Getting the interest of the reader; summing up your
points in an interesting fashion
Ob jective: To construct an interesting, informative
introduction and conclusive ending to your research
 Introductions are important.
 They arouse a reader's interest, introduce the subject,
and tackle the So What? factor.
 In short, they're your paper's "first impression."
 But you don't have to write them first.
 many students prefer launching right into the body of
the essay before writing intros and conclusions.
 However, other students prefer writing the
introduction first to help "set up" what's to follow.
•Begin with a quotation. Just make sure you explain its
relevance. Ex: “We have nothing to Fear but fear
itself.” Franklin Delano Roosevelt encouraged US
citizens with these words after the bombing of Pearl
Harbor in 1941.
•Begin with a question Ex: What happens to a
student who leaves high school before completing
the senior year? In Martin Luther King’s case, he
goes on to college at age fifteen, becomes a
minister, and changes the country for millions of
people.
•Begin with a little known fact about the person: Martin
Luther King began life as Michael King Jr.
Ways to grab reader’s attention
•Begin with an interesting fact Ex: Over
58,000 American soldiers lost their lives in
Vietnam.
•
Ways to get the attention of the
reader
• Begin with irony or paradox. Ex: It is ironic that a
young man who began his life and his army
career as a staunch supporter of the war went on
to become one of its major critics.
• Begin with an analogy. Make sure it's original but
not too farfetched. EX: Being a woman in the
early 1900’s was much like being a caged bird,
protected but unable to make vital decisions
about her life, her future, and her body. That is
until Margaret Sanger…
• .
Ways to grab reader’s attention
 Begin with a very short narrative or
anecdote that has a direct bearing on your
paper.
Ex: A young man, 22, son of sharecroppers, and the first
African American to compete in the Olympics, stands
before the packed stadium, and the Nazi leader, and
takes the Gold. Jesse Owens…
Structure of the Introduction
 1. Attention grabber
 2. background information needed
 3. Thesis statement is the last sentence of the
introduction.
What not to do
 Do not use first person (I, me, my, mine)
 Do not say “In this essay I will…
 Do not say “ I’m going to tell you about…”
 Do not get into detailed information—save this for the
body of the paper
 Do not use contractions
 Do not use slang
 Do not use lame adjectives—nice, big, little, a lot,
Writing the conclusion
 Don't depend on your conclusion to clarify the body
paragraphs.
 Your paragraphs should flow naturally into one
another and connections should be made among
them.
 Summary can be an important function of conclusions
but keep this part brief; readers know what they've just
read.
What about the rest of it?
 Demonstrate how the pieces of the essay fit together.
 Synthesize your main ideas.
 Do not merely repeat it
 Explain how they fit together. What conclusions have
you drawn?
Example Thesis
Thesis: The American dream of home ownership,
although once believed a right, has in today’s economy
become a privilege due to the cost of homes, the rate
of mortgages, and the rise in taxes.
Restatement of thesis: Many Americans have concluded
that in today’s market the dream of home ownership is
beyond their reach.
Restate the thesis
 Restate, not repeat
 Thesis should be summarized, not repeated word for
word
 EX: Simon Wiesenthal , who became famous as the
man who brought Nazi war criminals to justice,
influenced the world politically and culturally as
reflected in the “Speech at Mauthausen on 7.5.1995.”
 Restatement for conclusion: Simon Wiesenthal truly
had a tremendous impact on the world. His
determination in finding and bringing to justice the
most heinous Nazis…
Clincher
 Refer to your attention getter
 Anecdote: Tell the end of the story
 Attn Getter: A young man, 22, son of sharecroppers,
and the first African American to compete in the
Olympics, stands before the packed stadium, and the
Nazi leader, and takes the Gold. Jesse Owens…
 Clincher: This young twenty-two year old athlete
demonstrated to the Nazis as well as the world that all
people truly are equal…
Clincher
 Attn getter: “We have nothing to Fear but fear
itself.” Franklin Delano Roosevelt encouraged
US citizens with these words after the
bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941.
 Clincher: Roosevelt inspired the nation to
overcome its fear and defeat the enemy many
times throughout his presidency, and his legacy
and inspiration lives on today.