SOCC Writing Center

Writing Introductions

According to the Random House Handbook, good opening paragraphs catch the reader’s attention, establish the tone of the essay, and reveal the central issue that the essay addresses.

There are several ways to write a good opening paragraph, but you’ll want to avoid using a dictionary definition (especially of a word we all know), and you’ll want to show you can do better than the “freshmanesque opener,” which is a cliched first sentence that begins with, for example, “In today’s society,” “From the beginning of time,” or another statement too broad to be believable and/or useful. Many successful writers write a “working intro,” and then write the actual introduction last, because they have discovered what they really wanted to say while they wrote the essay.

Here are some kinds of introductory paragraphs:

1) Inquisitive: Begin with a provocative question and then suggest the importance of     your answer to that question.

2) Paradoxical: Begin by stating what is improbable but true (as in “you may not     believe this, but . . .)

3) Corrective: Begin by establishing the importance of the subject, to show that it has     been neglected, misunderstood, or misrepresented.

4) Preparatory: Begin by explaining how you will use an unusual mode of developing the     subject, or by explaining possible misunderstandings of the purpose of the essay,     by limiting the subject in some way to clarify it, or by apologizing for some     deficiencies.

5) Narrative: Begin with an anecdote that is short and to the point.

6) Quotation: Begin with an important quotation about the subject. This can be a     quotation that merely leads into the subject, or explains it, or sets up a point you     will contradict in your essay.

7) Direct: Begin with the thesis statement, a concise statement that covers the points     you’ll make and forecasts the organization of the essay. This opener works well for     essay exams, where a long introduction isn’t necessary.

8) Description: Begin by describing the physical scene. Often this will lead into an     anecdote.

9) Factual: Begin by stating statistics or facts.