Writing an Introduction
Or
Why doesn’t anyone want to read
my paper?
This powerpoint will
• explain the functions of introductions,
• provide you with examples of
introductions to be avoided,
• offer strategies for writing effective ones.
The Role of Introductions
• Your introduction acts as a bridge
that transports your readers from
their own lives into the "place" of
your analysis.
The Role of Introductions
• If your readers pick up your paper about
Othello, for example, they need a
transition to help them leave behind the
world of Tucson, network television, email, and their fight with their BFF to help
them temporarily enter the world of
Shakespeare’s society.
The Role of Introductions
• By providing an introduction that helps
your readers make a transition between
their own world and the issues you will be
writing about, you give your readers the
tools they need to get into your topic and
care about what you are saying.
Why bother writing a good
introduction?
Or
Doesn’t my teacher have to read
my paper anyway?
1. You never get a second chance to
make a first impression. The
opening paragraph of your paper
will provide your readers with their
initial impressions of your argument,
your writing style, and the overall
quality of your work.
A concise, engaging, and wellwritten introduction will start
your readers off thinking highly
of you, your analytical skills,
your writing, and your paper.
2. Your introduction is an important road
•
•
•
map for the rest of your paper. Your
introduction conveys a lot of
information to your readers:
what your topic is,
why it is important, and
how you plan to proceed with your
discussion.
2. It should contain a thesis that will assert your
main argument. It will also, ideally, give the
reader a sense of information you will use to
make that argument and the general
organization of the paragraphs that follow.
After reading your introduction, your readers
should not have any major surprises in
store when they read the main body of your
paper.
Why bother writing a good introduction?
3. Ideally, your introduction will make your
readers want to read your paper,
capture your readers' interest, and
make them want to read the rest of
your paper.
3. Opening with a compelling story, a
fascinating quotation, an interesting
question, or a stirring example can get
your readers to see why this topic
matters and serve as an invitation for
them to join you for an interesting
intellectual conversation.
Five Kinds of Less Effective
Introductions
Or
So that’s why no one wants to read
my paper!
The Place Holder Introduction
• Essentially, this kind of weaker introduction
contains several sentences that are vague
and don't really say much. They exist just to
take up the "introduction space" in your
paper. If you had something more effective
to say, you would probably say it, but in the
meantime this paragraph is just a place
holder.
The Place Holder
Introduction
• Weak Example: In Shakespeare’s
play, Othello, many things lead to
Othello’s tragic demise. A tragic
hero must have a tragic ending. In
the end, Othello kills Desdemona
and then himself. This is an
example of a why Othello is a
tragedy.
The Restated Question
Introduction
• Restating the question can be an
effective strategy, but it can be easy
to stop at JUST restating the
question instead of offering a more
effective, interesting introduction to
your paper.
The Restated Question
Introduction
• Weak Example: Who or what is
responsible for Othello’s tragic demise?
There are many answers that could be
argued as the reasons for Othello’s fall.
This essay will examine who or what is
responsible for Othello’s fall.
The Webster's Dictionary
Introduction
• This introduction begins by
giving the dictionary definition of
one or more of the words in the
assigned question.
The Webster's Dictionary
Introduction
• Anyone can look a word up in the
dictionary and copy down what Webster
says (or paste it right from Dictionary.com)
- it may be far more interesting for you
(and your reader) if you develop your own
definition of the term in the specific context
of your class and assignment.
The Dawn of Man
Introduction
• This kind of introduction generally makes
broad sweeping statements about the
relevance of this topic since the beginning
of time. It is usually very general and fails
to connect to the thesis. You might write
this kind of introduction when you don't
have much to say--which is precisely why
it is ineffective.
The Book Report
Introduction
• This introduction is what you had to
do for your fifth-grade book reports.
It gives the name and author of the
book you are writing about, tells
what the book is about, and offers
other basic facts about the book.
The Book Report
Introduction
• You might resort to this sort of
introduction when you are trying to fill
space because it's a familiar, comfortable
format. It is ineffective because it offers
details that your reader already knows
and that are irrelevant to the thesis.
Strategies for Writing an
Effective Introduction
• Pay special attention to your first
sentence. If any sentence in your paper
is going to be completely free of errors
and vagueness, it should be your first
one. Start off on the right foot with your
readers by making sure that the first
sentence actually says something
useful and that it does so in an
interesting and error-free way.
• Be straightforward and confident. Avoid
statements like "In this paper, I will
argue…." While this sentence points
toward your main argument, it isn't
especially interesting. It might be more
effective and convincing to say what you
mean in a declarative sentence. Assert
your main argument confidently. After all,
you can't expect your reader to believe it
if it doesn't sound like you believe it!
Using the Prompt/Question
• Start by thinking about the
question in the prompt. Your
entire essay will be a response to
the assigned question, and your
introduction is the first step toward
that end.
Using Your Prompt/Question
• Your direct answer to the
assigned question will be your
thesis, and your thesis will be
included in your introduction, so it
is a good idea to use the question
as a jumping off point.
Using the “Big Picture”
• One strategy might be start off with
a big picture sentence, a broad
statement about the subject.
