Introductions As a writer, your top objective in the introduction should be to catch the reader’s attention. It was a wet and stormy night. The small gentle - looking man who had come into the inn was drenched to the skin. He made his way to the fireplace but there were several villagers warming themselves in front of the fire and he could not go near it. As he stood there, shivering the landlord who knew him slightly welcomed him and asked him why he was looking so sad.

Writing Effective Introductions * Reveal the essay’s central idea or thesis *Guide readers to important ideas in the body *Provide relevant background information to help readers understand the essay’s purpose and thesis

Describe a scene or tell an anecdote Welcome to French class, where you must learn to juggle irregular verbs, flying chalk, and the constant threat of bodily harm. At the age of forty-one, I am returning to school and having to think of myself as what my French textbook calls “a true debutante.” After paying my tuition, I was issued a student ID, which allows me a discounted entry fee at movie theaters, puppet shows, and Festyland, a far-flung amusement park that advertises with billboard picturing a cartoon stegosaurus sitting in a canoe and eating what appears to be a ham sandwich. David Sedaris, “Me Talk Pretty One Day”

Provide relevant background information To hold its own in the struggle for existence, every species of animal must have a regular source of food and if it happens to live on other animals, its survival may be very delicately balanced. The hunter cannot exist without the hunted; if the latter should perish from the earth, the former would too. When the hunted also prey on some of the hunters, the matter may become more complicated. Alexander Petrunkevitch, “The Spider and the Wasp”

Address your readers directly You ask me what is poverty? Listen to me. Here I am, dirty, smelly, and with no “proper” underwear on and with the stench of my rotting teeth near you. I will tell you. Listen to me. Listen without pity. I cannot use your pity. Listen with understanding. Put yourself in my dirty, worn out, ill-fitting shoes, and hear me. -- Jo Goodwin Parker, “What is Poverty?”

Use a comparison, a contrast, or an analogy I’ve finally figured out the difference between neat people and sloppy people. The distinction is, as always, moral. Neat people are lazier and meaner than sloppy people. --Suzanne Britt, “Neat People vs. Sloppy People”

Challenge a widely held assumption or opinion Remember that hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica, the one thought to be caused by chlorofluorocarbons? It may be on the mend, say Japanese researchers. They say the hole could be on its way to recovery more quickly than anticipated. --Jeffrey Winters, “That Ozone Hole? Never Mind”

Use a Quotation Quotation: Hillary Rodham Clinton once said that “There cannot be true democracy unless women's voices are heard.” In 2006, when Nancy Pelosi became the nation’s first female Speaker of the House, one woman’s voice rang out clear. With this development, democracy grew to its truest level ever in terms of women’s equality. The historical event also paved the way for Senator Clinton as she warmed her own vocal chords in preparation for a presidential race.

Finding the Hook In each example, the first sentence draws the reader in to find out how the interesting fact leads to a point. You can use many methods to capture your reader’s interest. Curiosity: A duck’s quack doesn’t echo. Some people might find a deep and mysterious meaning in this fact … Definition: A homograph is a word with two or more pronunciations. Produce is one example … Anecdote: Yesterday morning I watched as my older sister left for school with a bright white glob of toothpaste gleaming on her chin. I felt no regret at all until she stepped onto the bus

What NOT to do! Apologize. Never 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. Your reader will quickly turn to something else. Avoid phrases like the following: In my [humble] opinion . . . I'm not sure about this, but . . . Announce your intentions. Do not flatly announce what you are about to do in an essay. In this paper I will . . . The purpose of this essay is to . . . Get into the topic and let your reader perceive your purpose in the topic sentence of your beginning paragraph. Use a dictionary or encyclopedia definition. According to Merriam-Webster's WWWebster Dictionary, a widget is . . . Although definitions are extremely useful and it might serve your purpose to devise your own definition(s) later in the essay, you want to avoid using this hackneyed beginning to an essay

It’s your turn to try Electricity is a recent discovery. Write about 12 things to do when the power is out. List 5 things you are afraid of. Pick one and write about it. Write about a time you hid from someone or disguised who you really are.