Remember, You Want the Reader to Want to Know a Little Background About Your Subject And

INTRODUCTIONS:

Remember, you want the reader to want to know a little background about your subject and you want to get the reader interested in what you might have to say. Here are a few different ways to try:

 Anecdote/Story Opening: A good way of catching your reader's attention is by sharing a story that sets up your paper. Sharing a story gives a paper a more personal feel and helps make your reader comfortable.  Specific Detail: Giving specific details about your subject appeals to your reader's curiosity and helps establish a visual picture of what your paper is about.  Quote: Another method of writing an introduction is to open with an interesting or shocking quotation. This method makes your introduction more interactive and more appealing to your reader.  Interesting Statistic: Statistics that grab the reader help to make an effective introduction.  Question: Possibly the easiest opening is one that presents one or more questions to be answered in the paper. This is effective because questions are usually what the reader has in mind when he or she sees your topic.

Here is a sample introduction following along with the “Hemp” outline we’ve discussed.

Imagine one crop that could produce better quality clothing, healthier foods for our families, smoother and softer skin, as well as safer and more energy-efficient vehicles, all while helping in the fight to preserve the environment. But that’s not all. This one miracle crop would not only be valuable to a number of different markets, but it would be extremely profitable by cutting down production costs for companies and perhaps even lowering the prices of these products for Americans. This crop has the potential to give the United States economy the major boost it needs today! So, if this wonder crop really did exist, wouldn’t you think that the government and big businesses would be exploiting it for all its worth? Whether it is to improve the environment, give Americans better quality products at more reasonable costs, or merely for their own profit, don’t you think we would’ve heard about it by now? This crop isn’t all that unfamiliar or fictional and it really does exist today. It’s known as industrial hemp. Unfortunately, American farmers are prohibited by law from growing this low-input, sustainable crop common in Europe and Canada. It is crucial for America to legalize the growth of hemp on American soil in order to rescue the economy and preserve the environment.

The conclusion to any paper is the final impression that can be made. Simply summarizing your argument isn’t enough. This is the last opportunity to get your point across to the reader and leave the reader feeling as if he or she learned something and possibly even agrees with what you had to say. Leaving a paper "dangling" without a proper conclusion can seriously devalue what was said in the body itself. Here are a few effective ways to conclude or close your paper.

 Logical Conclusion: This is a good closing for argumentative or opinion papers that present two or more sides of an issue. The conclusion drawn as a result of the research is presented here in the final paragraphs.  Real or Rhetorical Questions: This method of concluding a paper is one step short of giving a logical conclusion. Rather than handing the conclusion over, you can leave the reader with a question that causes him or her to draw his own conclusions.  Speculation or Opinion: This is a good style for instances when the writer was unable to come up with an answer or a clear decision about whatever it was he or she was researching.  Recommendation: A good conclusion is when the writer suggests that the reader do something in the way of support for a cause or a plea for them to take action.

Here is a sample closing paragraph following along with the “Hemp” outline we’ve discussed. Although hemp is a great asset as an import for these companies, Americans should be able to grow it on their own, especially for smaller businesses who can’t afford to import such a valuable resource. It’s undeniably profitable for companies. Producing hemp would provide more jobs, better working conditions, and possibly even higher wages since money won’t be spent on high import taxes. The possibilities are endless! Plus, hemp products are environmentally friendly, which can help reduce our deforestation and pollution problems. Cyntheia Thielen, the Hawaiian State Representative, worked hard to get Hawaii approval to grow an experimental acre of hemp in 1999, the first time in 40 years, in hopes of steering America in the right direction. Thielen excitedly reports that, “Hawaii is at a crucial turning point. We have an opportunity to shift from dependence on foreign and federally influenced markets to locally-based industry. I see industrial hemp as a key to providing Hawaii with much needed economic independence and diversity” (Vote Hemp, 6). The “Hemp for Victory” campaign of the World War II era applies to Hawaii and should certainly apply today for the rest of America. Back before men like Hearst and Anslinger took over, the Government promoted the idea of economic independence and diversity for America, just like Thielsen and many others are doing for Hawaii today. America must make hemp for better quality clothes, hemp for healthier diets and skin, hemp for safer and more energy-efficient vehicles, hemp for the preservation of our environment, and most importantly hemp for victory!

Remember, you want the reader to want to know a little background about your subject and you want to get the reader interested in what you might have to say. Here are a few different ways to try:

 Anecdote/Story Opening: A good way of catching your reader's attention is by sharing a story that sets up your paper. Sharing a story gives a paper a more personal feel and helps make your reader comfortable.

 Specific Detail: Giving specific details about your subject appeals to your reader's curiosity and helps establish a visual picture of what your paper is about.

 Quote: Another method of writing an introduction is to open with an interesting or shocking quotation. This method makes your introduction more interactive and more appealing to your reader.

 Interesting Statistic: Statistics that grab the reader help to make an effective introduction.

 Question: Possibly the easiest opening is one that presents one or more questions to be answered in the paper. This is effective because questions are usually what the reader has in mind when he or she sees your topic.

Conclusions:

The conclusion to any paper is the final impression that can be made. It is the last opportunity to get your point across to the reader and leave the reader feeling as if he or she learned something and possibly even agrees with what you had to say. Leaving a paper "dangling" without a proper conclusion can seriously devalue what was said in the body itself. Here are a few effective ways to conclude or close your paper.

 Logical Conclusion: This is a good closing for argumentative or opinion papers that present two or more sides of an issue. The conclusion drawn as a result of the research is presented here in the final paragraphs.

 Real or Rhetorical Questions: This method of concluding a paper is one step short of giving a logical conclusion. Rather than handing the conclusion over, you can leave the reader with a question that causes him or her to draw his own conclusions.

 Speculation or Opinion: This is a good style for instances when the writer was unable to come up with an answer or a clear decision about whatever it was he or she was researching.

 Recommendation: A good conclusion is when the writer suggests that the reader do something in the way of support for a cause or a plea for them to take action.