Using Background Information
• Works well when audience is
already interested and you can
come directly to the point.
Especially useful for exams since
there is limited time or no need to
be subtle.
“With inflation low, many companies have
understandably lowered prices and the
oil industry should be no exception.
Consequently, homeowners have
begun wondering whether the high
price of home heating oil is justified
given the economic climate. It makes
sense, therefore, for us to start
examining the pricing policy of the
major American oil companies.” (economics
essay -Patterns for College Writing)
The Attention Grabber
• Open with an attention grabber.
Sometimes, especially if the topic of
your paper is somewhat dry or
technical, opening with something
catchy can help.
• Attention-grabbing openers might get
your reader interested and also help your
reader connect to what might otherwise
seem a pretty obscure topic. Essentially,
you can use attention-grabbers to help
your readers see why your topic is
relevant and to help them begin to care
about your findings and perspectives.
Examples of The Attention Grabber
• an intriguing example
• a provocative quotation
• a puzzling scenario
• a vivid and perhaps unexpected
anecdote
• a thought-provoking question
A Surprising Statement
• Use an unexpected statement to
catch the audience’s attention and
make them want to read more.
A Surprising Statement
Believe it or not, most people who live in
the suburbs are not white and rich.
My family, for example, fits into
neither of these categories. Ten
years ago, my family and I came to
the United States from Pakistan. My
parents were poor then, and by some
standards, they are still poor even
though they both work two jobs.
A Surprising Statement (cont’d.)
Still, they eventually saved enough to
buy a small house in the suburbs of
Chicago. Throughout the country,
there are many suburban families like
mine who are working hard to make
ends meet so that their children can
get a good education and go to
college. (composition essay – Patterns for College
Writing)
Begin with a Quotation
• Use a quotation to arouse
audience interest
A Quotation
“The rich are different,” F. Scott
Fitzgerald said more than seventy
years ago. Apparently, they still
are. As an examination of the tax
code shows, the wealthy receive
many more benefits than the middle
class or poor do. (accounting paper – Patterns
for College Writing)
Begin with an Anecdote or Story
• Lead your reader to the thesis with
an anecdote or story that pertains
to your topic or thesis.
Anecdote or Story
Three years ago, I went with my
grandparents to my first auction.
They live in a small town outside of
Lancaster, PA, where it is common
for people to auction off the
contents of a home when someone
moves or dies.
Anecdote or Story (cont’d.)
As I walked through the crowd, I smelled
funnel cakes frying in the food trucks,
heard the hypnotic chanting of the
auctioneer, and sensed the excitement
of the crowd. Two hours later, I walked
off with and old trunk that I bought for
thirty dollars and a passion for auctions
that I still have today. (composition essay - Patterns for
College Writing)
Begin with a Question
• Although your thesis cannot be a
question, you can begin with a
question. A rhetorical question can
be intriguing.
Begin with a Question
What was it like to live through the
holocaust? Elie Wiesel, in One Generation
After, answers this question by presenting
series of accounts about ordinary people
who found themselves imprisoned in Nazi
death camps. As he does so, he
challenges some of the assumptions we
have about the Holocaust and those who
survived it. (sociology book report - Patterns for
College Writing)
Begin with a Contradiction
• Open your essay with an idea that
people believe is true and then
show how it is inaccurate.
Begin with a Contradiction
Many people think that after the Declaration of
Independence was signed in 1776, the colonists
defeated the British army in battle after battle.
This commonly held belief is incorrect. The British
were defeated not because the colonial army was
strongest, but because George Washington refused
to be led into a costly winner-take-all battle and
because the British government lost interest in
pursuing an expensive war three thousand miles
from home. (history take-home exam- Patterns for College
Writing)
Begin with a Fact or
Statistic
• Find an interesting or startling fact or
statistic that will hook your audience.
Begin with a Statistic
According to a recent government study,
recipients of Medicare will spend billions of
dallars on drugs over the next ten years. This
is a very large amount of money, and it
illustrates why lawmakers must do more to
help older Americans with the cost of
medications. Although the current legislation
is an important first step, more must be done
to help the elderly afford the drugs they
need.(public policy essay- Patterns for College Writing)
Writing Your Introduction Last
• Try writing your introduction last. You may
think that you have to write your
introduction first, but that isn't necessarily
true, and it isn't always the most effective
way to craft a good introduction.
Writing Your Introduction Last
• It is perfectly fine to start out
thinking that you want to argue a
particular point, but wind up
arguing something slightly or even
dramatically different by the time
you've written most of the paper.
Writing Your Introduction Last
• The writing process can be an
important way to organize your
ideas, think through complicated
issues, refine your thoughts, and
develop a sophisticated
argument.
• Sometimes it helps to write up all of
your evidence first and then write
the introduction -- that way you can
be sure that the introduction
matches the body of the paper.
• Don't be afraid to write a tentative
introduction first and then change it later.
Some people find that they need to write
some kind of introduction in order to get
the writing process started. Be sure to
return to your initial introduction later and
rewrite if need be.
So, now that you know
• the functions of introductions,
• examples of introductions to be avoided,
• and strategies for writing effective ones,
write an effective, interesting
introduction!