Introductory paragraph: The most important paragraph. 1 What introductions do: It’s is like greeting someone, it should be short and to the point like saying, “Hello!” It sets the tone of the paper It informs the reader what the paper will be about without getting into the meat of essay. 2 Parts of an introduction 1. Hook/Attention Grabber: 1st few sentences that make the reader want to read the paper. 2. Transition sentence ( not always necessary). Acts as a bridge between the hook and the thesis. Give back ground info, defines terms, ect 3. Thesis: Topic sentences of your essay. Last sentences in your introduction One sentences that state the (1)topic, (2)what you will prove and (3)three reasons or arguments. 3 Example 1 Today smoking is an issue which is on everybody’s mind. The whole country is divided on this issue. Some people believe that smoking should be banned everywhere while others are not so harsh. Tobacco should be outlawed because smoking endangers everyone’s health, pollutes the environment, and drains us of valuable energy. 4 Example 2 What do you think about banning smoking? The whole country is divided on whether smoking should be banned. Smoking should be outlawed because it endangers everyone’s health; it pollutes the environment, and it drains us of valuable energy. 5 Do you think that college athletes should be paid more than just tuition? Many people believe that college athletes should get paid while others believe they should not. College athletes should be paid because they practice long hours; the schools are profiting through the athletes efforts, and this would make college life much less stressful for the athletes. Created by José J. González, Jr. Spring 2002 6 Types of Hooks. . . Stating a fact or a strong opinion: Question: Quotation Description Anecdote ( Little story) 7 Examples of Strong fact or opinion hooks Almost every time that you turn on the television you will find a number of shows which are extremely violent. Many public schools have decided that their students should use uniforms. In the United States of America the public burning of our flag has become a common sight. 8 Examples of question introduction Are you ever bothered by the excessive violence on prime time television? Do you think that to improve our public school education the students should be required to wear uniforms? Should we allow citizens to burn the United States flag in public? 9 Examples of Quotation introduction ( Indirect Quote) A recent article in Time magazine states that the viewing of extremely violent television shows is the number one cause of violence in our inner cities. The Monitor recently conducted a study and concluded that students in public schools where uniforms are mandatory have less problems and perform better academically. A recent article in The Austin Statesman states that most Americans are very much against flag burning in public and are in favor of passing a law banning this activity. 10 Example of Description Hook A family sits around the TV. Mom, dad, and the kids. They are ready for an evening of fun. But then the TV explodes with gun fire and instantly the children start to hit each other. The teacher in room 207 looks out at her class. All the students are dressed in white polo shirts and tan pants. They have smiles on their faces and they are eager to learn. The American flag laid crumpled on the ground with flames licking at the stars and stripes. The onlookers turned away in disgust. 11 Example of Anecdote Two young boys were watching a TV show where the characters were shooting at each other. After the show, the boys went into the parents bed room. One of the boys pulls a gun out of his fathers night stand and points it at the other yelling “bang bang”. The gun went off and the second boy fell to the floor with a hole in his head. Jane gets up for school and goes to her closet. She pulls out a newly pressed collared shirt and tan pants. At breakfast she asks her mother to sign off on her homework. Jane is proud of herself, this year she is earning all A’s/ 12 You know your introduction is good when… It contains strong verbs ( to be and to have are not strong) It places the reader in a time and space It has strong images the reader can see in their head It has details It creates a mood Created by José J. González, Jr. Spring 2002 13 Assignment: Write an introductory paragraph for the following topic. Many high school seniors have many financial obligations and need some form of income. Do you think that seniors should be allowed to go half a day to school and work half a day? 14