INTRODUCTIONS AND
CONCLUSIONS
Purposes of Introductions
Besides attracting a reader’s attention, an introduction
may serve one or all of the following purposes:
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Provide background information
Define unfamiliar terms
Introduce the purpose of the paper
Present a thesis statement or argument about the
paper’s topic
 Preview the main points of the thesis
 Provide a brief summary of the topics the paper
discusses
Different Types of
Introductions
You may write an introduction in a number of
ways; for example, suppose you were writing
a paper opposing smoking in public places.
You might compose one of the following
types of introductions:
Tell a story or anecdote: Share a personal story
or a story you have read about a person who
died because of exposure to secondhand
smoke.
Different Types of
Introductions
 Provide a startling statistic: Last year,
approximately 3,400 adult nonsmokers died
from lung cancer due to secondhand smoke.
 Start with a short, famous quotation: “Do not
smoke without asking permission or sit so
near (as in a train) that the smoke might
annoy” –Amy Vanderbilt (1908-1974).
Different Types of
Introductions
 Write as if your position will argue the other side
of the topic. Because smoking is legal,
Americans have a right to smoke in public places.
 Ask a question: Are you aware that secondhand
smoke is now a known cause of cancer in
humans?
 Include interesting facts about the subject:
Cigarette smoke may linger in the air for hours,
even after the cigarette is extinguished.
Conclusions
 Purpose of Conclusions
 You do not want to stop writing abruptly after
making your last argument. The paper must wrap
up your points smoothly and make a good final
impression on the readers.
Different Types of
Conclusions
 Restate the thesis: Secondhand smoke is
dangerous to the human body and must be
banned in public places.
 Summarize the main points of the essay:
Banning secondhand smoke in restaurants and
public places would save lives and cut down on
air pollution.

 Ask a question: Do you want to contract lung
cancer only because you inhaled smoke from
someone else’s cigarette?
Different Types of
Conclusions
 Offer a quotation: “New research indicates that
private research conducted by cigarette company
Philip Morris in the 1980s showed that secondhand
smoke was highly toxic, yet the company suppressed
the finding during the next two decades” (American
Lung Association, par. 13).
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 Provide an ironic twist, a surprising observation, or a
clever ending: I am a former smoker and I now
educate others about how important it is that we
stop others from inhaling secondhand smoke.
Different Types of
Conclusions
 Throw out a personal challenge: If you smoke,
consider quitting and becoming part of the
movement to stop secondhand smoke in public
places.
 Make a prediction or recommend actions for the
readers to take: Next time your state’s ballot
contains legislation banning secondhand smoke
in public places, please vote yes.
Introductions and
Conclusions
 Please find two or three other people to work
with on this in-class activity.
 No groups larger than FOUR, please!