INTRODUCTIONS
1. Interest (“hook”) the reader.
2. Introduce the essay’s subject and give the necessary context/background that your readers will need to understand before reading more about it.
3. Set the tone for the rest of the essay.
4. Present a thesis statement.
When writing an introduction, you should usually avoid several types of openings:
1. The history-of-the-world opening
2. The funnel opening
3. Announcing your intentions
4. “Quote dropping” and “definition dropping”
5. Unnecessary, broad, or boring questions
THESIS STATEMENTS
Every paper must have a thesis statement! A thesis statement states the main point that the rest of the paper will try to prove. Thesis statements are usually placed at the very end of the introduction, and they are 1-2 sentences long. They contain a subject (topic for your paper) and a claim (what you have to say about the topic). They are created by responding carefully and directly to the essential question from the prompt. Thesis statements each have “key terms,” which are the most important words, phrases, or details. These “key terms” will need to be developed in later paragraphs, and should be addressed in one or more of your topics sentences.
TOPIC SENTENCES
Each paragraph needs to have a topic sentence. A topic sentence states the main point that the rest of the paragraph will try to prove. Each topic sentence should be different from the others; otherwise, your paragraphs will repeat the same information. Topic sentences also have “key terms,” which are the most important words, phrases, or details. These “key terms” will need to be analyzed, illustrated, and developed throughout the paragraph, using examples, W questions, and “showing” rather than “telling.”
BODY PARAGRAPH
A body paragraph’s job is to prove or expand on the topic sentence; it should focus on giving examples of, analyzing, and illustrating the “key terms.” Every sentence in a body paragraph needs to clearly be related to the topic sentence; when the entire paragraph is related to its topic sentence, the paragraph is “on topic.” When your paragraph begins to talk about something that doesn’t help prove or expand on the topic sentence, it becomes “off-topic.”
CONCLUSIONS
A conclusion is different from a body paragraph. It does not try to prove a small point, like a body paragraph does; its job is to remind your reader of the overall point—the thesis statement. Because of this, your conclusion should not introduce any new arguments. Instead, your conclusion should:
¡ Wrap up the conversation
¡ Leave readers thinking about the importance of your thesis statement.
¡ Show how or why your paper’s subject is important to your readers.
Avoid repeating yourself. It is highly recommended that you do not simply summarize your topic sentences.
Below are a few additional techniques you may use:
¡ Connect your topic to something larger or smaller.
¡ Refer back to your hook.
¡ Make a call to action.
¡ Speculate about the future.
¡ Present a warning.
¡ Present an anecdote (real or hypothetical).