Even experienced writers often struggle with writing introductions and conclusions. From a thematic standpoint, they seem superfluous: if you\u2019re going to make your point in the body, why do you have to keep repeating yourself? But a good introduction does more than just state the thesis. Here is a list of strategies to keep in mind as you craft your introduction.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In the introduction, you establish your relationship with the reader and with the subject matter. Make it clear from the very beginning what kind of essay this is going to be: will you be light-hearted? or is this a purely academic matter? If you\u2019re planning to make an emotional appeal, start with a vivid description to get the reader emotionally engaged. The introduction is critical in making (or, let\u2019s say, \u201chelping\u201d) the reader see the issue in question your way.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Generally speaking, you should present examples in your introduction in the same order in which you plan to introduce them in the body. For the TOEFL and similar kinds of essays, this is a simple matter of listing all the examples in the introduction. If you can make them seem interesting or controversial in some way, you give your reader extra motivation to read on.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
One great strategy to starting your essay with style is to begin with something the reader can relate to. As mentioned above, this may be a description that allows them to visualize an image. If that\u2019s not the best tactic for your topic, try giving an example that will relate your argument to something the reader already knows and understands. this will also give you something to relate back to at the end, making the whole essay come together into a nice, neat package.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
When you have limited space to make your point, you\u2019re not shooting for philosophical genius. So if it works, save some space by starting with a statement that makes you say \u201cDuh\u2014everyone knows that.\u201d That\u2019s kind of what I did in this post: I started with a statement that\u2019s pretty obvious. From there, you (I hope) said \u201cWell, yes. Why should I care?\u201d and then you continued reading to answer that question. It\u2019s not the most beautiful beginning in the world, but it does the trick.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
This follows nicely from a lot of \u201cduh\u201d statements. After you\u2019ve got your first sentence, comment on the multiplicity of positions on the issue. \u201cWhile many people may agree that\u2026, others find \u2026.a more compelling perspective.\u201d By doing this, you acknowledge the complexity of the issue, and hopefully you\u2019ve enticed your reader to continue to find out the opinion to which you subscribe.<\/p>\n
Looking for more help? Check out TOEFL Writing Practice<\/a>, or sign up for Magoosh TOEFL<\/a> to get access to our TOEFL writing lesson videos. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Even experienced writers often struggle with writing introductions and conclusions. From a thematic standpoint, they seem superfluous: if you\u2019re going to make your point in the body, why do you have to keep repeating yourself? But a good introduction does more than just state the thesis. Here is a list of strategies to keep in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13614],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[13632],"class_list":["post-131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-writing-task-2"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n