Building Strong Introductions

Presenter: Armenuhi Ananyan,Writing Consultant at the Math and

Writing Center

Outline

• Getting Started• Core Structure and Components of Intros• DOs and DON’Ts • Q&A

Getting StartedBrainstormingPlanningResearching

Recipe for a Delicious Introduction

Which of these sentences are good hooks?

• In this paper, I will tell about Orwell’s Animal Farm. • The idyllic setting of life on the farm provides little clue of the

harsh realities Orwell (1945) portrays in Animal Farm.

• The day of his birth began with Hurricane Charlie pounding at their door.

• He was born on August 9, 2004, the day of Hurricane Charlie.

• I have seen the seven wonders of the world, and if there is an eighth, I have seen it, and if a ninth, it (Saroyan,1975, p. 236).

• I want to tell that I have seen all the wonders of the world though I don’t know the exact number of the wonders.

Types of HooksStartling Fact or StatisticThought-Provoking QuestionStrong OpinionAnecdote or Personal ExperienceDescription

Background

• Context• Brief History of the Topic• Explanation of the Importance of the Topic• Explanation of the Controversy of the Topic

Thesis Statement

• Fact vs. Opinion

• Answer to a question you have posed• Solution to a problem you have identified • Statement that takes a position on a topic

Thesis Statement (contd.)

• Topic + Comment = Thesis Statement

The shift from print to online news provides unprecedented opportunities for readers to become more engaged with the news, to hold journalists accountable, and to participate as producers, not simply as consumers.

- Jacobs (as cited in Hacker & Sommers, 2011, p.81)

DOs and DON’Ts• DON’T lose the link between the introduction and the

rest of the paper • DO support arguments with evidence in the body

• DON’T answer all the questions in the introduction• DO pose questions to spark curiosity

• DON’T make infeasible promises in the introduction • DO accomplish your promises

• DON’T add words to meet word limit • DO avoid redundancies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npjqdj-gR8o

Recap

• When should you write the intro?• What are the components of intros?• How can you grab readers’ attention?• What kind of statement is the thesis?• Do you have questions?

References

• Hacker, D. & Sommers N. (2012) Rules for writers. (7th ed.). New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

• Lunsford, A. A. (2011). The St. Martin’s Handbook. (7th ed.). New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

• Saroyan, W. (1975) Selected short stories. Moscow: Progress Publishers.

• Shmoop (2014, July 8). What Not to Do in an Introduction [Vidio File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npjqdj-gR8o

THANK YOU!