Introduction Paragraph (hook, bridge, thesis- max. 8 sentences)
The introduction has a “hook of grabber” to catch the reader’s attention. Some
“grabbers” include:
1. Opening with a strong statement: (17 year old found stuffed in Bath,
England)
2. Opening with a quotation: The supreme irony of life is that hardly anyone
gets out of it alive.
3. Opening with and anecdote: an anecdote, “little story,” can provide an
amusing and attention getting opening if it is short and to the point. (The little boy
went to the 2:00 show. At 6:00 p.m. his mom contacted the police when he didn’t’
come home. He was found buried under a freeway Twenty-four years later.”
4. Open with a statistic or fact: sometimes a statistic or fact will add emphasis
or interest to your topic. It may be wise to include the item’s authoritative source.
MISSING CHILDREN:
800,000 children (younger than 18) were reported missing in a one-year period of
time studied resulting in an average
of 2,185 children being reported missing each day.
5. Opening with a question: (What does a serial killer look like?)
6. Open with dialogue:
“Have you seen Billy Weaver? He did not come into the office.”
“Knowing Billy, he’s in some pub.”
Bridge: Billy Weaver, the protagonist in “The Landlady” wishes he had gone to the pub,
but instead he opted for the deadly bed and breakfast.
Thesis: The author Roald Dahl employs the literary devices of foreshadowing and irony
to create suspense and to amuse the reader.
Link, Bridge, or Transition to the thesis:
1. Caught your interest? Read “The Landlady” by Roald Dahl.
In the case of “The Landlady” fiction is stranger than truth.
Like this little boy, the protagonist, Billy Weaver, in “The Landlady” will never be
from again.
Billy Weaver is just another statistic in the short story “The Landlady” by Roald
Dahl.
Example of on introduction paragraph: What does a serial killer look like? What does
their house look like? Are they a
kind, welcoming old lady? Or are they a cruel looking man with a gun hidden
somewhere? Most people probably chose the latter, but this is not the case for Billy
Weaver in Roald
Dahl’s short story, “The Landlady”. Roald Dahl employs the literary devices of
foreshadowing and irony to create suspense and to amuse the reader.
Conclusion Paragraph (4 sentences)
Restate thesis in an original way.
Answers how or why this is true.
Give advice, or a recommendation, or a universal application on the subject.
Go full circle. Relates back to your introduction.