Introductions: first impressions
count!
Author: Kathy Bell
Published on: February 9, 1999
It may only be one short paragraph, but the introduction
seems to be one of the two most troublesome paragraphs
in an essay (the conclusion is the other). How can
such a few sentences cause so much anxiety?
Introductions are important because they serve as
the "gateway" to the rest of the essay.
Introductions carry the thesis statement, and serve
as an informative and stylistic lead in to the rest
of the paper. An effective introduction should give
the reader a sense of where the paper is going, what
will be argued, and possibly what kinds of supporting
information to expect.
So, cramming all of that into one paragraph can understandably
cause a bit of stress. A rambling, disorganized introduction
can turn readers off, even confuse them. More practically,
a sloppy introduction can turn an instructor off and
perhaps cause you to lose points.
Let's take a look at some introduction essentials.
1. Remember the inverted triangle
The inverted triangle model, point downwards, is
often used to illustrate the form an introduction
should take. The wide top represents the way you can
ease into the argument with a general statement or
two. If your paper is about a particular cultural
attribute, for example, you could begin with a couple
of general statements about the culture. Beginning
this way gives the reader a bit of context for your
more specific thesis statement. If you wish to "hook"
the reader, you could use these couple of sentences
to mention some fascinating tidbit relating to the
topic, or perhaps a relevant quotation.
As the triangle narrows, you should also begin narrowing
or focussing your discussion until you reach the "point,"
or the thesis, which is the main crux of the whole
paper. Although it's not always located exactly there,
it's best to try to make the thesis statement the
last sentence of the introduction, especially if you're
not confident enough to play around with style. It
will be easy for the reader to identify, and it will
serve as a springboard into the body of the paper.
2. Let the introduction "blueprint" the
essay for you.
In basic short essays, you can do yourself a favour
and use the introduction to map out your essay for
you. For example, if you mention that there are "three
factors that influenced the development of XXX design,"
then you know that you need roughly three body paragraphs,
each describing one of the three factors. If you mention
a historical timeline in the introduction, you might
consider devoting a body paragraph to each of the
"highlights" along the timeline. If you
get lost along the way while writing your body paragraph,
then a quick glance at the introduction can remind
you of the basic structure you set out to write.
Some related sites to check out:
http://www.saec.edu.tw/station/bob/saintro4.htm
"Bob's Garage" will walk you through some
introductions that need work, and show you how to
revise them.
http://karn.ohiolink.edu/~sg-ysu/introcon.htm
http://www.depaul.edu/~gjohnson/prtsht.htm
More advice on effective introductions.
http://www.geopages.com/Athens/Delphi/1298/strucessay.htm
Shows a diagram of the inverted triangle model.
http://wind.cc.whecn.edu/~mdoyle/question.htm
Michael Doyle shows you how to use a question to jazz
up your introduction.
© Kathy Bell 1999
|
