Introduction & conclusion

Write about what you are going to write about, then write about it, and then summ up and write about what you have written.

Introduction

Your introduction should accomplish two main tasks:

• get reader's interest
• let the reader know what the essay is about

Although there are many methods to catch readers' attention, professional writers often use five basic patterns to grab readers' interest in the introduction paragraph. These are:

• anecdodal
• declarative
• famous person
• historical review
• surprising statement

To accomplish the second task, one should carefully prepare a thesis statement.

Things to avoid in introductory paragraph

There are several things you should never include in your introduction paragraph. You should not:

• apologize, never mention you aren't an expert in the field ("In my humble opinion..")
• announce your intention ("This essay is about..")
• start with a dictionary (encyclopedia) definition ("A derivative of a function is the..")

Conclusion

In order to make a sound conclusion, and make your closing bolster your entire essay, you should apply some (not all) of the following techniques:

• ask a provocative question
• call for action
• compare to other similar situations
• end with warning
• evoke a vivid image
• include summary of main points
• use a quotation

Your conclusion is a powerful tool that wraps your essay in a package, so that it is comfortable for the reader to carry. However you should check whether your conclution is in tight connection with your thesis. If you find that after reading your closing paragraph your thesis turns irrelevant, revise your arguments or rewrite the thesis.

Note: The most commonly used mistake unexperienced writers commit is primitive restating the thesis statement of the essay in the last paragraph. Also, never inlcude a new separate idea. If you come up with a good point, arrange a separate paragraph for it, but don't include it in the conclusion.