Strategies for Introductory Paragraphs*

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Provide Background
Provide background information on a topic or problem; present an issue in context; give the history of the subject

Tell a Story
Open with a brief anecdote or story.

Explain an issue
Present the different sides of an issue, along with any particularly well-known or controversial events relevant to the topic.

Offer a definition
Define an important concept or term that will recur throughout the paper.

Ask a question
Present provocative questions or opinions that require further discussion.

Use an extended example
Start with an extended example related to the topic and main idea.

Present a Quotation
Quote from an authority or from someone whose opinion leads into the topic or highlights key ideas.

Make a comparison
Highlight the importance of a topic or issue by comparing it to another situation, historical period, subject, or issue; offer an intriguing analogy.

Provide statistics
Supply facts and statistics that introduce the topic or that help define an important issue or problem.

Describe a mystery
Present a mysterious or interesting phenomenon worth exploring or explaining.

*From Simon and Schuster Quick Access Reference for Writers, Second Edition. Ed. Troyka, Lynn Quitman. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 1995.
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