This document provides guidance on writing effective introductions and conclusions for essays. It offers various strategies for introductions, such as telling a story, asking questions, using a theme statement or quotation. Introductions should catch the reader's attention and introduce the thesis. For conclusions, the document suggests echoing the introduction, tying together essay details, challenging the reader, or posing questions. Conclusions should stress the importance of the main point and leave a final impression, without explicitly stating it is the conclusion.
2. First and Foremost
Think of Hollywood. If thefirst ten
minutesof amovieareboring, you
might turn it off or walk out. A
catchy introduction isafilm maker’s
challenge. A writer hasthesame
challenge: an essay introduction
should catch readers’ attention, pull
them in.
3. An introduction should . . .
• Hook readers, makethem want to keep
reading, and beenjoyableto read.
• Beoriginal, creative, clever and
memorable.
• Smoothly transition to your thesis.
• Clearly and logically introducethe
purposeof your paper (thethesis).
4. Ask yourself these
questions:
• Istheintroduction clever and
original?
• Would Iwant to keep reading this
paper based on theintroduction?
• Could areader statewhat thispaper
isabout based on my introduction?
5. Introduction No-No’s
• Don’t start out with “This paper is
about,” “In this essay, I will tell you
about,” “today you will read about” or
any other variations.
• Unless you are writing a lengthy
paper (over five pages), you don’t
need to state all of your main points in
the introduction. You can hint at
them, though . . .
8. Tell a Story
Start out with afew detailsfrom areal or hypothetical story involving
your topic.
Example:
Irene Williams had been in twelve fo ster homes by the age o f ten. In
the hands o f ill-qualified fo ster parents, she suffered physicalabuse,
malnutritio n and emo tio nal trauma. With deep cutbacks to so cial
programs, the office that was suppo sed to oversee Irene and the o ther
fo ster children in that co unty went fro m twenty-seven case wo rkers to
just ten. Irene fellthro ugh the cracks and she has suffered. Children
allo ver the co untry have sto ries similar to Irene’ s, due simply to the
severe under funding o f children’ s welfare pro grams. Our
go vernment must prio ritize mo re mo ney to secure a safe future fo r all
o f American’ s children thro ugh fully funding fo ster care pro grams.
9. Ask Questions
Posesomechallenging or interesting questionsto the
reader. You will answer thesequestionsin your essay.
Example:
Do yo u ever wo nder what happens to allthat paper yo u
dutifully place o ut o n the curb fo r recycling each week?
Yo u may feelthat yo u are do ing yo ur part to help reduce
waste and save fo rests, but depo siting waste in a bin is just
o ne part o f the pro cess o f recycling. Co ncerned co nsumers
sho uld suppo rt co mpanies that use recycled materials in
their pro ducts to help create a demand fo r the recycled
reso urces.
10. Use a Theme Statement
Giveageneral statement about the/alarger idea.
Example:
Do ubt, fear, ho pes and insecurities may be influenced by the
o utside wo rld, but are largely co nstructs o f o ur o wn mind.
Humans have lo ng so ught to understand and master the
mind, thro ugh rituals, physicalendurance, meditatio n and
mo st recently psycho lo gy . But perhaps the mo st pro minent,
universal way to explo re o urselves is thro ugh sto rytelling,
beginning with ancient myths and legends. Indeed,
mytho lo gicalsto ries are but extensio ns o f the universal
struggles o f the human psyche.
11. Give Background Information
or Define Terms
Depending on your topic, it can behelpful to givesomeminimal
background to ensureall readersareon thesamepage.
Example:
“ So lid waste management” is a sanitary way o f saying “ dealing with
yo ur garbage.” Tho ugh it’ s so mething that mo st American will
gladly avo id thinking about, we sho uldn’ t igno re this issue. With the
average American pro ducing abo ut fo ur po unds o f solid garbage per
day, landfills are, well, filling up. So me cities have dealt with this
problem by impo sing fines o n people and businesses that do n’ t
recycle and/o r co mpo st, a practicaland necessary step fo r all
American cities to take to help reduce our garbage and help
American rethink their dispo sable lifestyles.
