INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPHS

Finding the Hook

Historical review or interesting facts: Some topics are better understood if a brief historical review of the
topic is presented to lead into the discussion of the moment. Such topics might include "a biographical
sketch of a war hero," "drugs and the younger generation." Or start by providing key facts such as dates,
times, places, names, and statistics to give historical context and credibility to your essay. Obviously there
are many, many more topics that could be introduced by reviewing the history of the topic before the writer
gets down to the nitty gritty of his paper. It is important that the historical review be brief so that it does not
take over the paper.

Example:

Television is so popular that over 128 million sets are now being used in 98 percent of American
households.  According to the A.C. Nielsen Company, which takes television surveys, each week the small
screen holds the attention of children under five for an average of 23.5 hours and adults for an average of 44
hours.  Indeed, the typical viewer spends more time in front of the television set than he or she spends on any
other activity except sleep. But far from being the "idiot box" that it is often called, television offers viewers many
benefits.  Television can be educational, as well as entertaining.

When Jonathan Swift described Gulliver's trip to the land of Laputa in Gulliver's Travels, Swift depicted
scientists who had one eye turned inward and the other aimed at the stars.  In the case of two high school science
teachers I had had at this school, life imitates Swift's art.  The school district should require all teachers, especially
those in science, to have an interest in students as well as expertise and curiosity.

To the list of professional basketball players such as Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, and Larry Bird who
have become household words, we can add another name: Shaquille O’Neal or “Shaq” for short. A few short
years ago Shaq was yet another high school basketball player who had dreams of becoming an NBA player. But
unlike the great majority of high school hopefuls, Shaq had the unbeatable talents of which sports fame and fortune
are made. Shaq began his career with the Orlando Magic. He now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. How Shaquille
O’Neal was discovered and how he became a nationally known player makes an interesting story.

“Fish and visitors,” wrote Benjamin Franklin, “begin to smell after three days.” Last summer, when
my sister and her family came to spend their two-week vacation with us, I became convinced that
Franklin was right. After only three days of my family’s visit, I was thoroughly sick of my brother-in
law’s corny jokes, my sister’s endless complaints about her boss, and their children’s constant invasions of
our privacy.

If you became seriously ill and needed to be hospitalized for several weeks, would you be able to
afford to pay thousands of dollars for proper medical care?  Unfortunately, many Americans have already
found out that they cannot.  Therefore, the federal government must provide national health insurance for
all of its citizens.

Are we going back to previous times when children had no more rights than cattle? Some migrant
children still work fourteen hours a day picking fruits and vegetables on farms. Can we afford to spend
money on putting people into space? Countless children live on the streets with no place to call their own.

Have a minute? Good. Because that may be all it takes to save the life of a child—your child. Accidents kill
nearly 8000 children under age 15 each year. And for every fatality, 42 more children are admitted to
hospitals for treatment. Yet such deaths and injuries can be avoided through these easy steps parents can
take right now. You don't have a minute to lose.
 Answers exercises 1 – 5

Exercise 1: In the following demonstration, you will learn about the different parts of an introductory paragraph

 Hook
 Background information
 Connecting phrases
 Reasons
 Thesis

Exercise 2: This exercise is to help you to identify the basic techniques for composing the opening
statement of your introductory paragraph: the historical review, the rhetorical question, the surprising
statement, and the anecdote.

 A general statement states why something is important (suitable for academic essays).
 A rhetorical question is a question that you ask and then answer yourself  (NOT suitable for academic
essays).
 An impact statement states something surprising or shocking to encourage the reader to pay attention
(maybe suitable for academic essays if it is not too assertive).
 An anecdote is a short story  (NOT generally suitable for academic essays, unless quoting qualitative
research).

1) Answer: Can education reduce crime? Explanation:

Anecdote. The story starts with a question.
Explanation: 6) Answer: The state of the environment
It's a short story Impact statement.
2) Answer: The globalization of pollution Explanation:
Impact statement. Exploding things cause impacts.
Explanation: 7) Answer: How can anti-social behavior be
9,000 miles is a very long way. prevented?
3) Answer: Authoring principles and practices Rhetorical question.
General statement Explanation:
Explanation: The question is at the end of the paragraph.
Funnels the reader's focus from students going 8) Answer: Recent Advances in Robotics
online to web site navigation. Rhetorical question.
4) Answer: Children's satisfaction with their Explanation:
names The question is on the first line.
Impact statement. 9) Answer: The advantages and disadvantages
Explanation: of keeping exotic pets
It's a very unusual name for a child. Anecdote.
5) Answer: What is art? Explanation:
Rhetorical question. It's a short story.

Exercise 3: In the following demonstration, you will learn about the different parts of an introductory
paragraph.
Exercise 4: In this exercises you will have to read the paragraphs and choose the right answer.

1. Answer(b) yes. This statement is contrary to the statement we all know very well: “all men are
created equal.” For that reason, it is a good hook; it catches the reader’s attention and invites
him to read more.

2. Answer (a) this is a good background for the introductory paragraph because by creating
awareness about two major threats to peace, it prepares the reader for the argument about the
need for a strong military.

