ENGL000: Pre-College English

5.1: Beginning and Ending an Essay

• Humboldt State University Wikispace: "Writing Introductions and Conclusions" Page

  In Unit 4, you learned about the importance of guiding your reader through a piece of writing when you studied transitional words and expressions. This principle applies at all levels of an essay—you must signal to your reader what your argument will be, how it will be organized, and how your conclusions follow from the evidence you have presented. In this unit, you will learn how to write effective introductions and conclusions to frame your essay for your readers. This article gives a brief overview of writing introductions and conclusions.  
  

• 5.1.1: Writing Introductions

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Comparative Media Studies: "Resources for Writers: Introduction Strategies" Page

    You should now understand the purpose of an introduction within in the structure of an essay. This article offers 10 strategies for writing engaging and effective introductions.

    At the end of Unit 4, you wrote a short essay about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle.” Once you have read the article above, go back and revisit your essay. Write a new introduction for the essay using one of the strategies suggested in the article.

• 5.1.2: Writing Conclusions

  • The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: "Conclusions" Page

    Effective conclusions require their own strategies. This article offers strategies for writing conclusions, as well as some ineffective approaches to avoid. 

    Once you have read the article, complete the same revision exercise as above, this time focusing on conclusions. Write a new conclusion for your “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle” essay using one of the strategies suggested in the article.