WEEK_________________10

Introductions and Conclusions

In this topic, you will learn about…

 the purpose of an introduction.
 types of information in introductions.
 the purpose of a conclusion.
 techniques for writing conclusions.

The Introduction
The first paragraph of an essay is called the Introduction. The introduction is
usually five to ten sentences. The introduction is often organized by giving the
most general ideas first and then leading to the most specific idea, which is the
thesis statement.

The Purpose of an Introduction

The purpose of an essay introduction is to introduce the topic of the essay to the
reader which also could catch the reader’s interest. It also gives the general topic
of the essay and so is the background information about the topic. And it also
states the main point (the thesis statement) of the essay.

How to write a strong introduction

A strong introductions…
 Introduces the topic clearly.
 Gives several sentences.
 States the thesis (the main idea) of the essay.
Any of the following will make an introduces weak
 It doesn’t give enough information about the topic or gives too much
information about it.
 It talks about too many different topics.
 It does not state a clear thesis.

Example of an essay introduction

 “The teachers at my college were always very helpful;
however, there was one teacher in particular who
stood out from all the rest. Her name was
Mrs. Middleton. She was always late to class and extremely messy; however, she
would make up for it by being the most interesting teacher I had ever had.
Whenever her class came, there was never a dull moment.”

The Conclusion
A conclusion is an important part of the essay. Conclusions remind the reader of
the thesis of the essay, the main ideas and the key supporting details; they wrap
up the essay, either looking to the future for how to apply the research or
looking back for salient research gaps and limitations.

The purpose of a conclusion

The purpose of a conclusion is to restate the main argument. It reminds the
reader of the strengths of the main argument(s) and reiterates the most
important evidence supporting those argument(s).

Techniques for writing conclusions

The easiest way to write an essay conclusion is to simply restate your main
points, using different words and phrases to avoid sounding repetitive.
But there are also some other techniques for writing conclusions, which
are:
 Provide a future perspective
 Provide a historical perspective
 Make suggestions for future research
 Admit that your point of view is limited

Example of an essay conclusion

“Although companies need to hire capable, dependable employees, they
should not be able to dictate what their employees do in the comfort of
their own homes. There are better ways of determining whether someone
is right for a position, including education, past employment, personal
and professional references, and trial periods.”