Research Help (Big 6)  » Writing An Introduction

How Do I Begin ?

Writing a GOOD Introduction For An Essay

Instructions

When writing an introduction for your expository or persuasive essay, here are 5 methods that work and will “WOW” your readers and catch their interest

Method #1:            Background Information

• Works best for literary analysis papers

• Provide general synopsis, overview of story, book, play you’re writing about

• For non-literary papers, provide general information about your topic

• You can include interesting facts, statistics, history about the topic

Method #2:            Anecdotal/Similar Story or Situation

• Find a real life story (a narrative works well) that relates to your topic

• Use famous or not so famous stories from the news, tv, magazines

• Read the narrative or story and use a summary of it for your introduction

• Use actual names and places and dates

Method #3:            Personal Experience

• Tell about an experience in your own life that relates to the topic

• Tell a story about someone you know (a friend, relative) who had an experience that relates to the topic

• Important to give an honest account of what happened (use “I”)

Method #4: Your Thoughts/Opinions on the Issue

• Give your personal feelings about the issue you are addressing

• Tell exactly how you feel about the topic in a broad sense

• Use “I” for this type of intro

• example: if your topic is smoking, give your feelings about the idea of smoking

Method #5:            Creative Example/Hypothetical Situation

• Create a possible scenario or story with “made-up” people, characters

• Describe what “happened” or “can happen” to your character(s)

• Relate the story you create to your topic

•   Admit in your intro that your situation is hypothetical, made-up

Alternative Techniques to Begin Your Essay

• Highlight a revealing quote from a character in a book or story

• Cite a quote from a quotation dictionary which treats a key topic in your essay (check out www.quotations.com)

• Make a play on words or refer to a well-known saying

• Create a striking visual image or symbol

• Select a line from a song or poem that relates to topic

• Suggest an ingenious figure of speech

• Narrate a typical, illustrative anecdote (see method #5 above)

• State a startling statistic or fact

• Intrigue your audience with an unexpected irony or paradox

• Make an historical reference or literary allusion

• Sketch a distinctive character portrait




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created by J. Schiferl