The cause-and-effect structure is not new to us. We came across this structure before. What is new in our reading passage or worth our attention is that we find a sort of chain of causes or effects. This is to say the first cause leads to the first effect and the first effect becomes the second cause leading to the second effect and the second effect becomes the third cause leading to still another effect.
Please look at part of Paragraph 5 and the following chart.
Part of Paragraph 5:
We’ve done years of work in showing that excess alarm or stress chemicals can literally burst heart muscle fibers. When that happens it happens very quickly, within five minutes. It creates many short circuits, and that causes crazy heart rhythms. The heart beats like a bag of worms instead of a pump. And when that happens, we can’t live.
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The first cause: excess alarm or stress chemicals
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| The first effct:(That) can literally burst heart muscle fibers. |
| This is also the second cause in the chain. |
| The second effect: It creates many short circuits, and that causes crazy heart rhythms. The heart beats like a bag of worms instead of a pump. |
| This is also the third cause in the chain. |
| The third effect: We can't live. |
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It looks a bit complicated but it represents our logical thinking and the way we present our thoughts or arguments.
