JLD

ESSAY WRITING
Writing Introductory Paragraphs

Typical Introductions:

A basic introduction to an essay has:

• A grabber (a general statement(s) that introduces the topic and pulls in the reader
• A transition sentence (if necessary to link grabber to the thesis statement)
• A thesis statement (a single sentence that sums up the essay)

Examples:

A. Many people migrate from the Caribbean every year. However, some
of them have difficulty adapting to their new country. Three main reasons for
this are the difficulties in finding a job, finding accommodation, and dealing
with the weather.

B. When Caribbean people immigrate to North America or Europe they are

faced with many changes. Some of these changes can affect how quickly they
can adapt to their new lives. Three common obstacles for immigrants are
finding a job, looking for housing, and coping with winter weather.

Devices to Try:

▪ Providing relevant background information

▪ Relating a brief, interesting story or anecdote
▪ Giving a pertinent statistic or statistics
▪ Asking a provocative question or questions
▪ Using an appropriate quotation
▪ Making an analogy
▪ Defining a term used throughout the essay
▪ Identifying the situation

Strategies to Avoid:

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▪ Obvious statements that refer to what the essay is about or will accomplish, such as “I am
going to discuss the causes of violence in Jamaica.”
▪ Apologies, such as “I am not sure this is right, but this is my opinion.”
▪ Overworked expressions, such as “Haste really does make waste, as I recently discovered”
or “Love is blind.”

Examples of Introductory Paragraphs

BEGINNING WITH A QUOTATION:

"With your own hands you make your own success; with your own
hands you destroy it" is a powerful African proverb that once observed can
change the lives of many individuals. I learnt this principle two years ago
when I was made redundant from my job. Through my own efforts, and a
year of hard work, I became a millionaire but not for long because midway
into the second year I had to file for bankruptcy because of mismanagement
of funds, poor financial advice and lack of family support.

"You don't always have to have something to say," said Sammy Davis
Jr., famous American actor and singer. But, although he is dead and gone the
profundity of his statement still lives on. In my own experiences, I too have
come to agree with him that remaining silent and occasionally playing the
fool is often the best way to make a powerful statement.

BEGINNING WITH A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:

The rain was pouring down in huge, black sheets. I could barely see where I was
driving. When I turned into the campus parking lot, I moved my head as close to the
windshield as possible in order to see, but I could barely make out the outlines of
parked cars. After I had circled the student parking lot three times, I finally found a
spot up in what we call "monkey heaven" - a narrow parking area behind the
technical building - blocks away from the science building. I learned that night what
every student who drives to school here knows. Primarily because of overcrowding
and the scattered layout of the buildings, our campus desperately needs a multilevel
parking structure located in a central position and open to all students.

BEGINNING WITH A QUESTION:

Have you ever wondered why someone would endure the painful experience of
having tattoos chiseled all over his/her body? Well, Ricki Lake's talk show, aired on
Friday, July 13, 2001, would have provided you with some interesting answers. The
most memorable response came from a gentleman who is slated to appear in the
Guinness Book of Records because every square inch of his torso is colourfully

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tattooed. According to him, whenever he runs out of body space to tattoo he will
redo and re-colour some of the older and more faded tattoos. He, like many of
Lake's other guests, said that getting a tattoo is the most effective way of escaping
depression, carving out a unique identity, and beautifying the body.

Writing Middle and Concluding Paragraphs

Middle Paragraphs:
The middle, or body of your essay will develop your thesis by offering supporting
evidence. Ideas for the body should emerge from the outline that you made after you
reviewed your generated ideas.

Each body paragraph MUST have a clear topic sentence (located at the start of each
paragraph). The topic sentence MUST relate to one of the claims in your thesis
statement. It’s the topic sentence that guides the development of a body paragraph.

ADDITIONALLY:

▪ Be sure that each paragraph makes a specific point and that the point is sufficiently
developed with evidence.
▪ Be sure that each paragraph is coherent. Read each sentence, starting with the second
sentence, to see how it relates to the preceding sentence. Does it clarify, extend,
reinforce, or add an example? If you can't find the relationship, the sentence probably
does not belong where it is. Rewrite it, move it, or strike it out.
▪ Be sure that the connections between the paragraphs are clear. Transitional words and
phrases, such as "Furthermore," "On the other hand," and "In the next stanza," will often
give readers all the help they need in seeing how your points are connected.
▪ Be sure that the paragraphs are in the best possible order. A good way to test the
organization is to jot down the topic sentence or topic idea of each paragraph, and then see
if your jottings are in a reasonable sequence.

Your choice of connectives often depends on the purpose of writing.

If your PURPOSE is: Then use TRANSITIONS such as:

To list first, second, next, last

To indicate time sequence before, previously, now, later,

meanwhile, then, afterwards, subsequently, soon,
immediately, eventually, currently

To establish a spatial relationship below, above, along, beside, beneath, behind, in

front

To amplify that is, in fact, in other words

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To exemplify for example, for instance, thus, as an illustration,

namely, specifically

To establish a logical relationship therefore, consequently, thus, as a result of, for

To add information and, also, too, in addition, furthermore, moreover,

besides, equally important, then, finally

To compare similarly, likewise, in the same way

To contrast but, however, on the other hand/on the one hand,

conversely, nevertheless, otherwise, in contrast, still,
at the same time

To concede of course, to be sure, certainly, granted

To summarize hence, in short, in brief, in summary, in conclusion,

finally

(NB: Topic sentences are often preceded by a transitional word.)

Concluding Paragraphs:

Devices to Try:

▪ Using any device appropriate for introductory paragraphs – but avoid using the same one in
both the introduction and the conclusion
▪ Summarizing the main points of the essay – but avoid a summary if the essay is less than
three pages long
▪ Asking for awareness, action, or a similar resolution from readers
▪ Making recommendations
▪ Looking ahead to the future (making projections about future possibilities)

Strategies to Avoid:

▪ Introducing new ideas or facts that belong in the body of the essay
▪ Rewording your introduction
▪ Announcing what you have done, as in “In this paper, I have explained the reasons for the
increase in violence in Jamaica.”
▪ Making absolute claims, as in “I have proved that the recent increase in violence has
affected economic development in Jamaica.”
▪ Apologizing, as in “Even though I am not an expert, I feel my position is correct” or “I may
not have convinced you, but there is good evidence for my position.”

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