1

English 8

January 28, 2014

Writing Introductions and Conclusions

2

Catch the reader’s attention.Give a Goldilocks overview (not too much, not too little information).

Make the reader want to read moreUsually be 4-6 sentences long (in a 1-2 page paper).

State your thesis.

Effective introductions will…

3

Ask an interesting questionTell an anecdote or short story

Quote an expertGive an interesting or surprising fact or statistic

Introduction techniques to use

4

Ask a boring question: “Did you know…” “Have you ever wondered…”

Tell a long or unrelated storyGive a definitionPut too many facts, especially if they’re listed

“In this paper…” “I am going to tell you…”

Introduction techniques to avoid

5

Wrap up the information for your reader

Make the reader thinkEcho the paper itselfSignal the ending of the paper

An effective conclusion will…

6

Finish the story from the intro (if you used one)

Challenge the reader to do something

Answer the question, “So what?” or “What now?”What should change? Why does your reader care about what you wrote?

Conclusion techniques to use

7

Repeating the introduction“So now you know about…” “That’s all I have to say about…” “What do you think about…?”

Just stopping Adding new information

Conclusion techniques to avoid