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1.
The Opening Sentences (grabber, hook, lead)
The opening sentences
get the reader's attention and draw the reader in. If the opening doesn't get
your interest, chances are it won't get the interest of your reader either.
Here are a few ideas for
your opening sentences:
Try
using a quotation
1. If you start with a quotation, that's great, but don't do it all the time.
Your writing will start to sound formulaic.
2. Make sure that the quotation you choose is relatively short. You don't want
to use a 20 line quotation to begin your essay.
3. Identify the person you are quoting. Be sure to
credit your source.
Begin
by describing a person experience
1. If you start with a personal experience, be sure that the situation is
dramatic. Again, you are trying to grab your readers' interest, so you don't
want to begin with an everyday situation.
2. Keep your story short. You are trying to introduce your topic, not tell your
whole life story.
3. You will want to use a transition statement to get the reader from your
experience to the point you want to make in your essay.
Give
a fact or a statistic
1. Beginning your essay with an interesting fact or statistic can be
interesting. If you choose this option, be sure that your facts are
really facts and not just opinions.
2. Be sure to let your reader know the source of your facts or statistics.
3. Use only specific, not general facts.
2.
The Transition Sentence
After the opening
sentence gets the reader's attention, next comes the transition, a sentence that
ties your opening to the thesis statement. Sometimes a transition is necessary,
but sometimes it is not. It will depend on the wording of your opening sentence.
Look at what you have written. Do the ideas seem to flow smoothly, or do you
need a sentence to help the readers get from your opening to the main point that
you want to make?
3.
The Thesis Statement
The thesis statement is
a single sentence in the opening paragraph that sums up with the essay is about.
Every essay should have a thesis that tells the reader where the essay is
headed. A thesis has three practical aims:
1. It tells, in a single sentence, what your essay is about
2. It helps you organize your essay
3. It reflects your feelings on the topic
** One important point
to keep in mind, the thesis statement is just that--a statement. Do not make
your thesis a question. If you start with a question in your opening sentences,
by the time you get to your thesis statement, it should be clear to your reader
where you are headed with the rest of your essay.
An
Example:
Bang! The
explosion shattered the stillness of the house. An object whizzed through the
wall, smashed through a picture hanging on the wall, and flew over the streets
of Long Beach. I sat stunned in my chair, unable to move. Then I got up to
investigate. In the next room my little brother, six years old, sat sobbing on
the floor. Beside him was my mother's handgun that had just gone off
accidentally. This incident taught me a lesson. Handguns are dangerous to
own because they provide little protection, can be used in the heat of a
quarrel, and often cause deadly accidents.
" Leads are not
introductions writers nail on at the beginning of their pieces; they are seeds
writers plant. Because different plants grow from different seeds, writers must
search for the right lead." --Barry Lane
There are lots of different
ways to begin an essay. Take a look at the following introductions. They have
all been written for the same essay, but you can see a lot of variation. Which
one catches your attention best?
Anecdote:
Mrs. Browning, a sweet,
conservative lady in her mid sixties, is extremely proud of her five children.
Her eldest son is a sales executive for General Electric. Her second oldest is a
systems analyst for Atlantic Richfield. Her third son is executive
vice-president of the tax department at Union Oil, and her daughter, Linda, is
an executive secretary at Boeing. When she speaks of her youngest son, Todd,
however, her eyes brighten with special pride and admiration. Mrs. Browning's
youngest son is also a professional, but the tools of his trade are not a brief
case or a computer. Instead, Todd carries a makeup bag and wig box. When Todd dresses for work, he doesn't put on the customary blue business suit and
winged-tip shoes, but instead wears eyeliner, yak hair, and sequins. Mrs.
Browning's youngest son, you see, is a clown for Ringling Brothers and Barnum and
Bailey circus.
Striking Statement:
One day, when Todd
Browning was about 12 years old, his mother found him in the bathroom trying on
her makeup. "I didn't know what to think," she says with a knowing
smile. "I'd heard stories about young men putting on women's clothes and
singing in night club, and naturally, I was concerned. But when I saw what Todd was actually doing with my eyeliner and lipstick, drawing stars around his eyes
and painting his lips twice their size, I realized that I'd stumbled upon a
totally different obsession." As it turns out, Todd did not grow up to be a
female impersonator. Instead, he grew up to be a professional clown.
Descriptive - Place:
The lights are dim in
the large sports auditorium, and the seats are filled with the colorful, moving,
talking shadows of people. Muted strains of organ music mingle with sounds of
laughter, and the aroma of popcorn and hotdogs linger deliciously in the air.
There is no tent; there is no sawdust on the ground, but the auditorium is
alive with the sights, sounds, and smells of a circus.
Descriptive - Person:
The tall, pink-haired
clown in electric blue satin bloomers, holding a small rodent-like mongrel in
his arms, does not look happy. Instead, his lips are painted in an exaggerated
crimson frown, and a sequined teardrop stains his smooth, white cheek. Standing
alone in the flow of a thin white spotlight, he beckons to a child in the
audience, imploring her with his eyes to pet the little dog in his arms. The
child carefully reaches out and scratches the dog's head. The clown smiles shyly
and offers the child an enormous crepe paper daisy, which she accepts
delightedly. In spite of the magic of the moment, this is just a regular working
day for Todd Browning, the young man in the electric blue bloomers. pink wig, and
white makeup. Todd is a professional clown with Ringling Brothers and Barnum and
Bailey Circus.
Question:
What makes a young
man give up home and family to run away and join the circus? This was one of
many questions which I asked Todd Browning, a recent graduate of Ringling Brothers
and Barnum and Bailey Clown College, as we sat together in his apartment
drinking coffee and leafing through photo albums and souvenir books filled with
circus memorabilia.
Quotation:
"The clown is a
divine spirit invented to rejoice and delight the heart." This inscription,
found in the pyramid of an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh, is the earliest known
reference to the art of clowning. Clowns, with their ready wit and colorful
dress, have been delighting audiences for thousands of years. In order to learn
a little bit about these age old emissaries of laughter, I spoke with Todd
Browning, a bright and funny young man who has dedicated his life to the art of
being a clown.
Summary:
Ever since he was a
young boy, Todd Browning has wanted to be a clown. When Todd graduated from high
school, the first step he took toward his professional career was to enroll in
Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Clown College. After graduation, Todd began to work for the circus full time, and now his life revolves around grease
point, yak hair wigs, and red rubber noses.
Useful
Links
Want more
information about writing effective introductions? Check out some of
these web sites to learn more!
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