Writing Introductions

1. WRITING
INTRODUCTIONS
www.grammar-quizzes.com/intros.html adapted

2. AN INTRODUCTION SHOULD:
• Introduce the topic.
• Indicate how the topic is going to be developed
(cause-effect, reasons, examples, classification,
description, narration, or explanation).
• Contain a thesis statement.
• Be inviting and entice the reader to continue after
reading the first sentence.

3. 4 Types of Introductions
1.Funnel 2. Dramatic 3. Quotation 4. Turn About

4. FUNNEL:
• Birds, pigs, rats and other animals all have special
talents which have been used by humans. Birds can
talk, pigs can find truffles, rats can run wires
through walls for plumbers, but no animal has quite
as many special talents as dogs, especially when it
comes to helping ranchers.
Reveals background info leading
to a focused thesis statement

5. DRAMATIC:
• Rubble from earthquake-stricken houses is lying
everywhere. Precious lives are buried deep within
the piles of dirt, concrete and debris. If rescue
workers can locate these souls in time, their lives
may be saved. Dog teams arrive. They will employ
their amazing talents in this emergency situation.
Unrolls as an eye-witness
account.

6. QUOTATION:
• "Never trust a man a dog doesn't like." the proverbs
says. This somehow implies that dogs can tell the
character of a person before a human can. In many
ways this is true: dogs have amazing talents when it
comes to assessing a person's character. But how
do they do it? Pet behaviorists give the following
explanations.
Uses a quote to lead to
the thesis statement.

7. TURN ABOUT:
• Max was a cute dog, a Tibetan Terrier with a "winning
smile", but he had annoying habit of "lifting his leg" on
my furniture if I left him alone for more than a couple
of hours. Also, half-way through our walks, he would
roll on his back indicating he had had enough. I would
have to carry him home. Just when I decided to give
him up for adoption, he used his amazing talent as a
"chick magnet" to find me the love of my life.
Starts with the opposite idea
and then moves to the focus.

8. EXAMPLES
Identify & figure out how to fix them
Let’s analyze a few

9. 1.
Do you remember seeing dogs in movies saving lives?
Some awaken and rescue their owners from their
burning homes. Some attacked bad guys who were
hurting their owners. Others lead their owners to
safety. Still others ran to get help when their owners
were trapped. Dogs have many amazing talents when
it comes to rescuing people.

10. Example 1
Do you remember seeing dogs in movies saving lives?
Some awaken and rescue their owners from their
burning homes. Some attacked bad guys who were
hurting their owners. Others lead their owners to
safety. Still others ran to get help when their owners
were trapped. Dogs have many amazing talents when
it comes to rescuing people.

11. • Do you remember seeing dogs in movies saving lives? Some
awaken and rescue their owners from their burning
homes. Some attacked bad guys who were hurting their
owners. Others lead their owners to safety. Still others ran to
get help when their owners were trapped. Dogs have many
amazing talents when it comes to rescuing people.
• The last sentence could lead to a piece of writing that would fill a
book. Depending on the size of the intended composition, the writer
should focus down to a smaller topic: dogs in law-enforcement, in
earthquake recovery, in drug enforcement, in handicapped
assistance, in detecting health problems and so on. Then, the writer
needs to decide if the writing will classify, describe, narrate or
explain.

12. Example 2
• Dogs can do all kinds of tricks and they can
rescue people. It all depends on their owners and
whether they train them well. I wonder how they
can do all the things they do?

13. • Dogs can do all kinds of tricks and they can rescue
people. It all depends on their owners and whether
they train them well. I wonder how they can do all
the things they do?
• It's unclear what the essay will focus on: teaching dog tricks,
teaching rescue dogs, dog-trainer techniques, bad dog-
trainers. The writer needs to get to the point and focus on
what will be discussed. Will it classify, describe, narrate or
explain? The final sentence (the topic sentence) should not
be phrased as a question.

14. Example 3
• Once when I was traveling and was at an airport, I
saw police dogs sniffing the suitcases. I was really
scared when it started to sniff my suitcase and then
it barked at me. Dogs have many extraordinary
talents in law enforcement.

15. • Once when I was traveling and was at an airport, I
saw police dogs sniffing the suitcases. I was really
scared when it started to sniff my suitcase and then
it barked at me. Dogs have many extraordinary
talents in law enforcement.
• The first two sentences give background and lead the
reader to think the writer is going to talk about how scary
law-enforcement dogs are. The final sentence does not
logically follow the first two. What will this writing be
about? Will it classify, describe, narrate or explain
something?

16. Example 4
• "Dogs wag their tails, not their tongues" my
grandmother would say. She had a beautiful Golden
Retriever that we all loved. But it died. Everyone in
the family used to sit, pet and talk confidentially to
that dog. We all miss that dog because we have no
one safe to tell our secrets to. Dogs have many
extraordinary talents.

17. • "Dogs wag their tails, not their tongues" my grandmother
would say. She had a beautiful Golden Retriever that we
all loved. But it died. Everyone in the family used to sit,
pet and talk confidentially to that dog. We all miss that
dog because we have no one safe to tell our secrets
to. Dogs have many extraordinary talents.
• The final sentence does not logically follow the first five
sentences. The initial sentences lead the reader to believe the
writer will talk about dogs as friends with whom we can talk
about our problems. What will this writing be about? Will it
classify, describe, narrate or explain something?

18. Example 5
• Dogs are God's gift to man. But "truffle dogs" are
God's gift to the chef. Finding this edible fungus
that grows in the roots at the base of trees
requires cooperation of man and dog. However,
without the "truffle dog's" extraordinary talent,
man would be left to dig blindly.

19. • Dogs are God's gift to man. But "truffle dogs" are
God's gift to the chef. Finding this edible fungus that
grows in the roots at the base of trees requires
cooperation of man and dog. However, without the
"truffle dog's" extraordinary talent, man would be left
to dig blindly.
• The introduction begins well. Its final sentence does not state
what the focus of the writing will be: how truffle dogs
perform; how man digs blindly; how chef and dog cooperate
to find truffles? Will it classify, describe, narrate or explain?

20. Example 6
• I saw a dog in Macy's and I wondered why they
let a dog in a department store. Then I saw that
the dog was guiding a blind person. Dogs have
many talents in helping blind people.

21. • I saw a dog in Macy's and I wondered why they let a
dog in a department store. Then I saw that the dog
was guiding a blind person. Dogs have many talents
in helping blind people.
• The first two sentences logically lead to the final sentence.
The reader expects to read more about services that 'guide
dogs' provide. Is the topic too large for a multi-page report,
a one-page essay or a paragraph? For smaller compositions,
the writer will need to focus the topic more, choosing to
cover perhaps just one 'talent'.