{"id":315,"date":"2019-07-01T19:45:05","date_gmt":"2019-07-01T19:45:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca\/scholarlywriting\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=315"},"modified":"2025-07-03T20:04:22","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T20:04:22","slug":"writing-introductions","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/scholarlywriting\/chapter\/writing-introductions\/","title":{"raw":"Writing Introductions","rendered":"Writing Introductions"},"content":{"raw":"<p class=\"Default\"><span>The common phrase \u201cyou don\u2019t get a second chance to make a first impression\u201d expresses how much weight people place on their first experiences when reading a piece of writing. Catching the attention of readers may be your most important task as you write: if you lose them in the introduction, you won\u2019t get a chance to share your message with them later. See <strong>Figure 7.6<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<img src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/scholarlywriting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2025\/07\/Untitled_Artwork-300x259.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"515\" height=\"445\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2384\" \/>\r\n\r\n<strong>Figure 7.6<\/strong>: Introduction.\r\n\r\nIntroductions have <strong>three jobs<\/strong>:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Introduce the focus and purpose of your writing (ie., the main idea and thesis if applicable).<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Provide a brief overview of what you will discuss.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Catch the attention of readers.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nHow do you accomplish these jobs without giving away your entire essay in the introduction? How do you know what will hook readers\u2019 attention without sharing all the cool details? Great questions!\r\n\r\nYou might start by using this simple <strong>formula<\/strong>.\r\n<div class=\"textbox\">A good introduction = new information + ideas that everyone may not agree with.<\/div>\r\nIf your piece begins with an idea most people know and agree with, it\u2019s less likely to pull readers in. People are curious about new ideas and opinions that have multiple perspectives or may be controversial.\r\n\r\nSee <strong>Table 7.5\u00a0<\/strong>for some methods for introducing a topic and getting a reader\u2019s attention.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Table 7.5:\u00a0<\/strong>Methods for introducing a topic\r\n<table class=\"lines\" style=\"border-collapse: collapse;width: 100%\" border=\"0\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th>Method<\/th>\r\n<th>Reason<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%\">\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><span>Share an interesting, shocking, or little-known fact or statistic about your topic.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%\">\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><span>This gives your readers insight into your topic right away; it will pique their curiosity and make them want to know more. It will also help you establish a strong ethos, or credibility, from the very beginning.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%\">\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><span>Share a brief anecdote or story.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%\">\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><span>Sharing a human interest story right away will help readers connect with your topic on a personal level and illustrate why your topic matters.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%\">\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><span>Ask a question that gets readers curious about the answer. <\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%\">\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><span>People want to know the answers to questions. They\u2019ll keep reading to find the answers you pose in your introduction \u2013 just be sure to answer them at some point in your writing.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--exercises\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\r\n<p class=\"textbox__title\"><strong>Student Tip\r\n<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\r\n\r\n<strong>Share Your Introduction<\/strong>\r\n\r\nAfter you have drafted your introduction, share it with a peer or a friend. Ask them: Does the introduction catch your attention? Does the introduction predict what my paper is about? If they answer \"no\" or \"sort of,\" it needs to be refined.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<hr aria-hidden=\"true\" \/>\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"attribution-notice\">Attribution statement<\/h2>\r\n<p class=\"DefaultCxSpMiddle\"><span>Content from this page was remixed with our own original content, and adapted, with editorial and organizational changes, from: <\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"DefaultCxSpLast\"><a href=\"https:\/\/openoregon.pressbooks.pub\/wrd\/\"><span>The Word on College Reading and Writing<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0by\u00a0Carol Burnell, Jaime Wood, Monique Babin, Susan Pesznecker, and Nicole Rosevear, licensed under a\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/\"><span>Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License<\/span><\/a><span>, except where otherwise noted.<\/span><span>Download for free at: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/openoregon.pressbooks.pub\/wrd\/\"><span>https:\/\/openoregon.pressbooks.pub\/wrd\/<\/span><\/a><span><\/span><\/p>","rendered":"<p class=\"Default\"><span>The common phrase \u201cyou don\u2019t get a second chance to make a first impression\u201d expresses how much weight people place on their first experiences when reading a piece of writing. Catching the attention of readers may be your most important task as you write: if you lose them in the introduction, you won\u2019t get a chance to share your message with them later. See <strong>Figure 7.6<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/scholarlywriting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2025\/07\/Untitled_Artwork-300x259.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"515\" height=\"445\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/scholarlywriting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2025\/07\/Untitled_Artwork-300x259.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/scholarlywriting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2025\/07\/Untitled_Artwork-1024x883.