12. Set the Scene
Createavisual location to set up your topic.
Example:
Shado ws sweep acro ss the grassy hillo cks and sagebrush in
Yello wsto ne Natio nal Park’ s Lamar River Valley, with the deep quiet
o f a late fallevening bro ken by the haunting ho wlo f a wolf co ming
fro m the valley flo o r. It’ s a member o f the Druid pack— o ne o f twelve
packs o f wild wo lves in the park. Like o ther wo lves in the park and
the rest o f the no rthern Ro ckies, this pack is thriving. But that do esn’ t
keep Do ug Smith, lead wo lf bio lo gist at Yello wsto ne, fro m wo rrying
abo ut their future.
Fro m “ Ro cky Ro ad Ahead fo r Wo lves?” by Heidi Ridgley, published in Defenders magazine, Spring 2008 .
13. Use Surprise or Shock
Shakethereader up abit with asurprising or shocking
statement, then go on to explain it.
Example:
Hitler was a hero . Maybe no t to peo ple to day, but in the
1 930s, fo r many unwitting Germans, he was the man who
was leading Germany back to pro sperity and greatness. Of
co urse, these Germans later fo und o ut their leader was a
mo nster. We always hear ho w so cieties need hero es, but
when taken to o far, hero wo rship destro ys bo th hero and
fo llo wers.
“Writing Introductions.” Teaching and learning Center at Superstition Mountain Campus.
Central Arizona College, 2004.<http://www.cac.cc.az.us/smc/writing/intros.htm>
14. Use a Quotation
Find arelevant quotefrom asourceof authority.
Example:
" The no velLo lita," the critic Charles Blight said in 1 959,
" is pro o f that American civilizatio n is o n the verge o f to tal
mo ralco llapse" (45). The judgment o f critics and readers in
subsequent years, ho wever, has pro claimed Lo lita [is/to be]
o ne o f the greatest lo ve sto ries o f alltime and o ne o f the
best pro o fs that American civilizatio n is stillvibrant and
alive.
“Introduction Strategies.” MIT Online Writing and Communication Center. Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, 2001.
<http://web.mit.edu/writing/Writing_Types/introstrategies.html>
15. Give a Fact or Statistic
Useapieceof information to startlethereader into wanting to read
more.
Example:
Ask most kids who smo ke if they plan to puff away fo r their entire
lives and they will say no , they can quit any time they want to .
Ho wever, ninety percent of adult smo kers started befo re the age o f
eighteen, and fifty percent befo re age fo urteen. Bet they tho ught they
co uld quit, too . The truth is, whether a perso n willbe a life-lo ng
smo ker or no t is mo st o ften determined in the teen years. Allteens
should be educated with the latest info rmatio n o n the realities and
danger o f smo king at an early age.
Zibisky-Silver, Michelle. “Efficacy of Anti-tobacco Mass Media Campaigns on
Adolescent Tobacco Use.” Pediatric Nursing. May/June 2001, pg. 293-296.
16. Final Word
Sinceweareoften too embedded in our own
work to look at it with an outsider’sperspective,
makesureto haveafew friendslook over your
introduction. Ask them:
– Do es this get yo ur attentio n? (If no t, ask them
what might.)
– Do es it make yo u want to keep reading?
– Do yo u have a pretty go o d idea o f what my
paper is abo ut?
17. Now go for it,
young writers.
Begin the race
strong and you
shall prevail!
19. First and Foremost
A conclusion should sound
natural. If theend of your last
paragraph already bringsthe
essay to it’slogical end, then
don’t forceaconcluding
paragraph.
20. A conclusion should. . .
• stresstheimportanceof your main point
(theideain your thesisstatement, but not in
thesameexact words).
• givetheessay asenseof completenessfor
thereader.
• leaveafinal impression on thereader.
