Introductions

1. Introductions The Essential But Not-So-Easy Beginning

2. The Hardest Part • Starting off is always the hardest part. • Your intro serves as a bridge into the world of your paper from the world in which we live. • It’s your job as the writer to make that transition smooth and interesting. • That way, you give your readers the tools they need to get into your topic and care about what you are saying. • PowerPoint is adapted from The Writing Center at UNC-Chapel Hill.

3. Why Is the Intro So Important? • You never get a second chance to make a first impression. • Your introduction is an important road map for the rest of your paper. • Your introduction will make your readers want to read your paper.

4. Strategies for Writing an Effective Intro • Think About the Prompt • Be sure you address the prompt and answer the question. • Decide How Broad the Intro Should Be • You don’t need to write the history of the world. • Give general info but not too much.

5. Know Your Thesis Your thesis is the point of the essay. It is THE most important part. Take the time to write it well. It doesn’t matter where in your intro it is, but it needs to be in the intro.

6. * Many times, we don’t know what we are writing about until we are all done. * Perhaps write your thesis and then get into the first body paragraph and continue with the essay. * When you’re done, go back and write the intro now that you know what your paper is about. Consider Writing the Intro Last

7. Five kinds of less-effective introductions • The placeholder introduction • This kind of weaker introduction contains several sentences that are vague and don’t really say much. • Example: Slavery was one of the greatest tragedies in American history. There were many different aspects of slavery. Each created different kinds of problems for enslaved people.

8. Five kinds of less-effective introductions • The restated question introduction • I wrote your question and will be reading many essays in response to it — I don’t need to read a whole paragraph that simply restates the question.

9. Five kinds of less-effective introductions • The Webster’s Dictionary introduction • Anyone can look a word up in the dictionary and copy down what Webster says. • It may be far more interesting if you develop your own definition of the term in the specific context of your class and assignment.

10. Five kinds of less-effective introductions • 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, throughout the world, etc.

11. Five kinds of less-effective introductions • The book report introduction. • This introduction is what you had to do for your elementary school book reports: the author, the book, what the book is about, and offers other basic facts about the book.

12. Introductions Can Make the Essay • Don’t have any direct quotes in the intro. • Give background on the topic but keep it short and to the point. • Answer the prompt! • Take the time and thought to write an introduction that makes your paper sing!