How many times have you heard that? it is true that the first impression mdash whether it rsquo s a first meeting with a person or the first sentence of a paper mdash sets the stage for a lasting opinion. The introductory paragraph of any paper, long or short, should start with a sentence that piques the interest of your readers. In a well constructed first paragraph, that first sentence will lead into three or four sentences that provide details about the subject or your process you will address in the body of your essay. The entirety of your paper hangs on that sentence, which is generally the last sentence of your introductory paragraph. In summary, your introductory paragraph should contain the following: an attention grabbing first sentence informative sentences that build to your thesis the thesis statement, which makes a claim or states a view that you will support or build upon to get your paper off to a great start, you should try to have a first sentence that engages your reader. As you researched your topic, you probably discovered many interesting anecdotes, quotes. surprising fact: the pentagon has twice as many bathrooms as are necessary. the famous government building was constructed in the 1940s, when segregation laws required that separate bathrooms be installed for people of african descent.

This building isn rsquo t the only american icon that harkens back to this embarrassing and hurtful time in our history. Across the united states there are many examples of leftover laws and customs that reflect the racism that once permeated american society. humor: when my older brother substituted fresh eggs for our hard boiled easter eggs, he didn rsquo t realize our father would take the first crack at hiding them. my brother rsquo s holiday ended early that particular day in 1991, but the rest of the family enjoyed the warm april weather, outside on the lawn, until late into the evening.

Perhaps it was the warmth of the day and the joy of eating easter roast while tommy contemplated his actions that make my memories of easter so sweet. Whatever the true reason, the fact is that my favorite holiday of the year is easter sunday. quotation: hillary rodham clinton once said that ldquo there cannot be true democracy unless women's voices are heard. Rdquo in 2006, when nancy pelosi became the nation rsquo s first female speaker of the house, one woman rsquo s voice rang out clear. With this development, democracy grew to its truest level ever in terms of women rsquo s equality. The historical event also paved the way for senator clinton as she warmed her own vocal chords in preparation for a presidential race. In each example, the first sentence draws the reader in to find out how the interesting fact leads to a point.

curiosity: a duck rsquo s quack doesn rsquo t echo. some people might find a deep and mysterious meaning in this fact hellip definition: a homograph is a word with two or more pronunciations. produce is one example hellip anecdote: yesterday morning i watched as my older sister left for school with a bright white glob of toothpaste gleaming on her chin. I felt no regret at all until she stepped onto the bus hellip the body of your introductory paragraph should fulfill two functions: it should explain your first sentence and it should build up to your thesis statement. Once you complete a first draft of your paper, go back to re construct your introductory paragraph. Be sure to check your thesis statement to make sure it still holds true mdash then double check your first sentence to give it some zing.

how to successfully deal with college writing assignments

real study strategies from real students tips for success with college writing assignments. If you are writing at the last minute in a panic, an outline helps to guide your thinking and keeps your paper from going off on pointless tangents, especially if you are researching and writing as you go. Always take a break and plan on getting up early in the morning to proofread your essay.

I think you have to lay your ideas down before you can make sense of what you are going to write. I also think that grammar is so important, and you have to make sure that you at least sound intelligent through what you write. Having something to work off of when you do sit down to write the paper will make it that much easier, plus you've already got a start.

If i'm really struggling with something i'll talk with the professor to see if i'm on the right track. Usually the professors will ask you questions to get you thinking and head you in the right direction. Also, with written assignments, having a timeline planned out can help like by setting a certain number of pages done by a certain day before the paper is due heather a. start as soon as possible on them, at least with the research and don't leave it for last minute because it probably won't turn out great. Take the paper/written assignment piece by piece and set realistic goals for when parts of the assignment should be done.

marissa p. don't rely simply on spell check! it doesn't always catch mistakes like if something is still a word, but not the word you intended or in the order you meant it to be in. They can help on grammar mistakes and if they understand it, then you made your point clear and it's probably a good paper. renee p. when writing a paper or project its important to double and triple read over your paper. Re readers will catch most if not all of their mistakes, thus yielding a better and more sound paper.

That may sound like simple advice but that is the way i got through my written assignments successfully. A lot of times students have a choice of the topic they are going to be writing on. Take time to come up with a topic you really want to learn more about or think would be interesting. My other piece of advice when it comes to writing papers is to write an outline first. It was usually harder for me to sit down and start writing without knowing where my paper was going. Give yourself time to do several drafts, so don't procrastinate! re read your multiple times.

It is good to hear other people's opinion because teacher's will have a different opinion from your own. amber j. always have someone else edit your paper, it's not enough to edit it yourself because you won't be able to catch all the mistakes. I generally come up with an idea and do massive amounts of research before i ever think about writing. I then organize my research then sometimes prepare an outline before actually writing. I have to give my eyes a break from it, and if i just wrote it i think it looks perfect. But if i look at it a day later i almost always find grammatical errors or phrases and sentences i just want to reword.

sarah p. always, always try to do it ahead of time! i can't tell you i do that every time, but i've never been completely happy with finished products that are completed the night before/the day the assignment is due. What helps for me is usually making lists of things i want to include in each paragraph. I do research on each of those main points, and eliminate or add to the lists based on my findings. By writing out the main paragraphs, i have a good idea of what the main point of my paper's going to be for the introduction paragraph and what conclusions i want to make at the very end. I cannot stress this enough though it's never ever a good idea to start a paper from scratch at the last minute! it'll only stress yourself out more in the end, and stress is not something you should equate with any type of assignment the more stress you put on yourself, the more you'll develop anxiety right before it's due and the more likely you'll let your body be affected mentally and physically. jessica w. i try to outline before i write because otherwise i forget what i am supposed to be talking about. I try not to leave them until the last minute because then i will just bs the work.

Teachers like your opinion and if you can find something from the reading or research that relates specifically to your life, they like it even more because it allows you to take ownership of your work. I write things that i want others to read not things that i have to write because the teacher said so. It's more of a mogul that might take a little more effort to get over, but you'll manage. Remember, rough drafts are called rough for a reason you can always go back and edit them.

Just start writing whatever comes to mind about the topic and then go over it and fix it as you go along. Below are a few guidelines to help you write the introduction to your critical review. If your assignment asks you to review only one book and not to use outside sources, your introduction will focus on identifying the author, the title, the main topic or issue presented in the book, and the author's purpose in writing the book. If your assignment asks you to review the book as it relates to issues or themes discussed in the course, or to review two or more books on the same topic, your introduction must also encompass those expectations. For example, before you can review two books on a topic, you must explain to your reader in your introduction how they are related to one another.

Within this shared context or under this umbrella you can then review comparable aspects of both books, pointing out where the authors agree and differ. In other words, the more complicated your assignment is, the more your introduction must accomplish. Finally, the introduction to a book review is always the place for you to establish your position as the reviewer your thesis about the author's thesis. As you write, consider the following questions: is the book a memoir, a treatise, a collection of facts, an extended argument, etc. Is the article a documentary, a write up of primary research, a position paper, etc. An overview supplies your reader with certain general information not appropriate for including in the introduction but necessary to understanding the body of the review.