Three parts of the
Funnel- Shaped Introduction
• Hook/Attention Getter
• Narrow the topic.
• Thesis Statement
Example: Can you find the three parts?
• Being a kid is hard; do not let anyone tell you
differently. If you ask 100 adults, you’ll find that most
of them wouldn’t want to live through adolescence
again. Why not? There are too many things to worry
about: friends, grades, why your P.E. teacher hates you,
Twitter, what to do when you grow up—the list is
endless. Hence, the reason it would be doing most
young adults a favor to give them one less major
concern in life. Due to the fact that it would give them
fewer worries and because it would save their parents
money, students in public schools should have to wear
uniforms.
• A predictable plot. Mediocre characters.
Unstimulating conflicts. These all represent
perfect examples of imperfect literature. Novels
that contain these elements tend to become
stodgy and hard to finish. The Fault in Our Stars,
on the other hand, is hard to put down. The
novel’s plot becomes anything but predictable and
it creates characters that become perfectly
unique. After reading, questions derived from the
novel continue to echo in the reader’s mind. A
captivating plot, well-developed characters, and
thought provoking conflicts make up good
literature; The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green,
contains all of these elements which makes it a
perfect example of good literature.
Part 1:The Hook
• Also known as “Attention Getter”
• Every intro should start with a statement that
relates to his or her topic on a broad scope
but ALSO hooks the reader
• Could be anywhere from 1-3ish sentences.
Part 2: Narrow in on your main topic
• Slowly transition from your hook to your
thesis.
• This area gives you a chance to give
background or general info needed for the
topic at hand
• Sentence by sentence, through a chain of
related and connected ideas you should reach
the final part…THE THESIS
Part 3: thesis statement
Defined
• A thesis statement is like a roadmap or set of
directions to your paper.
• It clearly and specifically tells your reader what
he or she will be reading about.
• It is an arguable, debatable statement.
• It is a declarative sentence .
• The thesis is typically at the end of the
introduction paragraph because everything you
previously write leads up to this POWERFUL
STATEMENT.
Must Haves of a Thesis Statement
1. A thesis statement should not be written in the
form of question.
2. It must be arguable.
3. It must be specific.
4. It should be towards the end of the introduction
or opening paragraph.
5. It should be no more than one-two sentences in
length. (Remember you want it to be concise—
easy for your reader to identify)
The Introduction Paragraph
Where should I put my thesis
statement? Why?
• Where: Typically, the thesis statement should
be the last sentence of the
introduction/opening paragraph of your
paper.
• Why: Before asserting your thesis statement
you need to do a couple other things:
– Hook your reader
– Give some general information about your topic
Words and Phrases to avoid in a thesis
statement…
•
•
•
•
In the following paragraphs I will tell you…
My paper will be about…
You will learn about…
The word “I” or “My” or “You” (Formal essays
are always written in 3rd Person)