1. Introductions
How to hook your readers
like slimy little fish.

2. First and Foremost
Think of Hollywood. If the first
ten minutes of a movie are
boring, you might turn it off or
walk out. A catchy introduction is
a film maker’s challenge. A writer
has the same challenge: an essay
introduction should catch readers’
attention, pull them in.

3. An introduction should . . .
• Hook readers, make them want to
keep reading, and be enjoyable to
read.
• Be original, creative, clever and
memorable.
• Smoothly transition to your thesis.
• Clearly and logically introduce the
purpose of your paper (the thesis).

4. Ask yourself these
questions:
• Is the introduction clever and
original?
• Would I want to keep reading this
paper based on the introduction?
• Could a reader state what this paper
is about based on my introduction?

5. Introduction No-No’s
• Don’t start out with ―This paper is
about,‖ ―In this essay, I will tell you
about,‖ ―today you will read about‖ or
any other variations.
• Unless you are writing a lengthy
paper (over five pages), you don’t
need to state all of your main points in
the introduction. You can hint at
them, though . . .

6. Introduction Formula:
Catchy intro
+
Transition
+
Thesis Statement
Examples will be color coded in the following strategies.

8. Tell a Story
Start out with a few details from a real or hypothetical story
involving your topic.
Example:
Irene Williams had been in twelve foster homes by the age of ten.
In the hands of ill-qualified foster parents, she suffered physical
abuse, malnutrition and emotional trauma. With deep cutbacks to
social programs, the office that was supposed to oversee Irene and
the other foster children in that county went from twenty-seven
case workers to just ten. Irene fell through the cracks and she has
suffered. Children all over the country have stories similar to
Irene’s, due simply to the gross under funding of children’s welfare
programs. Our government must prioritize more money to secure
a safe future for all of American’s children through fully funding
foster care programs.

9. Ask Questions
Pose some challenging or interesting questions to the
reader. You will answer these questions in your essay.
Example:
Do you ever wonder what happens to all that paper you
dutifully place out on the curb for recycling each week?
You may feel that you are doing your part to help reduce
waste and save forests, but depositing waste in a bin is
just one part of the process of recycling. Concerned
consumers should support companies that use recycled
materials in their products to help create a demand for
the recycled resources.

10. Use a Theme Statement
Give a general statement about the/a larger idea.
Example:
Doubt, fear, hopes and insecurities may be influenced by
the outside world, but are largely constructs of our own
mind. Humans have long sought to understand and
master the mind, through rituals, physical
endurance, meditation and most recently psychology .
But perhaps the most prominent, universal way to
explore ourselves is through storytelling, beginning with
ancient myths and legends. Indeed, mythological stories
are but extensions of the universal struggles of the

11. Give Background Information
or Define Terms
Depending on your topic, it can be helpful to give some minimal
background to ensure all readers are on the same page.
Example:
―Solid waste management‖ is a sanitary way of saying ―dealing with
your garbage.‖ Though it’s something that most Americans will
gladly avoid thinking about, we shouldn’t. With the average
American producing about four pounds of solid garbage per
day, landfills are, well, filling up. Some cities have dealt with this
problem by imposing fines on people and businesses that don’t
recycle and/or compost, a practical and necessary step for all
American cities to take to help reduce our garbage and help
American rethink their disposable lifestyles.

12. Set the Scene
Create a visual location to set up your topic.
Example:
Shadows sweep across the grassy hillocks and sagebrush in
Yellowstone National Park’s Lamar River Valley, with the deep
quiet of a late fall evening broken by the haunting howl of a wolf
coming from the valley floor. It’s a member of the Druid pack—
one of twelve packs of wild wolves in the park. Like other wolves
in the park and the rest of the northern Rockies, this pack is
thriving. But that doesn’t keep Doug Smith, lead wolf biologist at
Yellowstone, from worrying about their future.
From ―Rocky Road Ahead for Wolves?‖ by Heidi Ridgley, published in Defenders magazine, Spring 2008.

13. Use Surprise or Shock
Shake the reader up a bit with a surprising or shocking
statement, then go on to explain it.
Example:
Hitler was a hero. Maybe not to people today, but in the
1930s, for many unwitting Germans, he was the man who
was leading Germany back to prosperity and
greatness. Of course, these Germans later found out their
leader was a monster. We always hear how societies
need heroes, but when taken too far, hero worship
destroys both hero and followers.
“Writing Introductions.” Teaching and learning Center at Superstition Mountain Campus.
Central Arizona College, 2004.
<http://www.cac.cc.az.us/smc/writing/intros.htm>

14. Use a Quotation
Find a relevant quote from a source of authority.
Example:
"The novel Lolita," the critic Charles Blight said in 1959,
"is proof that American civilization is on the verge of
total moral collapse" (45). The judgment of critics and
readers in subsequent years, however, has proclaimed
Lolita [is/to be] one of the greatest love stories of all time
and one of the best proofs that American civilization is
still vibrant and alive.
“Introduction Strategies.” MIT Online Writing and Communication Center. Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, 2001.
<http://web.mit.edu/writing/Writing_Types/introstrategies.html>

