Introductions

A General Overview:

1.) A good introduction acquaints and coaxes; it stimulates our interest.

2.) It announces or identifies the essay's topic -- don't rely on your title to do this.

3.) It prepares the reader for what comes next.

4.) It provides the reader with immediate, important information.

5.) It might be thought of as a "promise" to the reader -- "here's what to expect."

6.) It may directly state the thesis.

7.) It might anticipate the organization of the essay -- a "forecast" or a "blue-print" statement.

8.) It sets the tone -- somber, light-hearted, angry -- of what will follow. Therefore, an amusing anecdote would not be an appropriate opening for a paper about political torture.

9.) It establishes the author's voice and style -- and perhaps even his/her credibility.

Some General Guidelines:

1.) Gear the length of the introduction to that of the essay. The introduction can involve more than one paragraph. Although longer papers sometimes begin with two or more introductory paragraphs, generally the lead-in for a short essay is a single paragraph. However, shorter essays can also have multi-paragraph introductions, depending on your purpose and how much "background" information may be necessary.

2.) Another consideration is that your paper "lead" or "opener" may require a separate paragraph. An opening scenario might be followed up with a paragraph that zeroes in on the topic and presents the thesis. The type of "opener" or "lead" you select -- and even the type of introduction you write -- depends on your purpose, subject, audience, and personality.

3.) The thesis statement can be more than one sentence. For complex thesis statements that take many sentences, a two-paragraph introduction may work best.

4.) In general, introductory paragraphs begin "broadly" and then narrow down to your topic (and perhaps even to your thesis statement).

"Openers" or "Leads"

The opening sentences of an essay should engage the readers and encourage them to read on. The opening also establishes the writer’s voice as formal or informal, academic or conversational. The following list contains pointers for writing "openers" or "leads":

A Detailed Description:

ADD

A Quotation:

“How should we regard the suggestion that a future ‘best friend’ might be delivered in a box, or that the object of your deepest affections might be rendered insensible by a power failure?” (Frude 185).  Neil Frude poses these startling questions in his provocative book The Intimate Machine.

A Rhetorical Question:

Could you accept a machine as your best friend?

A Problem:

ADD

A Personal Anecdote, a Brief Story, or a Scenario:

Imagine an elderly person in a nursing home who for the five-hundredth time tells the same story to her responsive and attentive audience, her computerized companion.

A Fact or a Statistic:

Today you can buy an interactive talking chess game for under $200.

A Generalization:

Our society has become increasingly dependent upon computerized devices, from calculators to automatic tellers.

An Analogy:

ADD

A Provocative Statement:

ADD

A Contradiction:

Computers are a convenience that threaten us in many ways.

The Thesis Statement:

I disagree with Neil Frude’s view of intimate machines, and I think we should condemn an invention which would have such disastrous effects on human relations.

Background Information:

In The Intimate Machine, Neil Frude proposes that machines could be programmed to act like friends and intimate social partners.

Openers to Avoid

With essays, as with people, first impressions are important. If your opening rouses interest, it will draw the reader into the essay and pave the way for your ideas. If, instead, you'd like to try your hand at turning the reader away, search for a beginning that is mechanical, plodding, and dull. Your success will astonish you. To start, here are some bad openings:

• In this paper I intend to . . .

• Wars have always afflicted mankind.

• As you may know, inflation is a problem for many of us.

• In the modern world of today . . .

• The dictionary defines . . . as . . .

How would you respond to these openings? Ask yourself that same question about every opening you write. Also, avoid using paper openers that will bore or otherwise turn off your reader. Do not use:

Cliches or Platitudes:

A friend in need is a friend indeed.

Dictionary Definitions of Well-Known Words:

According to Webster’s International Dictionary, a “friend” is . . .

A Restatement of the Assignment:

After reading Neil Frude's book, The Intimate Machine, I was asked to examine his main ideas and evaluate the logic and feasibility of some of those ideas.

An Obvious Statement of Your Purpose:

In this essay, I will give my argument about Neil Frude’s book, The Intimate Machine.