Writing 4

WRITING INTRODUCTIONS
Background information (hook + connecting information) + Thesis statement (to state your view)

I. Some common ways to provide BACKGROUND INFORMATION before writing the Thesis statement. 1. Telling an anecdote or example starting with an interesting story to get the readers interest 2. Asking a question asking one or more questions at the beginning of an essay to lead the reader to the topic right away 3. Giving facts or statistics using some facts or statistics to establish credibility 4. Citing a quotation quoting an authority (famous people) / an article / a person, or using an interesting proverb 5. Moving from general to specific starting with a general statement about the importance of the subject 6. Starting with an opposite giving an idea or situation that is the opposite of the one you will develop NOTE: An introductory paragraph is not good if - it contains some information not relevant to the thesis statement, - it previews the content of the body, - it is too short or too long, or - it is too general. II. Give comments on the following introductory paragraphs. - Are they good or not good? - Which techniques have been used? A. Essay topic 1: Discuss the present-day problems facing secondary education in your country. a. There are, of course, two sectors of secondary education in England and Wales: the private sector and the state sector. This essay will be concerned only with the latter since it is by far the larger and is faced with many more problems. These can be traced to two important sources: a rapidly changing society and a lack of resources. b. This essay will examine the problems facing secondary education in Britain today. It will examine the background to the problems, starting with the 1944 Education Act, which established universal free primary and secondary education. It will then look at problems associated with comprehensive schools. After this, it will examine the concept of the National Curriculum, the extended responsibilities and power of school governors and the local management of schools. Finally, there will be an analysis of the relationship between central government and local education authorities, and a discussion of the problems relating to the financing of schools. B. Essay topic 2: Discuss the role of heredity in a childs personality development. a. A man meets a woman, and they fall in love. Then, they get married, buy a house, and settle down. After a while, they decide to have children. The woman gets pregnant, and nine months later a baby is born. In this case, heredity plays a more important role in a childs personality development than environment does. b. As you will see below, there are lots of studies of twins and of adopted children that indicate that genes are important in a childs development. When twins who were separated at birth are

Writing 4

reunited in adulthood, they find many likes and dislikes in common. Also, when adopted children are reunited with their biological parents, they often find many similar personality attributes. I believe that heredity plays a more important role in a childs personality development than environment does. c. I witnessed a childs birth recently and began thinking about what kind of person she would become. Would she be kind or cruel, generally happy or chronically depressed, a giver or a taker? I can predict that she will be a kind, generally happy giver because that is the way her sister is, just like their parents. I therefore believe that heredity plays a more important role in a childs personality development than environment does. d. Many people think that the environment that a child is raised in is important. I think heredity plays a more important role in a childs personality development than environment does. III. Choose one of the topics above and write your own introductory paragraph.