THE ESSAY:

The Introduction Paragraph and

Thesis Statement
 What is the purpose of writing an
introduction?
 introduces the topic of the essay
 gives some background information
 uses some techniques to attract the reader’s
interest
 states the thesis (the main idea) of the essay
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The introduction paragraph should catch the

reader’s attention.
Ways to effectively write introduction paragraphs

 The Funnel Method

 Definition
 Quotation
 Question
 Turn About
1. Funnel Method

 beginning with a very broad,

general statement
 narrowing the subject down
to the main idea of the essay
 telling the reader what you
are going to say about the
topic
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An example using the Funnel Method

Writing an academic essay is a demanding

task for many students, especially for those whose
native language is not English. However, once a
student learns the classical process for writing an
essay, all the bad dreams can turn into a joyful
experience. The classical process to write a sound
academic essay involves three basic steps.
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2. Definition

beginning the introduction

with a definition
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An Example using a Definition

The term “violence in the family” refers

to male violence against females. It means that
men are generally rude to women both
physically and psychologically. Concerning this
issue, a study covering five different geographic
regions of Turkey has been conducted by the
Family Research Institute in Turkey. The results
of this survey indicate that two independent
variables seem to be related to the approval of
violence.
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3. Quotation

a striking comment by a
well-known person or an
expert
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An Example using a Quotation

“Let me have men about me that are
fat,” says Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar to Marcus
Antonius. In his opinion, fat people are more
trustworthy than thin ones. Shakespeare was
not the first person to categorize personality
according to body type, nor was he the last
one. In the late 1940s, William Sheldon
suggested a relationship between temperament
and body type. According to him, people are
divided into three categories according to their
body types.
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4. Question

starting the introduction

with a question
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An Example using a Question

Who can imagine a world without music? It
emerged with the birth of humanity, and has been
an inalienable part of human life ever since. Who
can claim the opposite? The first thing a baby hears
is the lullabies of his mother. Nursery rhymes follow,
and then simple songs learned at school. As the
child gets older, he starts to develop preferences for
particular types of music. Why people prefer certain
types of music is quite a complex phenomenon.
There are many reasons why one type of music is
favored and another is disliked.
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5. Turn About

starting with a statement

that is the complete
opposite of the writer’s
main idea
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An Example using Turn About Method

The world and all the things living on it
were created to serve human beings. So, why
not abuse them as long as we can? This,
unfortunately, has been a popular belief for
many centuries which has led to the
destruction of many species and habitats. If we
keep on destroying the earth and creatures
living on it, the future of humankind will not
be a bright one. Saving the world is not easy,
but there are some things we can do as
individuals.
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What is a thesis statement?

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The thesis statement

1
The topic of the essay

2 What the writer wants to say about the

topic
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Let’s check out some examples!

Voting should be allowed after the age of 21.

Topic Controlling Idea

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Let’s check out some examples!

Education can be classified into three categories.

Topic Controlling Idea

Education can be classified as elementary, secondary, and higher education.

Topic Controlling Idea Organization

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Characteristics of a good Thesis Statement

 a statement, an opinion ✘ not an open-ended question

e.x. Credit cards are convenient to use e.x. What are the advantages of credit
for three main reasons. cards?

 an opinion
e.x. The rate of unemployment is high ✘ not an obvious fact
in Turkey for many reasons. e.x. The rate of unemployment in Turkey is
11%.

Characteristics of a good Thesis Statement
 a claim
e.x. When considered generally, living
on your own is much better than living
with your family.
 one main idea
e.x. Radioactive waste from nuclear
power plants have several destructive
effects on people.
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✘ not an announcement
e.x. In this essay I will discuss the
advantages of living on your own.
✘ not two or more main ideas
e.x. Radioactive waste from nuclear power
plants and waste from coal-burning power plants
have several destructive effects on people, on
plants and on our environment in general.
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Characteristics of a good Thesis Statement

 specific enough ✘ not too general or too narrow

e.x. In the Victorian Era, books were
censored for many reasons.
 the writer’s own opinion
e.x. People under twenty-one
should be able to drink alcohol.
e.x. Art is often censored because of
politics.
✘ not someone else’s opinion
e.x. Many people have different opinions
on whether people under twenty-one
should be able to drink alcohol.
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Characteristics of a good Thesis Statement

 one sentence ✘ not dominate the introduction

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Parallelism

 an important element for the thesis statement

 the same function – the same form

✘ AWKWARD: I found the movie interesting and it also excited

me.
 IMPROVED: I found the movie interesting and exciting.
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Credits
https://marketingtwentyone.co.uk/business-book-introduction-sales/
https://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/encomium/writingdemo/wa/unit1/u1_l1b_a.htm
https://homecic.com/blog/what-is-the-definition-of-a-small-business-the-answer-may-surprise-
you/
https://medium.com/what-to-do-about-everything/you-can-quote-me-quotation-marks-are-
confusing-58c8b590cac2
https://tr.pinterest.com/pin/497999671293790144/?nic_v2=1a7ab0ptc
https://kentuckysportsradio.com/main/opposite-days-monday-morning-wakeup/
http://studyskills.curtin.edu.au/essays/step-2-formulate-a-provisional-thesis-statement/
https://leadgenera.com/knowledge-hub/dos-and-donts-for-successful-lead-generation/
https://gradebees.com/parts-of-introduction-paragraph/
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Thanks!