5.11: Introduction Strategies

Introductions can seem boring and like a chore if you allow them to be. However, you can keep them relevant to you and your goal if you keep in mind the purposes of an essay introduction: to attract the reader’s attention, identify the topic the essay will cover and why it’s important, and ultimately lead the reader to the thesis. Writing that is clear and concise will give the reader an accurate view of what to expect from the rest of the essay. Think of this part of your essay the same way you think of meeting someone new: first impressions are important, and you want your essay to make a good one!

The introduction of an argumentative research paper is not like the one you wrote for your summary/response essay; instead, these introductions follow the traditional pattern of any regular 5-paragraph essay you have probably written in the past. They have three parts:

INTRODUCTION

• Hook
• Background Information
• Thesis Statement

The hook is what you use to engage your reader’s attention. Some example hooks are:

• General statement
• Interesting fact or statistic
• Quotation
• Shocking statement
• Anecdote*: a brief story that can help set the scene for the rest of the intro

• Question*
  *While these techniques are effective in hooking the reader, they are not as common in formal or academic writing and should be avoided if possible.

An overview of or background information about the topic is the second and often overlooked part of an introduction. You can’t assume that the reader knows everything that you do, so this section prepares the reader for the essay by giving them any prior knowledge they may need in order to understand the thesis. Think of this section as adding context to the thesis statement.

For a reminder about the thesis statement, see this previous section.

As for deciding which information to include and how to include it, there are two popular introduction strategies.

A. Funnel Strategy

If you’ve ever used a funnel while cooking, you will probably understand this concept. In this strategy, the information in the introduction transitions from more general in the hook at the beginning to the most specific information being in the thesis statement at the end of the intro. In picture form, it would look like this:

 

In the introduction below, the hook is in green, the background information is in yellow, and the thesis is in red.

Example:

The question of productivity of employees at their workplace is one of the biggest interests of companies. In the 21st century, unique techniques such as computer gaming or napping at the workplace are used to make an employee more comfortable and productive at work, and employers are still working on developing techniques to make workplaces more comfortable and due to the comfort employees will be more productive. The debate around how the inside design of the office affects employees’ mood and working ability has bothered the minds of companies for a long time. A well-designed office positively affects employees’ morale and health which increases a company’s productivity.

B. Turnabout Strategy

A turnabout introduction includes an opposing viewpoint: the paragraph can start with the opposition and could comprise half the paragraph, or it could simply be the sentence before the thesis. Either way, the introduction would include both the writer’s opinion and the opposite.

In the example below, the opposing viewpoint is highlighted.

Example:

Many people’s attention is focused on the issue of equality. When it comes to the biggest problem faced by urban residents, many people think of equality at first because of recent headlines. Granted, there is a serious problem of inequality in today’s society.

Nevertheless, behind the issue of equality, there is a bigger and more fatal problem, that is, the environmental problem. Nowadays, almost all cities are facing severe environmental problems, and thousands of urban residents get sick or even die every year. Therefore, I think the biggest challenge that city residents face is the environment and the government could solve it by building more parks, contributing a better public transport system and moving factories around the city further away from the city.

PRACTICE 1: Analyzing Introduction Paragraphs
Read the introductions below, and change the hook to green, the background information to yellow, and the thesis red. If it’s a turnabout introduction, highlight the opposing viewpoint. What type of hook did the writer use? Was it effective? What feedback would you give the writer, both positive and negative?

In the past, when the very first camera was invented, you had to sit still for 8 hours to take a picture of yourself. However, nowadays when you want to take a picture of yourself, it will just take a second. Compared to the future, now our society has more developed technology and we are living in the generation that cannot live without the technology or robots. In particular, robotic technology is growing so fast that it could even replace humans’ jobs. Today robots have replaced humans in many different areas, and these changes have positive impacts to humans, such as developed technology makes jobs easier, offers robotic friends and helps mundane tasks to be done in more efficient ways.

Type of hook:

Feedback:

I have had countless moments when I want to ask for help from a robot in my life. Although I didn’t know about robots at that time, I thought it could do anything. Whenever I didn’t want to clean my house, I hoped that the robot could help me clean it; whenever I was in trouble, I wanted the robot to appear in front of me immediately. Of course, technology is constantly evolving. Although the robots are still unable to do some things, the above experiences are the experience of many people. Robots are no longer far from humans, and they are slowly entering various fields of humanity, helping humans in these fields. Nowadays, technology has replaced humans in a variety of ways, and I think these changes are mostly positive because machines can guarantee work efficiency and quality, can make humans’ lives easier, and promote economic development.

Type of hook:
Feedback:

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era of globalization, robots have been spread in the presence of humanity. In a mere coincidence, humans designed robots to behave as one human being. Not only that, but also robots replacing humans in the workplace in several aspects are now becoming more real than we have thought. Many would have asked, "how can they help in our society?" and "how do you feel collaborating with robots while working?" This may sound unrealistic for people who do not fully comprehend the utilization of robots. However, robots in our society have made a positive impact in helping factories to accomplish their tasks, supporting doctors to help sick people, and assisting students in their studies.

Type of hook:

Feedback:

Assignment: Write the introduction to your research paper using one of the strategies listed above.