Imagine this: you need a new free reading book, so you grab one off the shelf. You open it up and the first page of the book nearly puts you to sleep. The writing is very lame, and the story doesn’t interest you at all. What do you do?

How to write a good introduction Beginning Strong How to write a good introduction

What is an introduction? The first paragraph/section of your writing Exposition First impression

Why is the introduction important? It helps the reader answer the question “Do I want to keep reading?”

Attention Grabber a statement, question, fact, or anecdote that appears at the beginning of the introduction and “hooks” or grabs the reader’s attention.

Attention Grabbers Common attention grabbers: Thought-provoking question Dialogue Live in My Memory “Imagine this:...” Onomatopoeia Live in my memory I never expected

Identify the Attention Grabber “You have got to come look at this!” screamed Jared from the top of the mountain. I wasn’t too excited to climb up next to him because I was already mad. Jared, my older, smarter, and stronger brother, always gave me a hard time for being slower than him, and I was sure he was going to do it again. He never missed an opportunity to remind me that I was the runt.

Attention Grabbers Common attention grabbers: Thought-provoking question Dialogue Live in My Memory “Imagine this:...” Onomatopoeia Live in my memory I never expected

Identify the Attention Grabber I never expected my life to change on that cold day in July. It started like every other July 4th. Well, I guess that isn’t completely true because, as I said, it was cold. Winter cold. Hot chocolate cold. Santa Clause and his seven reindeer cold. However, other than the chill in the air, it was a normal Fourth of July, but now that I think of it, maybe the temperature was a sign. Maybe it was a warning saying Beware of today, Casey. It won’t end well.

Attention Grabbers Common attention grabbers: Thought-provoking question Dialogue Live in My Memory “Imagine this:...” Onomatopoeia Live in my memory I never expected

Identify the Attention Grabber Have you ever gone on a trip that changed the way you think about the world? Have you ever had an experience that changed your life forever? Well, I certainly have, and it happened not too long ago. When I went to camp at Star Lake last summer, I felt something in my life change. In this essay, I will explain to you how the counselors, my new friends, and the the peaceful lake helped make me a better person.

Attention Grabbers Common attention grabbers: Thought-provoking question Dialogue Live in My Memory “Imagine this:...” Onomatopoeia Live in my memory I never expected

Identify the Attention Grabber Bang! Crash! The sound startled Tim awake, but he was unable to see anything in the darkness. Beyond the blackness of his bedroom, the sound came again. Louder. Closer. His heart raced. His breath caught in his chest. His hands impulsively brought the blanket up to cover half of his terrified face. What was that noise? No one was supposed to be in the house but him. Had he locked the door before he went to bed? Had he closed all the windows?

Attention Grabbers Common attention grabbers: Thought-provoking question Dialogue Live in My Memory “Imagine this:...” Onomatopoeia Live in my memory I never expected

Identify the Attention Grabber The day I found out my grandmother was sick with cancer is a day that will live in my memory forever. I remember the dry air in the waiting room. My cousin and I were sprawled across chairs, trying to pass the hours quickly but without any tools to help hurry time along. My mom and aunts sat huddled together, battling bouts of tears that I didn’t completely understand. My uncles played cards, and my brother was using his iPod to torture his ears with some disgusting heavy metal song. Right when I thought I couldn’t possibly wait a second longer, the doctor emerged, his eyes focused on the floor. In a hospital, that is always a bad sign.

Attention Grabbers Common attention grabbers: Thought-provoking question Dialogue Live in My Memory “Imagine this:...” Onomatopoeia Live in my memory I never expected

Identify the Attention Grabber Imagine this: you are a fighter pilot in World War II, navigating your way through bullets and bombs as you try to complete a mission, when you feel your plane shudder. Suddenly, you hear it: Beep! Beep! Beep! The alarms are sounding and the lights are flashing. You look out the window and see your engine has been blown away. The plane is going down, and you need to make a decision. This is exactly what happened to my grandfather, Tomas Jordan, when he was in the Air Force. In this essay, I will tell you the story of his courageous fall from the sky.

Attention Grabbers Common attention grabbers: Thought-provoking question Dialogue Live in My Memory “Imagine this:...” Onomatopoeia Live in my memory I never expected