One of the often overlooked sections of a paper is the conclusion. Some students are so happy that they’ve gotten close to page length or that they’ve finished all of their body paragraphs that they tack on a short conclusion. However, both the introduction and the conclusion can be the swaying factors in readers being, first, interested in reading further and, last, remembering the writer’s main points.
I like to point out that good writing, then, is like fishing; in order to catch the prize fish, you have to bait your hook with the juiciest worm. In writing, the most alluring bait may be the introduction and the conclusion.
Here are ten “hooks” that can be incorporated into successful introductions and/or conclusions:
Anecdote
A brief story with a point
Startling Statement
A provable, eye-catching one-liner
Narrative
A “once upon a time . . . ” story
Summary
Sentences describing a point
Quotation
Statement relating to point
Question
Thought-provoking question leading to body
Description
Sharply focused “picture” of a person, event, etc.
Joke
A statement that leads into point
Analogy
Comparison; often an image used to describe
Direct Address
Words directly focused on audience; “you”
Once you have written your introduction, ask yourself these questions.
- What’s the main idea?
- What are the points/details to be used to support this main idea?
- What is the paper’s organization/structure?
- What point-of-view will be used?
Written by: Sandy Eckard: IUP Writing Center
