Introductions

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Introductions
An introduction should capture a readers
interest and tell what the writing will be about.
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Introductions
An introduction should capture a readers
interest and tell what the writing will be about.
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Introductions
An introduction should capture a readers
interest and tell what the writing will be about.
Why is the second introduction more successful
than the first? Click on the i-icons to find out.
Four and a half billion years ago, there were
lots of volcanoes that were erupting all the
time. The heat and gases from the volcanoes
created huge clouds and lightning storms as well.
Everywhere, over the entire earth, volcanoes
constantly spewed gases into the sky. As heat and
gas rose into the atmosphere, massive clouds
formed, blotting out the stars. From one end of
the globe to the other, lightning storms cracked
and flashed. This is what the earth was like four
and a half billion years ago.
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This introduction paints a picture of what earth
was like. It creates excitement and helps readers
imagine an earth completely different from what
they see around them.
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Introductions
An introduction should capture a readers
interest and tell what the writing will be about.
Why is the second introduction more successful
than the first? Click on the i-icons to find out.
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CLOSE
Four and a half billion years ago, there were
lots of volcanoes that were erupting all the
time. The heat and gases from the volcanoes
created huge clouds and lightning storms as well.
This introduction is flat and uninteresting. It
gives information, but it doesnt capture the
readers imagination or draw readers into the
essay.
Everywhere, over the entire earth, volcanoes
constantly spewed gases into the sky. As heat and
gas rose into the atmosphere, massive clouds
formed, blotting out the stars. From one end of
the globe to the other, lightning storms cracked
and flashed. This is what the earth was like four
and a half billion years ago.
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Introductions
A successful introduction

• captures the readers interest
• communicates the topic and purpose

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Introductions
You can use a variety of strategies to catch your
readers attention. Click on the strategy you
want to explore.
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• Lively Description

• Surprising Statements

• Quotations

• Questions

• Direct Address

• Strong Opinions

• Anecdote

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Introductions
Lively Description
Sensory details and figurative language can add
energy and interest to an introduction.
Description can engage readers by painting a
picture and establishing a mood.
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Lively Descriptions
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Lively Descriptions
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Introductions
Surprising Statements
Grab a readers attention by beginning with a
surprising statement or a startling fact.
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Introductions
Surprising Statements
Grab a readers attention by beginning with a
surprising statement or a startling fact.
Here are some examples

• Three years after theyre introduced, about 75
  percent of all consumer goods are no longer on
  the market.
• The city of Vernon, California, has a daytime
  population of about 44,000 people, but only 93
  people actually live there.
• Six thousand languages are spoken in the world
  today. At the current rate of extinction, we may
  be down to 200 at the end of the century.

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Surprising Statements
A surprising statement or a startling fact can
make your reader want to keep reading.
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Introductions
Surprising Statements
A surprising statement or a startling fact can
make your reader want to keep reading.
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Introductions
Surprising Statements
A surprising statement or a startling fact can
make your reader want to keep reading.
How does the first sentence grab your attention?
Every year in the Danish town of Silkeborg,
thousands of visitors file past the face of a
murder victim. No one will ever know his name. It
is enough to know that 2,000 years ago he was as
human as ourselves. Maurice Shadbolt, Who
Killed the Bog Men of Denmark? And Why?
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Introductions
Surprising Statements
A surprising statement or a startling fact can
make your reader want to keep reading.
How does the first sentence grab your attention?
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Every year in the Danish town of Silkeborg,
thousands of visitors file past the face of a
murder victim. No one will ever know his name. It
is enough to know that 2,000 years ago he was as
human as ourselves. Maurice Shadbolt, Who
Killed the Bog Men of Denmark? And Why?
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It grabs your attention because you dont expect
that thousands of people will gather every year
to look at a dead person.
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Introductions
Quotations
Beginning with a quotation can lend impact and
authority to an introduction.
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Quotations
Beginning with a quotation can lend impact and
authority to an introduction.
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Introductions
Quotations
Beginning with a quotation can lend impact and
authority to an introduction.
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Introductions
Questions
Starting with an engaging question involves the
reader immediately by requiring at least a mental
answer.
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Questions
Starting with an engaging question involves the
reader immediately by requiring at least a mental
answer.
Here are some examples

• Should English be our only national language?
• What does a space heater have to do with our
  local diner?
• Why are government hunters shooting bison that
  leave Yellowstone National Park?

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Questions
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Questions
This personal question makes you think about your
friends and maybe even yourself. You want to find
the answer, so you keep reading.
How many of your friends suffer from stress?
Stress is defined as a state of extreme
difficulty or pressure that causes mental or
physical tension. A recent study shows that
teenagers experience stress as often as adults.
According to the study, the most common stressors
include divorce of parents, death of a loved one,
loneliness, and having difficulty in a social
environment.
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Introductions
Direct Address
Address readers directly to immediately involve
them in what you have written.
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Introductions
Direct Address
Address readers directly to immediately involve
them in what you have written.
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Introductions
Direct Address
Address readers directly to immediately involve
them in what you have written.
Speaking directly to the reader and using we
and your helps readers feel involved in the
situation.
Fellow students, school is a key part of our
lives. Why dont we have a voice in how it works?
It is because we dont have a student sitting on
the school board. I plan to change that. I plan
to run for the vacant seat on the board in the
upcoming election. With your help, we can make a
difference in how our school is run.
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Introductions
Strong Opinions
Beginning with a strong opinion is likely to get
your readers attention because it might
challenge their beliefs.
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Introductions
Strong Opinions
Beginning with a strong opinion is likely to get
your readers attention because it might
challenge their beliefs.
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Introductions
Strong Opinions
Beginning with a strong opinion is likely to get
your readers attention because it might
challenge their beliefs.
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Introductions
Anecdote
An anecdote is an interesting or amusing brief
story, often about a person.
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Introductions
Anecdote
An anecdote is an interesting or amusing brief
story, often about a person.
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Introductions
Anecdote
An anecdote is an interesting or amusing brief
story, often about a person.