Lesson Topic 2: Introductions

Word art illustration made of the different types of introductions: anecdote, dialogue, startling introduction, and all commentary.

The introduction is the first paragraph of an essay. The introduction always includes a thesis statement which is the last sentence of the introduction. The introduction provides the writer with the opportunity to introduce the topic of the paper.

There are four types of introductions:

Anecdote
Dialogue
Startling Introduction
All Commentary

The paragraph that begins an essay causes students the most trouble, yet carries the most importance. No matter which type of introduction you choose, the important thing to remember is that the introduction must include your thesis statement. It also needs to introduce the topic. If you are writing about a piece of literature, the introduction should include the title of the work and the author's name.

Here are examples of the four kinds of introductions:

Anecdote (a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person)

In a home with four boys and two working parents, tensions and anxieties tend to rise at alarming rates. Especially in my family, the never-ending questions of "Who ate the last bowl of Honey-Nut Cheerios?" and "Who wiped the toothpaste on the counter?" are always among the most nerve-wracking. Consequently, like any other group of normal human beings, we find ways to relieve the everyday stress.

Dialogue (Conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or movie)

"Like, oh my gosh! He's so cute!"

"Yeah, and those legs!"

These are familiar sounds of a typical conversation by a couple of girls at the beach in search of some friends to go walking with. The art of flirting is mastered by more girls and is a much more popular pastime than swimming in a salty, freezing, seaweed-filled ocean. These days the beach serves as a teenager's coolest hangout.

Startling Information

It's alive! The 70-something acre piece of land that used to be a boring, hilly dirt and grass pile has come to life with lively young bodies and staff members who will change the community for the better. We've waited a long time for East Side High School to open, and now we're off and rushing to a wonderful future.

All Commentary (your opinion or comment about something- interpretation, analysis, insight, feelings, or reflection)

It has been many years since my family had the privilege of becoming yet another divorce-stricken statistic. I cannot even begin to recover any of the broad details in the nooks and crannies of my mind that concern life with my father. He was an alien to me. Then six years ago, when I was ten, the annual "reunions" ended. Over a third of my life had passed before I saw him again at a time when I could finally understand who this stranger really was.

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