Introduction to Essay Writing

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Introduction to Essay Writing
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Essay writing is about sharing your knowledge and
ideas about a given topic.
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There are several different types of essays
including the following

1. Expository to show
2. Compare and Contrast showing how two topics are
   alike and different
3. How To gives direction
4. Process lab reports
5. Descriptive appeals to the five senses
6. Persuasive makes someone believe what you do

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All essays have an introduction, body, and a
conclusion.
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Introductions have TWO purposes

• Get the readers attention.
• Give the thesis statement.
• The thesis statement tells what the essay will be
  about.

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Getting Your Readers Attention

• Effective introductions must make a reader want
  to read the essay. This is called a hook or a
  lead.
• You SHOULD NOT begin an essay with the following
• In my essay, I will write about frogs.
• OR
• I am going to write an essay about frogs.

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Hook the Reader by leading with one of these

• An amazing or unusual fact
• A descriptive segment
• A quote
• A question
• A bold opinion
• A statistic

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• Your thesis statement will contain the main ideas
  you are writing about in your paper.

• Once youve written the introduction, you need to
  focus on each body paragraph.
• Body paragraphs should EACH begin with a
  transitional word or phrase (first, next,
  finally, in addition to, etc.). Then give 3 5
  sentences of detail to support that category, and
  a clincher sentence to wrap the ideas together.

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• The conclusion is the final paragraph. It is a
  reverse introduction. Begin by restating your
  thesis statement. Try to use slightly different
  words, but name your main ideas again.
• Then, end your paper so that the reader feels
  like it is done. This is often done by
  connecting back to how you opened the essay. If
  you started with a question, go back to the ideas
  there. If you gave facts . . . comment on them
  once more.

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Types of Hooks

1. _________________ Cats furry and fluffy, sleek
   and sophisticated, playful and proud. These
   amazing felines make the best possible pets.
2. _________________ These celebrities of the
   animal kingdom have been featured everywhere from
   Broadway to King Tuts tomb! These amazing
   felines make the best possible pets.
3. _________________ They are more intelligent than
   dogs, cleaner and neater than birds, and less
   annoying than a sister or brother. These amazing
   felines make the best possible pets.

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1. _________________ Ill travel anywhere around
   the globe to make a picture, says Hollywood
   superstar Maxine Foster, as long as I can bring
   my kitty cat along on the shoot. These amazing
   felines make the best possible pets.
2. _________________ What do more than 20 million
   Americans have in common? They are proud owners
   of the fabulous feline. These amazing felines
   make the best possible pets.
3. _________________ Are you looking for a good
   companion, a faithful friend, and some good clean
   entertainment? Then look no further. Just buy
   yourself a cat. These amazing felines make the
   best possible pets.