Arrangement - Write an Introduction Paragraph
There are many ways to write an introduction. This is ONE way.
- Some teachers will use the word “funnel”
- The idea is to start BIG and go SMALL.
- Introductions prepare your reader by giving 6 pieces of information:
| Section | content | Example |
|---|---|---|
| General Background (GB) | category of topic | cheap clothes |
| Specific Background (SB) | Name specific topic | cotton |
| Importance Background (IB) | Why care? Why important? | causes suffering/pollution |
| Thesis statement - Topic | cotton production | |
| Thesis statement - Main idea | compare? argue? how to? | description-problems-solution |
| Keywords - optional | one word per paragraph | (main idea = keyword, so not needed) |
GB - General Background
- DO NOT NAME YOUR TOPIC in GB. Save it for SB
- Do not use these for GB:
- Personal statements (“I…”, “When I was”). OK in TOEFL iBT, not here
- Definitions (“The Oxford dictionary defines imagination as….”)
- Questions (“Do you know X?”) - OK in speech, not writing
| Type: | Example |
|---|---|
| “Many”: | Many people regularly use/drink/buy/wear X without thinking. |
| “In Japan,”: | In Japan, it’s taken for granted that X, . However… |
| “Every day”: | Every day, many/most students use/drink/buy/wear X |
| “Most”: | Most people use X every day. |
| Number: | Three million tons of X are used every day (Smith, 1999), … |
| Quote: | According to the WWF (2013) the world today is “addicted to oil”, and … |
| List: | 1, 2, 3, and 4 are all products commonly use in Japan. All of these … |
SB - Specific background - Name and define your topic
| Type: | Example |
|---|---|
| One of the most + ADJ | One of the most endangered animals is the Harp Seal, which |
| Of these | Of these, the most endangered animals is the Harp Seal, which |
| The most | The most common type of Tuna is Bluefin, which… |
| particularly | Plastic bags are a particularly harmful kind of waste. |
| especially | Harp Seals, which live in Tokyo, are especially endangered. |
| Following a GB “List” | All of these are/contain … |
| Use a partition | There are three main kinds of X - 1, 2, and 3 - of which |
IB - Importance background
- However, not all SB TOPIC is made in an ethical way
- This is a
- This is a problem that needs solving because…
- This is an issue, because if X, then Y will also
- This is an interesting area because
- This is a problem because not all X is made/used/recycled/disposed of/mined/obtained in an ethical way
- This is important because
- Knowing is important
- Not many people know about X, but they should because
- While much is known about X, little is known about Y
- The results/information below should be useful to …
- Knowing more about X should help Y (do Z)
- If IB doesn’t work well for your essay, try
- a definition or partition if you’re not using that elsewhere
- change the order to GB-IB-SB-Thesis (if your SB isn’t actually important)
THESIS STATEMENT
- Opinion
- “This essay argues that PROPOSITION, for three reasons - 1, 2, and 3.”
- This essay argues that electric cars are actually bad for the environment, for three reasons: rare earth mining, construction energy cost, and the difficulty in recycling batteries.
- Ethical consumption
- Examples
- This essay first describes X in detail, then summarizes some problems it/they/its production/their production causes/is causing, and finally outlines some possible solutions to those problems.
- This essay first describes Tantalum in detail, then looks at some problems its production causes, and then finally outlines some possible solutions to those problems.
- Be careful about causes and effects
- is the product itself is dangerous (e.g. mercury/plastic)
- or is just “its production” dangerous (e.g. diamonds/cotton/paper)
- Be careful about countability
- Uncountable? Use “its” (Tantalum, cotton)
- Countable? Use “their” (bananas, tuna)
- Examples
- Endangered animals
- Examples
- This essay first describes the SPECIES NAME in detail, then looks at some problems it faces, and finally some outlines possible solutions to those problems
- This essay first describes the Saola in detail, then looks at some problems it faces, and finally outlines some possible solutions to those problems
- Be careful about species and individuals
- Talking about a species: use “it” and “the panda”
- Talking about all individuals : use “they” and “pandas”
- both OK, but don’t mix!
“This essay first describes the Saola in detail, then looks at some problems they
- Examples
- Other essay types, see Write A Thesis Statement
Full Examples
Many students in this University own leather products, mostly as bags or shoes. The most common animal used to make the leather for these is the cow. However, cow leather is often produced in a way that causes suffering for the cows and problems for the environment. This essay first describes how cow leather is made, then looks at some problems it causes and some possible solutions to those problems
As Prime Minister Abe noted recently, the Japanese economy is “improving rapidly”. This is in part due to increased car exports in the developing world. Since the Japanese economy relies heavily on this industry, it is an important topic for the future. This essay compares the approach of two car makers to this expanding market - Mitsubishi and Suzuki.
Most people in Japan take for granted that if they get sick, they can go to the hospital and get help. However, this is not always true in the developing world, where access to medicine and doctors can be difficult. This is a problem because if people cannot access medical help, it shortens their life and damages the economy of the country. This essay uses the example of one country - Afghanistan - as a case study to examine this problem, then looks at whether the lessons learned there can be applied elsewhere.
In the world, there are 6.3 billion vehicles (“Cars,” n.d.), and they all need fuel to drive. Most cars run on fossil fuels, however there are a number of biofuels, of which the most common is made from corn. However, not all of this is made in an ethical way, and its production can cause problems. This essay first describes how corn-based biofuel is made, then looks at some problems it causes and some possible solutions to those problems