Chapter 4

From Paragraph to Essay

Part 1
 Objectives

 Identify the purpose of writing an introduction

 Learn the different types of introductions

 Writing an Introduction

The introduction introduces the topic to the reader by:

1) Stating what the topic is
2) Giving some general background information about it

Why is this useful?

 It helps the reader understand what you are writing about
 Shows why the topic is important.

The introduction should also give the overall plan of the essay.
 Functions of the Introduction

 It attracts the reader’s attention encouraging him/her to

continue reading.
 It supplies any background information to better understand
the topic.
 It presents a thesis statement.
 It Indicates a plan of development (cause-effect, reasons,
examples, classification, description, narration, or explanation)
 Introduction

What should your introduction include?

General statements:
 Attract the reader’s attention
 To introduce the topic and give background information

Thesis statement:
 Is usually at the end of the introduction
 Is usually one sentence
 States the specific topic of the essay
 Often lists the main (controlling) ideas of the essay
 May indicate the method of organization of the essay
 Types of Introduction

1) Funnel (Moving from General to Specific)

2) Anecdote (Incident or Story)
3) Facts / Statistics
4) Quotation
5) Questions
6) Definition
7) Starting with an Opposite Idea
8) Importance of Topic
9) Historical Background
 Funnel

It begins with one or two very general

statements about the topic.
Every sentence that follows becomes
increasingly focused on the topic
until the last sentence.

The last sentence will state very specifically what the essay will
be about; that is the thesis statement.
 Funnel

Example:
Although
Although
theythey
were
were
invented
invented
almost
almosta ahundred
hundred years
years ago,
ago, for
decades cars were only owned by the rich. Since the 60s and 70s
they have become increasingly affordable, and now most families in
developed nations, and a growing number in developing countries,
own a car. While cars have undoubted advantages, of which
their convenience is the most apparent, they have significant
drawbacks, most notably pollution and traffic problems.
 Anecdote

Definition: It is a short story about something that happened, which illustrates

the point you want to make in your essay.
 Using a story at the beginning of an essay is an effective way to interest
the reader.
 An anecdote can be a story related to the writer or someone else.
Example:
At a local school recently, students in a psychology course were given a
hint of what it is like to be the parents of a newborn. Each “parent” had to
carry a raw egg around at all times to symbolize the responsibilities of
parenthood. The egg could not be left alone; it limited the “parents’” activities;
it placed a full time emotional burden on “Mom” and “Dad”.
 Facts / Statistics

A shocking fact or statistic arouses the reader's interest by giving

the reader a chance to agree or disagree with an opinion stated by the
writer.
Example:
Seventy percent of respondents in a poll conducted by columnist
Ann Landers stated that, if they could live their lives over, they would
choose not to have children. This startling statistic makes one wonder
what these people believed parenthood would be like. Many parents
have unrealistic expectations for their children. Parents want their
children to accept their values, follow their paths, and succeed where
they failed.
 Quotation

 Using a quotation in your introduction allows you to add someone

else’s voice in addition to yours.
 It adds credibility to the essay because it is stated by an expert on
the topic and will make it more familiar to the reader.
Example:
They say “absence makes the heart grow fonder. Absence also
makes the eyes see “ more clearly” . At least, it makes your eyes see
once-familiar things in a new light. If you have lived in a” city all your
life, it becomes so familiar to you that you don't really see it, certainly
not in the same way that a visitor would…
 Questions

Asking a question at the beginning of an essay is a useful tool

for hooking the reader.
The questions can be used to intrigue the reader, or to set the tone for
the essay.
The writer can ask a question in the introduction and then wrap the
essay around the answer.
Example:
What is love? How do you know that we are really in love? When
we meet someone special, how can we tell that our feelings are
genuine and not merely infatuation? Love, as we all know, is difficult
to define. But most people…
 Definition

When a difficult or unknown term is going to be used throughout the

essay, defining that term can serve as an introduction to the essay.
Example:
TOEFL and TOEIC are acronyms frequently heard in the field of
English language study, but what are they? TOEFL, or Test of English
as a Foreign Language, is an academic test of a student's level of
listening, reading and writing. Although TOEIC is a test of English as
well, it is more specifically a Test of English for international
communication. Both these tests evaluate students' English
proficiency…
 Start With an Opposite Idea

