Writing
Introductions &
Conclusions
Writing an introduction is like
making an introduction. When
you introduce someone, you
first reveal his or her name, and
then your relationship to that
person.
“This is Henry. He’s on my club
soccer team.”
At that time, the two people
might shake hands or make eye
contact and say hello, and
someone says something that
the other might find interesting,
or that might start a
conversation.
“You and Henry both dance
the Irish Jig.”
The introducer is trying to show what you
both have in common so you will want to
talk to the new person.
Or maybe you say something, trying to
find something you have in common
with the person you are meeting.
“Do you surf?”
Effective introductions do two basic
things—get the reader interested and
let the reader know let them know
why they should continue reading.
This is why effective introductions
start with a hook and lead up to the
thesis statement. The hook you select
will have a lot to do with the audience
and purpose of the essay you are
writing.
The following are a variety of
techniques you can use as hooks
in your introduction.
Short story or anecdote
This type of hook tells a short descriptive story.
This may be a story you know from your family,
or from a book, or from a friend. The more
vivid the detail, the more interested the reader
will be.
In the conclusion, then, you can relate back
to the story and discuss its significance.
Startling Statistic
This approach is to surprise the reader.
These statements make the reader stop
and ponder--and want to read more.
In the conclusion, then, you can relate
back to the statistic and discuss its
relevance.
Quotation Lead
Drawing upon a quote in a book or
someone’s words can prove an effective
way to get a reader's attention. Using a
quotation lead can connect readers with
what is familiar or interesting. Your source
must always be cited.
In your conclusion, then, you can relate
back to the quote or the context of the
quote and draw conclusions about it.
Rhetorical Questions
Another technique is to ask a rhetorical
question, or a series of questions. This will
get the readers’ attention, make them think,
and involve them in the paper. A rhetorical
question does not have a simple answer.
In the conclusion, then, you can answer the
question(s) from what you’ve learned, or
perhaps answer them from a character’s or
author’s perspective.
There is no topic sentence in an
introduction paragraph.
Don’t ask stupid questions of
your reader. It insults his or her
intelligence.
Good Hook? Bad Hook?

Did you know that short fat hobbits can be
heroes?
Good Hook? Bad Hook?

Everyone knew what the verdict would be.
Except him. He was young, innocent, and
didn’t quite understand the power and control
racism had over everyone in Maycomb. And
when it came down he was devastated, and the
world that he lived in changed. Jem, in Harper
Lee’s…
Good Hook? Bad Hook?

In my class, we read The Hobbit by J.R.R.
Tolkien.
Good Hook? Bad Hook?

“But there is one way in this country in which
all men are created equal,” Atticus said to the
jury in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. But
saying it wasn’t enough– the jury proved
Atticus wrong; not even in court were all men
created equal, despite the constitution.
What’s this background/summary
thing?
You have to introduce who you
are talking about in your essay.
What will your audience need to
know about it to understand and
appreciate your thoughts and
ideas?
Think About:
If you are going to talk about characters
in your essay, you’d better introduce
them.
 If you’re going to talk about setting, or
events in the story, you’d better
introduce me to the main idea/plot of
the story.
 Do you need to introduce the setting?
The conflict? What will your reader

In a novel your intro would
include




Title, italicized or underlined
Author
Brief summary of the story including characters,
setting, plot.
An introduction to the story or idea of the essay
Introduction– loose guidelines

Hook

Title and author
1-3 sentences
1-3 sentences

Background/summary

Thesis statement
1 sentence
The structure of a conclusion is
the opposite of an introduction…
it starts with the “point” of the
essay, and goes broader.
Hook
+
Background
/summary
+
thesis
It gets to the POINT. Get it?
The thesis is your POINT. Get it?
CONCLUSION
It starts with the POINT. Get it?
Restatement of thesis
+
Thoughtful closing
comments
The biggest challenge in writing a
conclusion is to understand that
there are two meanings of
“conclusion.”
There is “the end,”
as in, “At the conclusion of my
project I indicated why
cheeseburgers are the best
food.”
At the conclusion of my day, I
eat a pint of chocolate chocolate
chip ice cream and go to bed.
There is also the meaning of
“observation” or “decision”,
as in, “Having reviewed the
evidence, I am forced to come to
the conclusion that your head is
made of mush.”
I have come to the conclusion
that this is not the best decision
I could have made.
For a good concluding paragraph,
do both.
Wrap up your essay in a logical
way that ties a nice bow around
your written piece, and offer
some fresh insight that you have
reached during the process.
Connect to the hook or
introduction and you come full
circle.
This new insight adds depth
and personality to the essay,
and leaves the essay reader with
something new to think about.
Insightful ideas…




Connect to the theme, even if the essay isn’t
about theme. Consider the universal themes.
Make a personal connection to the main idea of
the essay. Character development, challenges,
quests, themes. What role do these play in real
life?
What made this novel realistic or not realistic?
What are your feelings about the writer’s style?
Did you connect to the author?
You may not use
the phrase “This book
teaches us…”
or
“From this book I have
learned…”
because they tend to lead to
inanity and asinine
statements like, “From this I
have learned to appreciate
my friends.”
or “This taught me that
loyalty is good.”
If you have just now learned this,
then you need to get out of your
hole.
A book doesn’t teach a 13-year-old
to appreciate friends,
but it might remind a 13-year-old
that friendship requires honesty,
and that when this is present,
friendships become stronger and
more meaningful.
A person doesn’t just this minute have
an “Ah hah! Moment” and discover that
loyalty is good,
but one might now be more able to
recognize that loyalty takes different
forms, and that it doesn’t always mean
doing what your friend wants you to do.
Good insight? Bad insight?

From this novel, I have learned that
sometimes people are treated unfairly.
Good insight? Bad insight?

As Jem and Scout matured, I began to recognize
how decisions and attitude changes in my own
life demonstrate my own coming of age.
Good insight? Bad insight?

This was a really good book, and if you haven’t
read it, you should!
Good insight? Bad insight?

The character of Dolphus Raymond
demonstrated how alone someone can be just
because he has different ideas and opinions than
others.