Hello, welcome to the writing section.
As is known to you all that an argumentative
composition is usually made up of 3 parts:
the introduction introductory paragraph(s),
the body paragraph(s) and the conclusion concluding paragraph(s).
How to write the introduction in the western thinking mode
is still a problem for many students,
and thus it is necessary for me to address this writing aspect.
In Thinking as a Hobby,
the first fifteen paragraphs constitute
the first part of the article, namely, the introduction.
Can you appreciate the skillful writing techniques
that the author used to begin this article?
First of all, in paragraph one,
the author made the bold assertion that
there were three grades of thinking and
he could not think at all(this is the thesis statement).
How was the subject of thinking introduced to him?
Paragraph 2 through paragraph14 described
the three statuettes in the school headmaster’s office
and the author’s interview with the headmaster.
The talk with the headmaster made the boy feel ashamed
and set him thinking.
In paragraph 15,
the author came to the conclusion
that he was not endowed with thinking ability,
but determined to find out about thought,
and thus the following paragraphs were devoted to
his findings of the three grades of thinking.
As you see the first part of the text is well-knit.
The subject of thinking is introduced by telling an
interesting story about the author and the headmaster.
A humorous effect has been achieved
by the author’s description of the statuettes
and a sarcastic and humorous tone is set for the whole article.
Besides, the three statuettes are related to the rest of the article,
establishing a background to support his later analysis of
three grades of thinking and some human natures.
How do you introduce a topic
and what should be written in the introductory paragraph?
From the chart,
you may get the gist of introduction writing
The first sentence serves as a hook to attract the reader’s attention.
The middle sentences provide background information
in order to set the stage for your discussion.
The last sentence conveys your thesis statement.
Sometimes forecasting sentences will follow your thesis
to list all the main supporting points in your essay.
Of course, good writing is not strict adherence to a formula,
but as beginners,
you should bear these tips in mind.
First of all,
do remember that an effective introduction should
grab the attention of the readers.
You can begin your essay by telling an interesting story,
asking a brilliant question, providing statistics,
introducing a contradicting fact, or citing a famous quote.
All these are devices that are effective in capturing
the attention of your readers in the introduction. E.g.
Besides getting the attention of the readers,
an effective introduction should reveal your specific purpose.
It is demonstrated by the most important sentence
called thesis statement.
How to write the thesis statement?
Let me tell you the features one by one.
I hope what I’ve talked about
will enable you to write an excellent introductory paragraph
to the essay titled Playing Games Teaches Us about Life.
That’s it for today, see you!