Introductions, Conclusions, Titles (GENERAL)

 

INTRIGUING TITLES ARE ALWAYS A PLUS  
It will be connected to it in your conclusion's clincher!

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INTRODUCTION 

--> Your first sentence should be an grab attention & hook the audience’s interest.

--> The middle of the intro gives background, general, and/or basic information about your following paragraphs. It introduces the body of your essay.  Depending on the type of essay, this middle section could be one sentence or up to ~three sentences. 

--> The last part of your introduction is your THESIS STATEMENT.   

Remember: 

It summarizes your 3 body paragraphs’ points.

If your essay has only 2 body paragraphs, it summarizes those.
If you have only 1 body paragraph it summarizes (with a tagline) that 1 body paragraph.

EXAMPLE: Is it possible to dance on water? If that water is frozen and the dancers wear blades on their feet, it is entirely possible and enchanting. When dancing, acrobatics, and skating meet, the result is figure skating. The art and sport of figure skating has a rich history, stringent training regimens, and exciting superstars.

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CONCLUSION (special clincher rule - last 2 sentences)

--> Briefly recap the three points (paragraphs). You can elaborate (slightly). Remember! No new arguments/reasons!

--> The last paragraph should also help your reader feel glad that they read your essay.

REMEMBER THE RULE FOR THE LAST TWO SENTENCES

--> One of the sentences should tell the reader, "the most significant" point in your essay.

--> One of the sentences should repeat, reflect, or refract the topic sentence (hook) AND @ least be part of your TITLE.   (TT/CC)

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Introductions & Conclusions (& Titles) c

COMPARE/CONTRAST specific

INTRIGUING TITLES ARE ALWAYS A PLUS  
It will be connected to it in your conclusion's clincher!

__________________________________________________

INTRODUCTION 

--> Your first sentence should be an grab attention & hook the audience’s interest.

--> The middle of the intro gives background, general, and/or basic information about your following paragraphs. It introduces the body of your essay.  

--> The last part of your introduction is your THESIS STATEMENT.  

In a Compare Contrast essay, it asserts your opinion.

Then the thesis statement tells your audience what your three paragraph points are. 

Remember: 

1) It states an opinion that explains why it is useful to put these two topics together in the first place. 

2) It summarizes your 3 body paragraphs’ points.

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Here is the formula:

THESIS STATEMENT (for Compare/Contrast Essay)

OPINION w/ reason for comparison + TWO TOPICS + TRANSITION WORD(S) + THREE POINTS (PARAGRAPHS)

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Here are some examples of thesis statements:

"A cat is a better pet for our family than a dog because cats require less maintenance, are more independent, and do not need to be walked."

Point /Paragraph 1: maintenance
Point /Paragraph 2: dependency
Point /Paragraph 3: do not need to be walked

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"New York City and San Francisco are both great cities, but for young professionals NYC is superior because of the job opportunities, social environment, and living conditions."

Point /Paragraph 1: job opportunities
Point /Paragraph 2: social environment
Point /Paragraph 3: living conditions

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"It is clear that online college courses make more sense than traditional on-site courses because there are less distractions, more flexibility and greater cost savings." 

Point /Paragraph 1: less distractions
Point /Paragraph 2: more flexibility
Point /Paragraph 3: greater cost savings

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The colors are for YOUR benefit -- do not use different colors in your essay.

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CONCLUSION (special clincher rule - last 2 sentences)

--> Briefly recap the three points (paragraphs). You can elaborate (slightly). Remember! No new arguments/reasons!

--> The last paragraph should also help your reader feel glad that they read your essay.

REMEMBER THE RULE FOR THE LAST TWO SENTENCES

--> One of the sentences should tell the reader, "the most significant" point in your essay.

--> One of the sentences should repeat, reflect, or refract the topic sentence (hook) AND @ least be part of your TITLE.   (TT/CC)

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Here is an example - Thank you for requesting this, Lillian! And thank you to Derica for letting me use parts of her essay as an example.