“Strategies for Writing a Conclusion.” LEO: Literacy Education Online. St. Cloud
State University, 2004. <http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/conclude.html>
21. Ask Yourself Two Questions
• Doesit bring thediscussion to a
logical conclusion?
• Doesit engagethereader and make
themain point of theessay
memorable?
“Strategies for Writing an Effective Conclusion.” Effective Writing I Class Notes.
West Chester University, 2002. <http://brainstorm-services.com/wcu-2
002/conclusions.html>
22. Conclusion Suggestions
• Answer thequestion “So what?”
(Show what’simportant about your topic.)
• Synthesize, don’t summarize.
• Redirect your readers.
• Createnew meaning.
“Strategies for Writing a Conclusion.” LEO: Literacy Education Online. St. Cloud
State University, 2004. <http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/conclude.html>
23. Conclusion No-no’s
Avoid thephrases
• “In summary”
• “In conclusion”
• “In closing”
These so und stiff and fo rced. Yo u
sho uld showthe reader yo ur
co nclusio n, no t tellher.
24. Conclusion Formula
A reminder of the point of your
paper
+
Something to leave your reader
thinking (specific strategies follow)
Examples are colored-coded on the strategies.
25.
26. Echo the Introduction
Refer back in somecreativeway to your
introductory story and scenario. You might finish
thestory or givean alternateending, for example
Example:
If we are to callo urselves a civilized so ciety, we
must dedicate mo re reso urces to so cialservices that
help children thro ugh the nightmare o f abuse. No t
every child has to beco me an Irene Williams.
27. Tie Together Some Details
From the Essay
Refer back in somecreativeway to afew salient and
memorabledetailsbrought up in thearticle.
Example:
Allthis means , o f co urse, is that statistically in New
Hampshire Iam far mo re likely to be hurt by my
ceiling o r underpants— to cite just two po tentially
lethalexamples— than by a stranger, and, frankly, I
do n’ t find that co mfo rting at all.
Fro m “ Well, Do cto r, IWas Just Trying to Lie Do wn. . .” by BillBryso n.
28. Challenge the Reader
Giveyour reader acall to action or achallengeto
changehisor her mind!
Example:
Co nsumers have the po wer to make this change. It’ s
time to sto p giving lip service to recycling; use the
po wer o f the do llar to make a statement. Next time yo u
are in the sto re, do n’ t just lo o k fo r pro ducts that are
recyclable, but also made fro m recycled materials. If
we allco mmit to buying recycled pro ducts, the demand
willincrease, and allthat paper we feelso go o d abo ut
setting o ut o n the curb wo n’ t go to – think abo ut this –
waste.
29. Look to the Future
Giveyour reader alook into thefutureif theactionsyou are
speaking about either do or do not happen. Thefuture, is
after all, what you aretrying to changein apersuasive
essay.
Example:
Witho ut well-qualified teachers, scho o ls are little mo re than
buildings and equipment. If higher-paying careers co ntinue
to attract the best and the brightest co llege students, there
willno t o nly be a sho rtage o f teachers, but the teachers
available may no t have the best qualificatio ns. Our yo uth
willsuffer. And when yo uth suffers, the future suffers.
30. Pose Questions
Asking questionsthat prompt deep thought may help you and your
readersgain new insight on theissues.
Example:
Campaign advertisers sho uld help us understand the candidate's
qualificatio ns and po sitio ns o n the issues. Instead, mo st present
o nly generalo r emo tio nal images of a family man o r a Go d-fearing
American. Do suchadvertisements contribute to creating info rmed
vo ters o r people who cho se leaders the same way they cho o se so ft
drinks and so ap?
“Strategies for Writing a Conclusion.” LEO: Literacy Education Online. St. Cloud
State University, 2004. <http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/conclude.html>
31. Final Word
Theconclusion of your paper needsto
feel likeanatural ending. You should, in
effect, say theend, without ever using the
words“TheEnd.”
That is your challenge, young
warriors of the paper. Wield
your pens well and be brave.
