Abra Official School Worksheet (1) Name:-------------------
Grade 8 Teacher: Mrs. Ghada
Writing : Introduction
How To Begin and End Your Essay
The introductory paragraph – the first paragrapjh of your essay- seems to be the
most duifficullt part of your writing .
How to lead your reader to the subject of your essay?
How can your beginning seem interesting and appealing to your readers?
How to grab the readers attention and put him/ her under totality of attention?
Such questions worry you as a writer all the time.
There are four types of introduction :
1. Anecdote
An anecdote is a very attractive event/brief story that puts the reader in the general
context /atmosphere of the whole essay. The anecdote should end with a thesis
statement.
Example: The mother woke up very early in the morning, looked tenderly into the
face of her five-year old child, and thought of a promising future awaiting him, and
headed directly to the school bus. Her child farewelled the mother who turned back
home. Just before stepping in, she heard her child’s voice “Mother!” once and only
once. Heedless drivers take the lives of so many innocent children like the above
helpless child. And unless the officials take measures to implement traffic laws,
more innocent lives will be spared.
2. Funnel ( general to specific)
It begins with a general statement, and then it narrows down until one gets to
the thesis statement.
Example: Tropical rainforests have some of the most exciting and diverse
ecosystems in the world and are home to more than the half of the plant,
insect and animal species, many of which can not be found elsewhere.
However, many people do not realize the importance of the rainforest to the
earth. In the name of development, rainforests are slowly vanishing from
the face of the earth.
3. A question
Many writers open their essays with a question or more to attract the interest
or grap the curiosity of the reader. Soon the question(s) might be followed
by the thesis statement or a general statement leading to the thesis.
Example: What kind of travellers have you met on your bus trips, train
rides, boat rides, taxi trips and plane flight? Do you like them or are wary of
them? To some , travelling alone is an interesting proposition, but to
others, it is a traumatic experience turning into a nightmare.
4. Quotation
A quotation in the form of proverb, famous saying, or an expert testimony
can be an appealing way to start your essay.
Example: “It pains me to find what man have done to man”, the famous
English poet William Wordsworth, once said. The poet seems to protest
against human injustice and cruelty where people violate each other’s’ right
and suppress each other. In fact, as long as there is intolerance, injustice
and misunderstanding, people will continue to cause harm and damage
to each other.
Activity 1
Write an introduction to the following titles.
A happy /frightening dream
Strong family ties and integration
A special experience or memory
Activitity 2
Read the following introduction for two-three-body paragraph, then
answer the questions that follow.