15. Give a Fact or Statistic
Use a piece of information to startle the reader into wanting to read
more.
Example:
Ask most kids who smoke if they plan to puff away for their entire
lives and they will say no, they can quit any time they want to.
However, ninety percent of adult smokers started before the age of
eighteen, and fifty percent before age fourteen. Bet they thought
they could quit, too. The truth is, whether a person will be a life-
long smoker or not is most often determined in the teen years. All
teens should be educated with the latest information on the
realities and danger of smoking at an early age.
Zibisky-Silver, Michelle. “Efficacy of anti-tobacco mass media
campaigns on adolescent tobacco use.” Pediatric Nursing. May/June 2001,
pg. 293-296.

16. Final Word
Since we are often too embedded in our own
work to look at it with an outsider’s
perspective, make sure to have a few friends
look over your introduction. Ask them:
– Does this get your attention? (If not, ask
them what might.)
– Does it make you want to keep reading?
– Do you have a pretty good idea of what my
paper is about?

17. Now go for it, young
writers. Begin the
race strong and you
shall prevail!

18. CONCLUSIONS
How to say the end without saying
“The End.”

19. First and Foremost
A conclusion should sound
natural. If the end of your last
paragraph already brings the
essay to its logical end, then
don’t force a concluding
paragraph.

20. A conclusion should. . .
• stress the importance of your main point
(the idea in your thesis statement, but not
in the same exact words).
• give the essay a sense of completeness for
the reader.
• leave a final impression on the reader.
“Strategies for Writing a Conclusion.” LEO: Literacy Education Online. St. Cloud
State University, 2004. <http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/conclude.html>

21. Ask Yourself Two Questions
• Does it bring the discussion to a
logical conclusion?
• Does it engage the reader and
make the main point of the essay
memorable?
“Strategies for Writing an Effective Conclusion.” ___________. West Chester
University, 2002. <http://brainstorm-services.com/wcu-2002/conclusions.html>

22. Conclusion Suggestions
• Answer the question ―So what?‖
(Show what’s important about your topic.)
• Synthesize, don’t summarize.
• Redirect your readers.
• Create new meaning.
“Strategies for Writing a Conclusion.” LEO: Literacy Education Online. St. Cloud
State University, 2004. <http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/conclude.html>

23. Conclusion No-no’s
Avoid the phrases
• ―In summary‖
• ―In conclusion‖
• ―In closing‖
These sound stiff and forced. You
should show the reader your
conclusion, not tell her.

24. Conclusion Formula
A reminder of the point of your
paper
+
Something to leave your reader
thinking (specific strategies follow)
Examples are colored-coded on the strategies.

26. Echo the Introduction
Refer back in some creative way to your
introductory story and scenario. You might finish
the story or give an alternate ending, for example
Example:
If we are to call ourselves a civilized society, we
must dedicate more resources to social services
that help children through the nightmare of
abuse. Not every child has to become an Irene
Williams.

27. Tie Together Some Details
From the Essay
Refer back in some creative way to a few salient and
memorable details brought up in the article.
Example:
All this means , of course, is that statistically in
New Hampshire I am far more likely to be hurt by
my ceiling or underpants—to cite just two
potentially lethal examples—than by a stranger,
and, frankly, I don’t find that comforting at all.
From ―Well, Doctor, I Was Just Trying to Lie Down. . .‖ by Bill Bryson.

28. Challenge the Reader
Give your reader a call to action or a challenge to
change his or her mind!
Example:
Consumers have the power to make this change. It’s
time to stop giving lip service to recycling; use the
power of the dollar to make a statement. Next time
you are in the store, don’t just look for products that
are recyclable, but also made from recycled materials.
If we all commit to buying recycled products, the
demand will increase, and all that paper we feel so
good about setting out on the curb won’t go to –
think about this – waste.

29. Look to the Future
Give your reader a look into the future if the actions you
are speaking about either do or do not happen. The
future, is after all, what you are trying to change in a
persuasive essay.
Example:
Without well-qualified teachers, schools are little more
than buildings and equipment. If higher-paying careers
continue to attract the best and the brightest college
students, there will not only be a shortage of teachers, but
the teachers available may not have the best
qualifications. Our youth will suffer. And when youth
suffers, the future suffers.

30. Pose Questions
Asking questions that prompt deep thought may help you and
your readers gain new insight on the issues.
Example:
Campaign advertisers should help us understand the candidate's
qualifications and positions on the issues. Instead, most present
only general or emotional images of a family man or a God-
fearing American. Do such advertisements contribute to
creating informed voters or people who chose leaders the same
way they choose soft drinks and soap?
“Strategies for Writing a Conclusion.” LEO: Literacy Education Online. St. Cloud
State University, 2004. <http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/conclude.html>

31. Final Word
The conclusion of your paper needs to feel like a
natural ending. You should, in effect, say the
end, without ever using the words ―The End.‖
That is your challenge, young
warriors of the paper. Wield
your pens well and be brave.