Cause and Consequence

Eight words about what happens, why it happens, and what happens next.

Meet each word one at a time, then take the quiz to lock them in.

1. 1 outcome noun
2. 2 sequence noun
3. 3 dissolve verb
4. 4 resemble verb
5. 5 reasonable adjective
6. 6 reckless adjective
7. 7 frequently adverb
8. 8 occasionally adverb

Nelson's word

noun

Outcome. A noun. I file it under the way a thing turns out, the result once all the action is done. You plant a garden; the outcome is what grows. You study for a test; the outcome is the grade. Notice how the word is built, out plus come, the thing that comes out at the end. Every cause has one, and a careful person thinks about the outcome before acting, not after. State it precisely: the outcome is the result you are left holding.

The outcome of the vote surprised everyone in the room.

Nelson's word

noun

Sequence. A noun, and one I keep filed in strict order, as it should be. A sequence is a set of things arranged one after another, each in its proper place: the sequence of steps in a recipe, the sequence of events in a story, the sequence of numbers one, two, three. Get the sequence wrong and the whole thing falls apart; you cannot frost a cake you have not yet baked. When you list what happened in order, you are reporting a sequence. Keep it in line.

The recipe lists each step in a careful sequence.

Vinny's word

verb

Dissolve! To vanish INTO a liquid, to melt away until not one grain is left to be seen! When the sugar crystals dissolve in the hot tea, they do not sink to the bottom; they disappear entirely, and the whole drink turns sweet. That is the verb, and it is mine: a disappearing act that changes everything around it. Watch it work in a glass of water sometime, a spoonful of salt gone before your eyes. A cause you can taste, and a consequence you cannot see.

The sugar crystals dissolve the moment they hit the hot tea.

Vinny's word

verb

Resemble! To look like, to seem like, to wear the face of something else! When the twins resemble each other, one glance can fool you, because they share the same shape, the same look. That is the verb, and it is mine, though I admit it is a quiet sort of action, a matter of appearance rather than motion. A cloud can resemble a dragon, a drawing can resemble its subject, a new day can resemble the one before. Learn it, and you will always have a way to say two things are alike without saying they are the same.

The twins resemble each other so closely that teachers mix them up.

Jake's word

adjective

Reasonable. Oh, this is a good one, and it is mine. As an adjective, reasonable describes a thing that is fair and sensible, the kind of choice a thoughtful person would make: a reasonable price, a reasonable request, a reasonable plan. Its Frown is absurd, the thing that makes no sense at all. Could we be more specific than saying a plan was okay? We could say it was reasonable, which tells the reader it was fair and well thought out. Same picture, sharper edges. Magnifique.

She made a reasonable request, and the teacher agreed at once.

Jake's word

adjective

Reckless. An adjective, mine, and a warning wrapped in a word. It describes someone acting without a care for the danger they cause: a reckless driver, a reckless dare, a reckless spending of money that should have been saved. Look inside it: reck once meant care, so reckless is simply care-less, without care. Its Frown is careful, the person who looks before they leap. Could we be more specific than saying a choice was bad? We could call it reckless, and let the reader feel the danger in it.

The reckless driver sped through the red light without slowing down.

Benny's word

adverb

Frequently. An adverb, and I own it the way Nelson owns his nouns. It tells you how often a thing happens, and the answer is often, again and again, many times over. She frequently checks the sky; that means she does it a lot, as a habit. Here is my coaching for you: frequently is stronger than sometimes and softer than always, so reach for it when a thing happens often but not every single time. Make your writing precise about how often, and a reader trusts every word. You can do that, and here is your word for it.

She frequently checks the sky before a long hike.

Benny's word

adverb

Occasionally. An adverb, and mine to coach. It tells you how often, and the answer is now and then, once in a while, not often at all. We occasionally visit the lighthouse; that means we go sometimes, not as a rule. Feel the difference from frequently, its opposite in rhythm: frequently is many times, occasionally is only a few. When you pick the right one, your reader knows exactly how often you mean. That is a small choice that makes a big difference, and you can make it every time.

We occasionally visit the old lighthouse on the far side of the bay.