"If any man wishes to write in a clear style, let him first be clear in his thoughts."  
 --Goethe

 

"One of the most difficult things is the first paragraph,  I have spent many months on a first paragraph, and once I get it, the rest just comes out very easily."  --Gabriel Garcia Marquez

INTRODUCTIONS                              Writing Center Home

Examples of Good Introductions

                       Purpose-- to invite your reader into your paper.

The most important sentence in any article or essay is the first one.  If it doesn't move the reader to the second sentence, your essay is dead.  The introduction serves two purposes.  The first--and most important--is to indicate to the reader the purpose of your paper.  The second purpose is to convince your reader that your document is worth reading.  Whether you are introducing a new idea, a new product, or a new philosophical position, you will want to convince the reader that your subject is important and deserves attention.  You can grab the reader in various ways:

  • Relate a brief story or anecdote

  • Provide relevant background information

  • Use an appropriate quotation   BS01247_.WMF (18846 bytes)

  • Give a pertinent statistic

  • Make an analogy

  • Define a term used throughout the essay

  • Identify the situation

Avoid the Following:

  • Obvious statements that refer to what the essay is about or will accomplish, such as "I am going to discuss the causes of falling oil prices."

  • Apologies, such as "I am not sure this is right, but this is my opinion."

  • Overworked expressions, such as "Haste really does make waste, as I recently discovered" or "Love is grand."

Adapted from Simon & Schuster Handbook for Writers. Ed. Lynn Q Troyka. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1999.