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/scholarlywriting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2025\/07\/Untitled_Artwork-768x662.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/scholarlywriting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2025\/07\/Untitled_Artwork-65x56.jpg 65w, https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/scholarlywriting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2025\/07\/Untitled_Artwork-225x194.jpg 225w, https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/scholarlywriting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2025\/07\/Untitled_Artwork-350x302.jpg 350w, https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/scholarlywriting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2025\/07\/Untitled_Artwork.jpg 1478w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 515px) 100vw, 515px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Figure 7.6<\/strong>: Introduction.<\/p>\n<p>Introductions have <strong>three jobs<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Introduce the focus and purpose of your writing (ie., the main idea and thesis if applicable).<\/li>\n<li>Provide a brief overview of what you will discuss.<\/li>\n<li>Catch the attention of readers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>How do you accomplish these jobs without giving away your entire essay in the introduction? How do you know what will hook readers\u2019 attention without sharing all the cool details? Great questions!<\/p>\n<p>You might start by using this simple <strong>formula<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox\">A good introduction = new information + ideas that everyone may not agree with.<\/div>\n<p>If your piece begins with an idea most people know and agree with, it\u2019s less likely to pull readers in. People are curious about new ideas and opinions that have multiple perspectives or may be controversial.<\/p>\n<p>See <strong>Table 7.5\u00a0<\/strong>for some methods for introducing a topic and getting a reader\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Table 7.5:\u00a0<\/strong>Methods for introducing a topic<\/p>\n<table class=\"lines\" style=\"border-collapse: collapse;width: 100%\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th>Method<\/th>\n<th>Reason<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50%\">\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><span>Share an interesting, shocking, or little-known fact or statistic about your topic.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 50%\">\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><span>This gives your readers insight into your topic right away; it will pique their curiosity and make them want to know more. It will also help you establish a strong ethos, or credibility, from the very beginning.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50%\">\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><span>Share a brief anecdote or story.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 50%\">\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><span>Sharing a human interest story right away will help readers connect with your topic on a personal level and illustrate why your topic matters.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50%\">\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><span>Ask a question that gets readers curious about the answer. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 50%\">\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><span>People want to know the answers to questions. They\u2019ll keep reading to find the answers you pose in your introduction \u2013 just be sure to answer them at some point in your writing.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--exercises\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<p class=\"textbox__title\"><strong>Student Tip<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<p><strong>Share Your Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After you have drafted your introduction, share it with a peer or a friend. Ask them: Does the introduction catch your attention? Does the introduction predict what my paper is about? If they answer &#8220;no&#8221; or &#8220;sort of,&#8221; it needs to be refined.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr aria-hidden=\"true\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"attribution-notice\">Attribution statement<\/h2>\n<p class=\"DefaultCxSpMiddle\"><span>Content from this page was remixed with our own original content, and adapted, with editorial and organizational changes, from: <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"DefaultCxSpLast\"><a href=\"https:\/\/openoregon.pressbooks.pub\/wrd\/\"><span>The Word on College Reading and Writing<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0by\u00a0Carol Burnell, Jaime Wood, Monique Babin, Susan Pesznecker, and Nicole Rosevear, licensed under a\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/\"><span>Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License<\/span><\/a><span>, except where otherwise noted.<\/span><span>Download for free at: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/openoregon.pressbooks.pub\/wrd\/\"><span>https:\/\/openoregon.pressbooks.pub\/wrd\/<\/span><\/a><span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"menu_order":8,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-315","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":141,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/scholarlywriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/scholarlywriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/scholarlywriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/scholarlywriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/scholarlywriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2386,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/scholarlywriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/315\/revisions\/2386"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/scholarlywriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/141"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/scholarlywriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/315\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/scholarlywriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/scholarlywriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=315"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/scholarlywriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=315"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/scholarlywriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}