the Introductory Paragraph Introductory Paragraph Get get the readers interest so that he or she will want to read more Let the reader know what the writing is going to be about thesis statement ID: 308691
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Slide1
Writing
the
Introductory ParagraphSlide2
Introductory Paragraph
Get get the reader’s interest so that he or she will want to read more.
Let the reader know what the writing is going to be about (
thesis statement
).Slide3
Introductory ParagraphBegin with a broad, general statement that you narrow down to your thesis statement
.
Keep
in mind that the thesis provides the main idea for the entire
composition.
Use a question or series of thought-provoking questions.
Use
quotations. Slide4
Introductory Paragraph
Start with a startling statement, fact, or statistic which will
get the reader’s attention to surprise, horrify, anger
, or amuse
the reader into reading
more
.
Use
exaggeration where
appropriate, but don’t
be obnoxious.Slide5
Introductory Paragraph
Startle
Buyers
beware! A suit, shined shoes, a Rolex, Old Spice, and a dazzling smile
don’t
make someone an expert. People should not let smooth-talking advertisers, manufacturers, and car salesmen sell them the wrong
car.
Topic
sentence
: They can get the car
that's
just right for them if they follow this advice.Slide6
Introductory Paragraph
Humor (Exaggerate
)
Our
neighbors have all moved
away—again
, and
it’s
all
Mom’s
fault—again
.
First
it was Christmas wreaths in July, and then it was plastic eggs in December
.
Topic sentence
:
Leaving holiday decorations up during the wrong season can cause many problems.Slide7
Introductory Paragraph
Horrify
Imagine
a line of dead and mangled bodies stretching for twenty-five miles—25,000 corpses. That is the number of victims of drunk driving every year.
It’s
hard to believe that the number is increasing in spite of the ads and community awareness efforts
.
Topic sentence
: The
time has come to take more specific measures to get drunk drivers off the road.Slide8
Introductory Paragraph
State
the importance of the topic.
Present statistical
data, facts, figures that underscore the issues about to be discussed
.
Present this in an
objective
manner; this is not the place to give your opinion. The
facts speak for
themselves
.
Use an anecdote.
The best anecdotes are those coming from popular culture—stories and events that people are aware of and talking about
.Slide9
Introductory Paragraph
Sample Anecdote:
Friends
Two friends were standing in a bank when a pair of robbers entered. Not only did the thieves clean out the
tellers,
but also they walked around
with
bags and ordered everyone to throw their valuables in. Just as the robbers got to the pair, one of the friends turned to the
other, passed him a bill and said
, "By the way, Joe,
here’s
that twenty
dollars I
owe you."Slide10
Introductory ParagraphUse the opposite of what you plan to write about
.
This
is done for dramatic effect, as in “What if the world were like this instead of what the world, or situation about to be discussed, truly is
?”
Readers
are often fascinated, intrigued by this type of
approach.
Use a combination of the strategies. Slide11
What Not
to Do!Slide12
Introductory Paragraph
Never apologize.
Don't suggest
that you
don’t
know what
you’re
talking about or that
you’re
not enough of an expert in this matter that your opinion would matter
.
Avoid
phrases like
In my
humble
opinion . .
.
I'm
not sure about this, but
. . .Slide13
Introductory Paragraph
Never announce
your intentions
.
Do
not flatly announce what you are about to do in an essay.
Never write
In
this paper I will . . .
The
purpose of this essay is to . . .Slide14