Causation and Result Language in Technical Writing
5 exercises — expressing cause and effect in incident reports and architecture documents: causes, as a result, consequently, leads to, results in.
0 / 5 completed
1 / 5
An incident report states a root cause. Which sentence uses causation language correctly and precisely?
Option B is correct: "cause [noun phrase] to [infinitive]" is the standard structure. "The X caused the Y to do Z." Option A uses "caused that" — incorrect in English (unlike some other languages). "Cause" takes a noun + infinitive complement, not a "that" clause. Option C drops the object ("the service"), making it unclear what was caused to restart. Option D mixes tenses incorrectly. Causation structures in incident writing: X caused Y to fail / triggered Z / led to an increase in / resulted in a reduction of. These structures are clearer than "X made Y happen" in formal reports.
2 / 5
An architecture explanation uses "As a result". Which version is correct?
Option C is correct. "As a result" is an adverbial phrase that connects two sentences. The correct punctuation is: [cause statement]. As a result, [effect statement]. The comma after "As a result" is required before the main clause. Option A adds "of" — "as a result of" is a preposition phrase that must be followed by a noun ("As a result of the change, X happened") — not by a full clause without a noun. Option B places "As a result" at the start but then incorrectly makes the first statement a subordinate clause. Option D uses a comma splice — two independent clauses joined only by a comma, without the full stop.
3 / 5
Which sentence correctly uses "consequently" in a postmortem?
Option A is correct. "Consequently" is a conjunctive adverb — it connects two independent clauses. The correct structure is: [Cause]; consequently, [Effect] using a semicolon before and a comma after. Option B has only a comma before "consequently" — this is a comma splice with a conjunctive adverb, which requires a semicolon or full stop. Option C places "Consequently" as if it introduces the cause, reversing the logic. Option D is acceptable but buries "consequently" mid-sentence where it is less emphatic. In postmortems and incident reports: "consequently" is more formal than "so" and more direct than "as a result".
4 / 5
An SRE describes a cascade failure. Which sentence correctly uses "This leads to"?
Option B is correct and uses a two-step causation chain: "leads to [noun phrase]" + "which causes [further effect]". "Lead to" is always followed by a noun or noun phrase — never by a "that" clause. Option A incorrectly uses "leads to that [clause]". Option C uses "leads for" — grammatically incorrect. Option D uses the continuous tense unnecessarily and has a clunky structure. The chain pattern is very useful in architecture docs: "X leads to Y, which triggers Z, ultimately causing W." Causation chain vocabulary: leads to → triggers → results in → causes → gives rise to.
5 / 5
Which sentence uses "This results in" correctly in an architecture explanation?
Option B is correct. "Results in" is followed by a noun phrase: "fewer database connections being opened" (gerund phrase). The participial phrase "reducing overhead" adds a consequence. Option A incorrectly uses "results in that [clause]" — the same error as "leads to that". Option C uses "results in to open" — infinitives do not follow "results in". Option D is grammatically valid but overly verbose ("the reduction of opening"). Prefer: "results in [noun/gerund phrase]." Clean examples: "Caching results in faster response times." "The refactor results in a 40% reduction in memory usage." "This design results in tighter coupling between services."