3. Answer (b) this is an appropriate third reason. If science and technology might find a cure for
terminal illnesses in the future, then there is hope for terminally ill patients. Therefore, there is
no reason for them to commit suicide.
4. A the thesis supports the writer’s argument.
5. Answer(b) this statement smoothly leads the reader to the reasons for abolishing the sex
offender notification law. Also, it uses the transition word “however” correctly to present the
negative consequence of the law.
Exercise 5: put the following sentences in the right order. Incorrectly placed sentences will bounce back to
the list of sentences. In this exercise you will learn how to arrange the sentences of an introductory
paragraph in a logical order.

COMPOSING YOUR OWN THESIS STATEMENT

Thesis statement exercises 1-7

Exercise 1-Essay Question:

Exercise 2

1. Analytical (breaks the topic down into parts in order to analyse them individually)
2. Expository (seeks to explain a process to the reader)
3. Analytical (breaks the topic down into parts for analysis)
4. Argumentative (makes an assertion or claim that will be justified by presenting reasons and
contradicting the opinions of others)
Exercise 3

Compare your answers to the suggestions below. The original thesis statements that you
were supposed to rewrite is in red.

1. Choosing a career is very difficult.

o Given the current state of the job market, it is no longer a question of which career one
shpould choose, but rather a question of whether one will find employment at all. (to begin
an essay on unemployment)
o Our choice of career may be influenced by a number of factors, for example, our preferred
town of residence, our skills and aptitudes, and whether or not we wish to have a family. (in
an expository essay on the factors that can determine our choice of career)
o Daunting though the task of finding one's ideal profession may be, it is made easier by
institutions such as careers advisory services, websites with job listings and work
experience and job shadowing schemes. (to begin an expository essay on the services
available to the job hunter)
2. It is important to visit foreign countries.
o Of all the personal rewards offered by foreign travel, the most significant are the diverse
learning experiences, the opportunity to become more self-reliant, and the possibility of
acquiring new persectives on one's native country.
o When learning a foreign language, the importance of visiting and building up one's general
cultural knowledge of the countries where it is spoken cannot be overestimated.
3. In this essay I am going to talk about social problems in Peru
o Peru society is currently facing multiple problems caused by racial intolerance and a badly
integrated immigrant population.
o Whatever the social problems affecting the former East Germany, it is evident that putting
more pressure on the strained welfare state is no longer an option.
o In comparison with other European countries, Germany produces relatively few highly-
qualified graduates, a failing that is likely to make it increasingly difficult for the country to
compete internationally.
4. The nuclear family is a thing of the past.
o The increasing divorce rate is doubless the most important catalyst of the demise of the
nuclear family.
o The dissolution of the nuclear family means that we must rethink our conventional ideas
and expectations concerning how children should be brought up.
o In many countries, the welfare state has not yet adapted to cater for the disappearance of
the nuclear family, with the result that many single mothers are still living in poverty.

Exercise 4

Compare your answers to the suggestions below. The first part of the thesis statements
that you were given is in red.

1. The life expectancy of the average person is increasing because of improved nutrition, greater
awareness of health issues and better medical treatment.
2. Technology is changing our life in three important areas: in the home, at work and in our
leisure activities.
3. A teacher must have the following qualities: patience, interpersonal skills, a love of children and
an authoritative demeanour.
4. The purpose of this paper is to examine the changes that have taken place in language
teaching over the past decade and to suggest some desirable changes for the future. (Any topic
would fit here - but make sure that your statement is suitably narrow!)
5. Owning an automobile is a necessity both for career women and for mothers of small children.
6. Poverty has numerous negative consequences for society, including crime, drug abuse and
prostitution.
7. The main difficulties affecting foreign students at university are of a linguistic nature.
8. Living together before marriage is becoming increasingly popular for three main reasons:
an increasing liberalism with regard to moral values, a growing reluctance to get married, and the
general preference for a career over a family.
Exercise 5: In this exercise you will learn to identify specific problems with thesis statements.
Exercise 6: In this exercise, you will learn how to identify and fix problems with thesis
statements.
The Right to Die what we wrote
Therefore, terminally ill patients should be granted the right to die.

Should Marijuana Be Legalized?

Therefore, marijuana should be legalized.

In Support of the Death Penalty

. Therefore, society should continue to use the death penalty to punish the most heinous crimes.

Don't Try Teenagers in Adult Courts!

For these reasons, teenagers must be protected from being tried in adult courts.

The Myth of Equal Opportunities

For these reasons, America is not a land of equal opportunities.

Exercise 7: test- write an essay.

How to Write a Concluding Paragraph

Exercises 1-4

Exercise 1: Decide what kind of technique is used in every example.

Prediction or Recommendation
Using a Question
Using Description
Anecdote
Using a Quotation

Answer in order

1. Using an Anecdote as a Clincher

2. Prediction or Recommendation
3. Using a Question
4. Using a Quotation
5. Using Description
Exercise 2: In the exercise, you will have to decide what kind of techniques are being used in
every concluding paragraph, but first take a look at the outline.

Exercise 3: In this exercise, you will learn to identify concluding paragraphs that match
the content of the outline given.
Exercise 4: In this test, you are given a thesis statement followed by an outline. Based on the
thesis statement and the outline, you will have to write a complete essay and a well-developed
concluding paragraph.