Introduction Paragraph The introduction is the first paragraph in your essay, and it should accomplish a few specific goals: 1. Capture the reader's interest 2. Introduce the topic 3. Make a claim or express your opinion in a thesis sentence.

1. Capture the reader's interest "The Hook." 1. Anecdote (a brief story). 2. Quotation (someone else's words). 3. Surprising Statement (shocking statement). 4. Question (makes reader think).

Examples of different "hook" sentence styles. 1. Anecdote Example: Scrooge was asleep in his bed when he was awoken by the irritating sound of rattling chains. 2. Quotation Example: "God bless us, everyone" were the famous words spoken by Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol. 3. Surprising Statement Example: A dead man wrapped in chains appeared at the bedside of Ebenezer Scrooge. 4. Question Example: Are there spirits still dwelling on earth that wish to help people improve their lives?

BAD INTRODUCTIONS: Hi my name is Jane Doe and I am going to tell you about the ghost that benefited Scrooge the most. I am going to tell you about the theme of A Christmas Carol. My paper is on the ghost that was the most influential to Scrooge. Don't put your thesis statement as the first sentence in your paragraph. Don't list your body paragraph in your introduction.

2. Introduce the topic The next few sentences should explain your first statement, and prepare the reader for your thesis statement. Example: In Charles Dickens's, A Christmas Carol, four ghosts visited a man whom was in desperate need of aid. Ebenezer Scrooge was a lonely and greedy man who forgot how to love others. Therefore, four ghosts came to visit Scrooge on Christmas eve to show him that he was living his life for the wrong reasons and that he needed to change.

3. Make a claim or express your opinion in a thesis sentence. Example: Although four ghosts influenced Scrooge into changing his ways, the drastic and dark images that the ghost of Christmas yet to come showed Scrooge were the most influential for Scrooge's change of character.

Are there spirits still dwelling on earth that wish to help people improve their lives? Hook: In Charles Dickens's, A Christmas Carol, four ghosts visited a man whom was in desperate need of aid. Ebenezer Scrooge was a lonely and greedy man who forgot how to love others. Therefore, four ghosts came to visit Scrooge on Christmas eve to show him that he was living his life for the wrong reasons and that he needed to change. Introducing the Topic: Although four ghosts influenced Scrooge into changing his ways, the drastic and dark images that the ghost of Christmas yet to come showed Scrooge were the most influential for Scrooge's change of character. Thesis Statement: