How to Write an Introduction 2

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Damon White
6 years ago
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1 Writing an introduction Introductions are important. They arouse a reader's interest, introduce the subject, and tackle the So What? factor. In short, they're your paper's "first impression." But you don't have to write them first. In fact, many students prefer launching right into the body of the essay before they tackle intros and conclusions. However, other students prefer writing the introduction first to help "set up" what's to follow. Whatever your style, you'll probably put your thesis/question somewhere near the end of the paragraph and some important background information directly before. But that still leaves the very beginning. Contrary to what you may have been taught, intros don't have to begin with a "general statement." So what are some different ways to start that first sentence? Begin with a quotation. Just make sure you explain its relevance Begin with a question Begin with an acknowledgment of an opinion opposite to the one you plan to take Begin with a very short narrative or anecdote that has a direct bearing on your paper Begin with an interesting fact Begin with a definition or explanation of a term relevant to your paper Begin with irony or paradox Begin with an analogy. Make sure it's original but not too far-fetched How to Write an Introduction 2 1. An introduction should generally be four to five sentences long. Begin your introduction with a general statement, and with each sentence that follows get more and more specific until you get to the last sentence, which is a clearly stated thesis. This thesis states the point of your paper. The thesis should be like an umbrella which spans your essay, including all major points found in the essay. 2. After you have brainstormed your topic, answer the following questions: "Who," "What," "When," "Where," "Why," and "How." Although it is not always necessary or possible to answer all of these, you should be able to answer some of them, and the questions not only give you a starting point, but provide your reader the needed background to put your essay into context. 3. The following example demonstrates the process of writing an introductory paragraph.

2 In a paper comparing two poems by Robert Frost, the questions would be answered as follows: Who What When Where Why How Robert Frost The poems "Birches" and "Acquainted with the Night" Does not apply Does not apply The same poet can portray both the darker and lighter sides of life Through tone of the poetry using setting, imagery, and structure 4. In the above example the introductory paragraph might be written as follows: General sentence Less general sentence Even less general (more specific) Even more specific Specific thesis sentence Dealing with emotional issues can be both complicated and perplexing. Now and then, a poet is willing to expose two very distinct facets of his or her emotional nature. Such a poet is courageous enough to look back on sadder times, as well as to recollect a fond memory--a writer honest enough to know that life includes both the swing of birches and the darker moments of the soul. Robert Frost is such a poet. The difference in the tone of his poems "Birches" and "Acquainted With the Night" reveals a poet equally adept at portraying both the lighter and darker sides in life through his use of setting, imagery and structure. The first statement does not come directly from the answers to the question but deals with the material involved, which suggests the subject of emotional issues. The next two statements refrain from talking about the specific person, but let the reader know that we are talking about a poet dealing with emotional issues. The third sentence introduces the poet, and once the poet is introduced, the writer is ready for the thesis statement. The thesis statement lists three topics for discussion. As you write the body of your paper, follow these topics in the order listed in the thesis statement. The Concluding Paragraph Concluding paragraphs can be the most difficult part of an essay to write. In some ways, writing a conclusion is like writing an introduction in reverse. There are a few key points to remember when writing conclusions.

3 A conclusion should: rephrase the thesis statement, provide a graceful exit from the paper to the real world, provide a sense of completion, and review or summarize key points from the paper. Remember that normally the rephrased thesis statement comes early in the concluding paragraph. Your concluding idea is usually near the end of the concluding paragraph. You will also need one or more sentences between the thesis statement and the concluding idea. There are several techniques that you can use in writing a conclusion. The most important thing is that your conclusion should match your introduction and your body in tone and style. If you are writing a humorous paper, you shouldn t conclude it with an extremely serious paragraph. If you have used a quotation, for example, in your introduction, you might want to close with another quotation or to refer indirectly to the quotation. Concluding techniques can include: A challenge or suggested course of action, A summary of the paper s main points (map), A circular reference to the introduction, An expression of the importance of the thesis, A provocative question. A warning, A quotation, An affirmation of hope or an expression of hopelessness, A use of a symbol, A striking fact or detail, A powerful example, A strong vivid visual image, A comparison to similar situations, A look to the future, A suggestion of future consequences, and A new interpretation of a common term. Do not: Start off in a new direction, Make exaggerated claims, or Apologize.

4 Paper Format The preparation of manuscripts in MLA style is covered in chapter four of the MLA Style Manual, as well as in chapter three of the Handbook for Writing Research Papers. Here are some basic guidelines for formatting a paper in MLA style. General Guidelines Type your paper or write it on a computer and print it out on standard-sized paper (8.5 X 11 inches). Double-space your paper. Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides. Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, onehalf inch from the top and flush with the right margin. (Note: Your instructor or whoever is reading the manuscript may ask that you omit the number on your first page. Always follow their guidelines.) Use either underlining or italics throughout your essay for highlighting the titles of longer works and providing emphasis. If you have any notes, include them on a page before your works cited page and format them the same way as your works cited list. Formatting the first page of your paper Do not make a title page for your paper unless specifically requested. Provide a double-spaced entry in the top left corner of the first page that lists your name, your instructor's name, the course, and the date. Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, onehalf inch from the top and flush with the right margin. (Note: Your instructor or whoever is reading the manuscript may ask that you omit the number on your first page. Always follow their guidelines.) Center your title on the line below the header with your name, and begin your paper immediately below the title. Here is a sample first page of an essay in MLA style: Purdue 1 Pete Purdue Dr. B. Boilermaker English November 2000

5 Building a Dream: Reasons to Expand Ross-Aide Stadium During the 2000 football season, the Purdue Boilermakers won the Big Ten Conference Title, earned their first trip to the Rose Bowl in thirty-four years, and played consistently to soldout crowds. Looking ahead... Formatting your works cited list Begin your works cited list on a separate page from the text of the essay. Label the works cited list Works Cited (do not underline the words Works Cited nor put them in quotation marks) and center the words Works Cited at the top of the page. Double space all entries and do not skip spaces between entries. If you're looking for more help with MLA format, Diana Hacker provides an excellent guide to MLA Manuscript Format in Research and Documentation Online (available at Wright University provides MLA Research Paper Templates in Microsoft Word and Rich Text formats (available at you can download and use guides for writing your papers. Making reference to works of others in your text Referring to the works of others in your text by using MLA style is covered in chapter seven of the MLA Style Manual, and chapter five of the Handbook for Writing Research Papers. Both chapters include extensive examples, so it's a good idea to read them over if you want to become familiar with the guidelines or if you have a particular question. In MLA style, referring to the works of others in your text is done in two ways. When you make reference to someone else's idea, either through paraphrasing or quoting them directly, you: provide the author's name (or the title of the work) and the page (or paragraph) number of the work in a parenthetical citation provide full citation information for the work in your Works Cited list This allows people to know which sources you used in writing your essay and then be able to look them up themselves, so that they can use them in their scholarly work. Here are some basic guidelines for referring to the works of others in your text.

6 Parenthetical Citations MLA format follows the author-page method of citation. This means that the author's last name and the page number(s) from which the quotation is taken must appear in the text, and a complete reference should appear in your works cited list (see Your Works Cited Page, below). The author's name may appear either in the sentence itself or in parentheses following the quotation or paraphrase, but the page number(s) should always appear in the parentheses, not in the text of your sentence. For example: Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263). Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263). Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263). If the work you are making reference to has no author, use an abbreviated version of the work's title. For non-print sources, such as films, TV series, pictures, or other media, or electronic sources, include the name that begins the entry in the Works Cited page. For example: An anonymous Wordsworth critic once argued that his poems were too emotional ("Wordsworth Is A Loser" 100). Sometimes you may have to use an indirect quotation. An indirect quotation is a quotation that you found in another source that was quoting from the original. For such indirect quotations, use "qtd. in" to indicate the source. For example: Ravitch argues that high schools are pressured to act as "social service centers, and they don't do that well" (qtd.in Weisman 259). Sometimes more information is necessary to identify the source from which a quotation is taken. For instance, if two or more authors have the same last name, provide both authors' first initials (or even her or his full name if different authors share initials) in your citation. If you cite more

7 than one work by a particular author, include a shortened title for the particular work from which you are quoting to distinguish it from the other works by that same person. For example: Two authors with the same last name: Although some medical ethicists claim that cloning will lead to designer children (R. Miller 12), others note that the advantages for medical research outweigh this consideration (A. Miller 46). Two works by the same author: Lightenor has argued that computers are not useful tools for small children ("Too Soon" 38), though he has acknowledged that early exposure to computer games does lead to better small motor skill development in a child's second and third year ("Hand-Eye Development" 17). For more about using parenthetical citations, visit MLA In-Text Citations (at Research and Documentation Online, available at or MLA Documentation: Citations in Text (from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center, available at or see our additional resources section. Quotations When you directly quote the works of others in your paper, you will format quotations differently depending on whether they are long or short quotations. Formatting quotations using MLA style is covered in section 3.9 of the MLA Style Manual (which begins on page 102), and section 2.7 of the of the Handbook for Writing Research Papers (which begins on page 80). Here are some basic guidelines for incorporating quotations into your paper. Short Quotations To indicate short quotations (fewer than four typed lines of prose or three lines of verse) in your text, enclose the quotation within double quotation marks and incorporate it into your text. Provide the author and specific page citation (in the case of verse, provide line numbers) in the text, and include a complete reference in the works-cited list. Punctuation marks such as periods, commas, and semicolons should appear after the parenthetical citation. Question marks and exclamation points should appear within the quotation marks if they are a part of the quoted passage but after the parenthetical citation if they are a part of your text.

8 For example: According to some, dreams express "profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes 184), though others disagree. According to Foulkes's study, dreams may express "profound aspects of personality" (184). Is it possible that dreams may express "profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes 184)? Cullen concludes, "Of all the things that happened there/ That's all I remember" (11-12).

MLA Format. Introduction

MLA Format. Introduction Introduction MLA Format In April of 2016, the Modern Language Association (MLA) published the 8 th edition of the MLA Handbook. The main difference between the 8 th edition and the previous edition is