HINTS ON INTRODUCTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

I. BEGINNINGS - Guiding rule: Start off Strong -- Always write for the 3am reader
In writing an essay, you may use a single introductory paragraph or you may use several paragraphs to create an introductory section. No matter what you decide, however, there are several qualities that all good introductions share. A strong introduction

  1. is complete and independent and does not depend on readers' being aware of the essay title or an assigned question
  2. identifies the central issue/topic of the essay;
  3. provides context and background information to set up the thesis;
  4. provides direction for your reader, either through focusing the discussion or presenting the reader with your thesis statement;
  5. defines key terms that are pertinent to the discussion;
  6. establishes the tone of the paper: informative, persuasive, provocative, serious, humorous, personal, impersonal, formal, informal;
  7. engages the reader's attention and provides some kind of "hook" to make the readers want to keep reading.

Some devices for "hooking" the reader:

  1. Provide relevant background information
  2. Tell an interesting brief story or anecdote
  3. Give a pertinent/startling statistic(s)
  4. Ask a provocative question or questions
  5. Use an appropriate quotation
  6. Make a useful analogy
  7. Define a term used throughout the essay
  8. Identify the situation
  9. Use an unusual fact, a vivid example, or a paradoxical statement

What to avoid in introductory paragraphs:
1. Do not be too obvious. Avoid bald statements (i.e. metadiscourse) such as "In this paper I will discuss the predominance of violence in computer games" or "My assignment asks me to analyze the underlying significance of an advertisement from Vogue."
2. Do not rely too heavily on gross generalizations. You can move from general to specific in your paragraph, but don't be too general. Avoid really broad statements like "Since the beginning of time, the sexes have been in conflict."
3. Do not apologize. Avoid self-critical statements such as "I do not have much background in the subject," "Of course, other people are more expert in this subject than I am," or "I am not sure if I am right, but here is my opinion."
4. Do not use overworn, clichéd expressions. Avoid statements such as "Haste makes waste," "A penny saved is a penny earned," "Love is what makes the world go around," and "War is Hell"

II. ENDINGS - Guiding Rule: Go out with a Bang, not a Whimper -- End on a point of strength
Think of your conclusion as completing a circle. You have taken your readers on a journey from presentation of the topic in your introduction, to your thesis, to supporting evidence and discussion, with concrete and specific examples and illustrations. At the end you remind the readers of the purpose of this journey by recalling the main idea of the paper and making a strong statement about it that will stick in the reader's mind. So your goals in the conclusion are as follows:

  1. To communicate with the reader for the last time
  2. To underscore the persuasiveness of the whole argument
  3. To suggest larger implications that you couldn't assert before presenting the evidence


Selected devices for concluding paragraphs:

  1. Use the devices for introductory paragraphs, but avoid using the same device in the introduction and the conclusion of the essay.
  2. Summarize the main points of the essay (but don't rely exclusively on summary)
  3. Call for awareness and/or action
  4. Point to the future
  5. Offer advice, propose a course of action, or pose a question for future study

What to avoid in concluding paragraphs:

  1. Do not go off the track. Avoid introducing an entirely new idea or adding a fact that belongs in the body of the essay. Your conclusion should flow from the rest of your essay.
  2. Do not reword your introduction. Avoid simply listing the main idea from each paragraph's topic sentence or restating the thesis. While a summary can refer to those points, it must tie them into what was covered in the essay. A good test is to check if the introduction and conclusion are interchangeable. If they are, you need to revise.
  3. Do not announce what you have done. Avoid statements such as "In this paper I have tried to show the main causes for the deterioration of the American situation comedy."
  4. Do not make absolute claims. Avoid statements such as "This proves that..." and "If we take this action, the problem will be solved." Always qualify your message with expressions such as "This seems to prove..." and "If we take this action, we will begin working toward a solution of this problem."
  5. Avoid logical fallacies. Concluding paragraphs are particularly vulnerable to errors in reasoning.
  6. Do not apologize. Avoid casting doubt on your material by making statements such as "I may not have thought of all the arguments, but..." and "Even though I am not an expert, I feel that what I have said is correct."