Introductions and Conclusions

Introduction:

· Attract reader’s interest

· Identify topic

· Provide any info your audience needs re: topic

· State thesis

Intro options:

Sample thesis: Your next car should be a hybrid.

· Relevant facts

· The status quo

· Background info

· Definition of term(s)

· Questions

· *Quotation(s)

· *A shocking statement

· *An attention-getting scenario

Intro errors:

· No announcements (In this essay…; after reading…)

· Don’t state thesis before you have introduced topic

Conclusion:

· Give reader closure

· Hint at how info is relevant to reader

· Leave reader thinking

Conclusion options:

· Conclude with little story related to thesis

· Invite reader to take action

· Project into future +/-

· Tie back to “hook” or attention-getter

Conclusion errors:

· Restating thesis and main points is formulaic

· Avoid “In conclusion…; to sum it all up…”

· No new info