that clearly confirms the cause-and-effect relationship between its use and the occurrence of diseases must lead us to invest even more heavily in research into this possible connection.
whereas beekeepers in certain EU regions consider that there could be a cause-and-effect relationship between the symptoms in question and the pesticides used to treat seeds,
Please answer the questions in the Information Sheet "Part III.12.N", providing any relevant information for making the cause-and-effect link between the weather event and the disease.
If it is acknowledged that charges for the water used in the vast majority of irrigated areas within the EU represent only a fraction of the costs of that water, that cause-and-effect relationship needs to be qualified.
Now I do not know whether there is a cause-and-effect relationship at work here, but that is something we can disregard.
You fight it. If you have a more modernist approach, and your perception of terrorism is almost cause-and-effect, then naturally from that, the responses that come out of it are much more asymmetrical.
Although several EU Member States have recognised the cause-and-effect link between participation in the Gulf War conflict and subsequent development of these types of problems, others are reluctant to acknowledge any such link and refuse to provide any sort of compensation to people affected by the syndrome.
Please answer the questions in the Information Sheet "Part III..N", providing any relevant information for making the cause-and-effect link between the weather event and the disease.
whereas beekeepers in certain EU regions consider that there could be a cause-and-effect relationship between the symptoms in question and the pesticides used to treat seeds,

Alternatives:

cause-effect
cause-result
causal relationship
causation

cause and effect

This is a correct noun phrase used to refer to the principle of causation.

This phrase is used to refer to the concept that one event (the cause) leads to another event (the effect). It is commonly used in discussions about logic, philosophy, and everyday situations.