How to Avoid Bad Introductions…

1. How to Avoid Bad Introductions… and how to create good ones

2. Five Bad Introductions • The place holder • Using the introductory space for a collection of vague and obvious statements. • The restated question • Rephrasing the prompt without adding anything more specific or interesting • The dictionary definition • “Webster’s dictionary defines…” is cheesy and overused. • The “dawn of man” introduction • A broad, sweeping generalization about the relevance of this topic since time began. • The book report introduction • Naming book, author, general idea of subject without adding anything specific or interesting.

3. First impressions count • You do not want your reading rolling his/her eyes right at the start. • You do want your reader to want to continue reading. • You do want your reader to have a good idea of where this essay is going. • Your thesis statement should be in the introduction! • You do wantto set the correct tone. • A serious subject matter should not have a humorous introduction and vice versa.

4. Some suggestions • Begin with a bang: use a startling statistic, a remarkable fact, a poignant anecdote to wake up the reader. • Begin with a mystery: use an intriguing example, a puzzling scenario, or a statement that is the opposite of what you intend to prove—but then use it to lead in to your thesis. • Begin with a quotation: use a powerful, provocative quotation from a recognizable source.

5. Remember • Do not use first person! • Do not go on and on and on and on and on and on… • In other words, do not be wordy. • Show, don’t tell! • Do not announce what you are going to do: This paper will argue that euthanasia should be legal. • Show what you are going to do: Euthanasia should be legal because … • Someone who reads your introduction should be able to tell you, accurately, what the paper will be about.