This technique works because your reader will be surprised, and then
intrigued, by the contrast between the opening idea and the thesis
that follows.
Example:
Max was a cute dog, a Tibetan Terrier with a "winning smile",
but he had annoying habit of "lifting his leg" on my furniture
whenever I left him alone for more than a couple of hours.  Half-way
through our walks, he would roll on his back indicating he had
walked far enough. I would have to carry him home. However, just
when I decided to give him up for adoption, he used his amazing
talent as a "chick magnet" to find me the love of my life.
 Importance of Topic

 This type makes the readers aware of what is going to be

discussed in the essay.
 It keeps them conscious of the pros and cons of the topic, and
prepares them to explore it further.
Example:
The invention of Braille marked a major turning point in the
history of disability. The writing system of raised dots, widely used
by blind and visually impaired people, was developed by Louis
Braille in nineteenth-century France. Although it initially met with
resistance from sighted people, Braille eventually became central to
blind people’s education and autonomy…
 Historical Background

 In many cases, the reader will be unprepared to follow the issue you
discuss unless you provide some historical background.
 This includes information that identifies and describes the history and
nature of the topic. In this technique the introduction includes several
dates.
Example:
Scientists keep trying to find ways to predict earthquakes so far without
much success. In 1976, an earthquake in Tangshan, China, killed over 250,000
people. In an average year, earthquakes kill 10,000 people worldwide and
cause millions of dollars worth of property damage. Iran suffered more than
80,000 deaths in two massive quakes in 1990 and 2003. Currently under study
are four main methods for predicting when and where the next big one will
occur. 
Activity 1
 Identify the types of the following
Introductions

Anecdote or A short story

Introduction 1: _____________________________________
When I got home from school that day, my grandmother
greeted me with a plate of cookies and a worried expression. I
hadn't received the scholarship I needed to go to ballet camp,
and we'd need to find another way to earn the money. That's
why I had to start my business giving dance lessons to
preschoolers. Thus, working at a young age is beneficial for
three main reasons.
 Identify the types of the following
Introductions

Asking Questions
Introduction 2: _____________________________________
What happens
What happensififa achild is caught
child damaging
is caught damagingschool property?
school What
property?
happenshappens
What if a childifgoes for a goes
a child joyride
forin aa stolen
joyridecarinand
a accidently
stolen carhits
anda
pedestrian? hits
accidently Should parents be responsible
a pedestrian? for their be
Should parents children’s mistakes?
responsible for
Should
their parents have
children’s to payShould
mistakes? what might
parents be hundreds
have to payof thousands
what might of
dollars
be in damages?
hundreds Adults ofhave
of thousands begun
dollars to think seriously
in damages? aboutbegun
Adults have such
questions
to because
think seriously thesuch
about laws concerning
questions becausethe limitsconcerning
the laws of parental
the
responsibility
limits are responsibility
of parental changing rapidly. With unfortunate
are changing frequency,
rapidly. With courts
unfortunate
have beguncourts
frequency, to holdhave
parents legally
begun and financially
to hold responsible
parents legally for their
and financially
children’s misbehavior.
responsible for their children’s misbehavior.
 Identify the types of the following
Introductions

Quotation
Introduction 3: ____________________________________

“Never trust a man that a dog doesn't like." the proverbs

says. This somehow implies that dogs can tell the character of a
person before a human can.  In many ways this is true. Pet
behaviorists state that dogs have three main amazing talents
when it comes to assessing a person's character.
 Identify the types of the following
Introductions

Funnel or Moving from general to specific

Introduction 4: __________________________________________
Bookstore shelves today are crammed with dozens of different
diet books. The American public seems willing to try any sort of diet,
especially the ones that promise instant, miraculous results. And
authors are more than willing to invent new fad diets to cash in on this
craze. Unfortunately some of these diets are ineffective or even
unsafe. One of the worst fad diets is the Palm Beach plan. It is
impractical, doesn’t achieve results it claims, and is a sure route to
poor nutrition.
 Extra Resources

The links attached below are videos to further explain the

lesson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDSbTHTJCHI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgCujqVW-8E