Introduction and Conclusion

What I Am Getting At

            We talked last time about the need for some sort of organization of your thoughts—was this at all helpful in getting your paper started and/or flowing??   Anyway, this time, I would like to share some information on the opening and closing of a paper. 

My main point: introduction and conclusion paragraphs can make or break an essay.

Introduction Paragraph

            The introduction paragraph is pretty important in that it sets up the rest of your paper.  In this paragraph, you introduce your topic and what you are trying to say about that topic.  To do this, two things are recommended: 1) include a thesis statement and 2) open in a way that will attract the audience.

Thesis statements tell your audience what your main point is. This statement can be somewhat difficult to write, because it should encompass the base of your paper’s purpose.  However, it is a great tool for keeping a focus (and as a part of your introduction paragraph, half of the writing is already done!) Here is a guide as to what different parts are included in the thesis statement and here is a video that demonstrates how to write a thesis statement.

As a part of your thesis statement, you should tell your audience the specifics of what you will tell them.  If you are explaining why pistachio ice cream is the best ice cream, then you need to write something to the effect of “Pistachio ice cream is the best flavor for such and such reasons”.  These reasons in turn become the subjects of your respective body paragraphs.

An introduction is only truly effective if you are able to catch your audience’s attention and keep it. There are a few ways to do so: you can begin with a story, a statistic, a definition, etc.  The Introductory Paragraph: Start With a Great First Sentence goes into more detail about the different ways to start and keep your audience hooked.  With this hook, you can then move forward and make your case.

Conclusion Paragraph

The conclusion paragraph is almost as important as the introduction.  Don’t you hate when someone is telling a story and it just ends? There is no closure or anything that resembles an ending (or at least something that we would consider an ending) and you are left unsatisfied, right?  This is what you want to avoid when writing your conclusion. 

In the conclusion, you are not restating everything you have said in the paper—you have already said it and don’t need to again.  Instead, you are emphasizing what you said and why it is relevant.  Why is what you said supportive of your main idea? What makes your thoughts and ideas and information valid?  This should be where the brunt of your opinion is located; you need to be straight with your audience and say “hey, I wrote this paper for a reason and this is the reason.” Check out these strategies if you need some more guidance.

My Take

            Of course the research and the content of your essay are extremely important—what would be the point without them??—but no one wants to read or recommend something that has no hook or an attention-grabbing opener, and no one wants to finish something only to be left hanging or feeling that something could have been different. 

            Hopefully with these tools, you can approach your opening and closing remarks with a greater understanding of their importance to your paper (:

For Your Information

Here is an additional link to information about introduction paragraphs:

·         Introductory Paragraphs.htm

Again, I hope you are able to take something away from this…and let me know what works and what doesn’t!

Amanda