NOTE: Thesis statement: A pet cat is a better choice for a middle schooler than a pet dog based on shedding, price, and attention needed. 

EXAMPLE of a possible CONCLUSION 

(RE-CAP -->) For the typical middle school student, a pet cat is a much better choice than a pet dog. Shedding is not as much of a problem for cat owners.  Cats are more reasonably priced than dogs, and they also require much less attention than dogs.

(ADDED INTEREST / MAKE THE READER GLAD THEY READ) -->) Even the great poet, Carl Sandburg understood how wonderful cats are. He used a cat as a metaphor in his famous poem, Fog. 

"The fog comes

on little cat feet.

It sits looking

over harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on."

The cat represents silence and beauty in this poem; the cat required no attention.

(MOST SIGNIFICANT STATEMENT -->) The most significant thing to remember about cats versus dogs as pets is that cats require much less attention.

(CLINCHER-->)  This sentence must repeat, reflect, or refract the topic sentence (the hook). 

Who/Which Clause

IEW source: https://iew.com/help-support/blog/stylistic-techniques-whowhich-clause

Clause: A group of words that has both a subject and a verb. 

A “who or which” clause is simply a group of words that begins with who or which and has a verb in it. (The who or which is the subject of the clause.) 

When do you use “who”? – When talking about people. 

When do you use “which”? – When talking about things. 

What about animals? If they act like humans or are pets, use “who.” If they are clearly animals, use “which.” 

To indicate the who/which clause: Underline and bold only the who or which, not the whole clause. If you have more than one, indicate only one in every paragraph or as stipulated in the assignment. 

Two ways to form: 

1. Take two sentences that begin with the same subject and turn one into a “who” or “which” clause.

 Examples: 

The yellow-bellied sapsucker is native to Canada and the northern United States. It destroys young trees by sucking sap from the branches. 

The yellow-bellied sapsucker, which is native to Canada and the northern United States, destroys young trees by sucking sap from the branches. 

John Smith knew how to trade with the Indians for food. He helped save Jamestown. 

John Smith, who knew how to trade with the Indians for food, helped save Jamestown.

2. Take a noun (person or thing) and add information to it in the form of a “who” or “which” clause. 

Examples: 

The lion was most grateful for the appearance of the little mouse. 

The lion, who felt he would never be able to disentangle himself from the hunter’s net, was most grateful for the appearance of the little mouse. 

John Smith made a clever rule. 

John Smith, who helped to save Jamestown, made a clever rule. 

CRUCIAL: Don’t let your “who” or “which” try to be a sentence by itself! 

The disheveled princess stood dripping. 

The disheveled princess, who stood dripping. (What’s wrong with this?) 

A who/which clause cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. 

The “who/which” clause is one of several kinds of dependent clauses. This one is an adjective clause because the entire clause describes a noun and therefore follows a noun. 

Grammar Rule #10: 

The who/which clause is usually set off by commas. If you take it out of the sentence, you should still have a sentence left. To check: If you remove the who or which clause, do you still have a sentence that can stand alone and make sense? 

The disheveled young woman, who stood at the door with water dripping down her back and into her shoes, claimed Princess Authenticity. 

If we remove the underlined “who” clause, we still have a complete sentence: The disheveled young woman claimed Princess Authenticity. 

Practice: Add a who or which clause to the following sentences, either by adding more information or by combining sentences. Then write one of your own. 

1. The frog prince spied the Princess’s golden ball. He questioned why she was weeping and wailing. 

2. The Princess shed copious tears over the loss of her golden ball. 

3. Ali winked at the passersby. They recognized he was up to his old tricks with the Sultan. 

4. The Sultan gloried in Ali’s impromptu poem. 

Your turn. In the space below, write 5 sentences with a “who” clause AND 5 sentences with a “which” clause.

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