College Writing 3-1

80 Chapter 2 Evaluating Web Design
The lntroduction
Academic writing is a complex task that requires many decisions.
Effective writers understand that there are as many"rules"to successful
writing as there are decisions to be made.That is, academic readers
have expectations about what the writing will "look like":what will
come first, how it will be written, where the thesis will be, how the
topic sentences will relate to the thesis statement, and even what
supporting examples and details will come after a topic sentence.
Many of these "rules" or reader expectations are not written; they are
simply expected, and they are called "writing conventions."
Take the introductory paragraph-the first paragraph in an
academic essay-as an example.The functions of the introduction are
in this order:
1. To introduce readers to the topic
2. To present some interesting information about the topic to
engage the readers
3. To present the thesis statement, usually the last sentence of the
introduction
Notice that the introduction of an academic essay or report is
shorter than the body paragraphs because it does not'tonventionally"
(typically) present any support or evidence.
You can make the introduction interesting by starting with a
well-known fact or detail about the topic that the reader will agree
with, and then follow with some less familiar information to engage
the reader.You might ask a thought-provoking question or begin with
a brief dialogue. Some writers like to call these different devices
"hooks." Just as fishermen use baited hooks to lure their prey, writers
use interesting introductions to capture their readers'attention so that
the readers will want to read the rest of the essays.
Here are two examples of interesting introductions. Read both
introductions before reading the comments in the left margin.