Faced with the difficulty of starting a text, be it a blog article, news, a review or even a college entrance exam, it can happen that we miss the hand and waste the precious chance to captivate attention of the reader. Therefore, we selected 9 introduction models very interesting and effective for those who want to improve their texts and hook the reader right on the first line.
1. start with the most important
The message behind this type of introduction is: go straight to the point! Fulfill the promise of your text bluntly, without “sausage stuffing”, as they say, and deliver to the reader, right in the first lines, the main part of your text, as is done in a news item. give the name of "inverted pyramid" to this type of structure, in which the most important is always ahead.
Example:
This type of introduction is useful for anyone who writes on the internet, blogs and websites. We chose as an example a content from the area of biology on centipedes entitled “After all, is the centipede (centipede) poisonous?”. The most important thing in this article is the answer to the question asked in the title. Therefore, the article must start by giving the answer, without stalling.
Yes, the centipede or centipede is poisonous! Its bite is quite painful and releases a substance that is toxic to humans. Centipede stings usually cause redness, pain and swelling. In more severe cases, poisoning can cause chills, fever and even necrosis of the bitten area. So, if you see a centipede around, never try to catch it with your hands.
Content introduction for the Hipercultura website.
2. Introduce the topic and expose your point of view
This type of introduction is ideal for dissertations college entrance exams and competitions, where the author must, without any beatings, present the theme of his essay and expose his point of view on the subject in question. But this introduction is also good for any opinionated text, whose purpose is to address a problem situation and present an opinion (thesis). Opinion articles, editorials, and essays are examples of textual genres where this introduction model works well.
Example:
We imagine that the theme of your essay is “Why is fake news an evil to democracy?”. Its introduction must fulfill a double function: present the theme (in a very objective and clear way) and express its position on the issue.
Then, throughout development, you are expected to demonstrate the validity of your point of view, bringing relevant arguments to support your initially presented thesis. Let's see the example below:
Fake news produces a false reality, often building unreal scenarios and fictional enemies. Therefore, nothing is more harmful to the construction of a politically responsible society than lying. The lie, which made something so commonplace in the virtual world of blogs and social networks, drives away people of the real problems, making them make decisions guided by illusion, not reason.
see the Dissertation meaning.
3. Make questions
Asking questions is a way to instigate the reader's curiosity. The questions serve the purpose of announcing the theme and the main issues that guide its writing, arousing the reader's interest in what comes next: the answers (or at least attempts to answer). Throughout development, therefore, it is essential to return to these initial questions (a promise made is a promise kept).
Example:
Let's suppose an internet content on the topic: “Mysteries of the Pyramids of Egypt”. Let's see what an introduction with questions could look like:
Do you know what the pyramids of Egypt are? Do you know what's in there? Do you know how they were built and what resources were used to build these stone colossi? These and other questions have intrigued humans for thousands of years. Let's try to answer them.
4. instigate curiosity
This introduction is similar to the previous one. But instead of the introduction bringing unanswered questions (because the answers will be given later), the idea is ask questions already presenting some curious information on a particular subject, along the lines of “did you know that…?”.
It goes without saying that this type of introduction serves to grab the reader's attention from the very first line, prompting him to want to explore the content to the end.
Example:
Did you know that the Pyramid of Giza, the largest in Egypt, is the height of a 40-story building? Did you know that, contrary to popular belief, it wasn't slaves who built these huge stone mausoleums? These are just some impressive trivia about these millenary constructions that intrigue specialists even today.
5. start with a quote
Quote is also a good starting text option. A good quote, in addition to introducing the topic, gives credibility to the text, as it demonstrates that its author is surrounding himself with reference names (the specialists) in the area of knowledge in which the text is inserted.
It is important that the quote is well chosen - which means, first and foremost, that it is trustworthy. Also, the citation must be well related to the topic. A precaution that must be taken is not to leave the quote “loose”, without articulation with what will come next.
Example 1:
In an entrance exam dissertation, this feature is known as an “authority argument”. It is as if the author borrowed a statement or testimony from an authority on the subject to further support his point of view. This is what happens in the introduction below on the topic “Conspiracy theories: harmless or dangerous?”:
According to German historian Michael Butter, conspiracy theorists "are driven by a nostalgia for the past." That is: both conspiracy theorists and people who believe in them refuse to accept the social changes that are indispensable for building a fairer society. Because of their power to influence behavior and even fuel hatred, conspiracy theories should be taken very seriously by people.
Example 2:
Quotations are not just for starting school dissertations. The content producer can use this feature in other types of text, whether a copy network, an opinion piece or a movie review, as in the following example:
“Now see what would happen if they were freed from their chains and cured of their unreason,” says philosopher Socrates in Plato's Allegory of the Cave. Behind the plot of the film The Matrix, starring Keanu Reeves, is the idea that we are prisoners of an illusory reality. Neo, played by Reeves, can be seen as a “prisoner” who manages to break free from the world of falsehood in which he lived - the only reality that had been presented to him - to see things as they were they are.
6. Present statistical data
This is a very interesting way to start some types of text, such as the dissertation and the opinion piece, but it can also be used for copies of social networks or a blog text. Starting text with data is a very fast and efficient way to draw the reader's attention to a problem or phenomenon in reality what you want to talk about. Data provide a "picture" of reality and, if used well, give the text a lot of credibility.
Example:
Suppose you want to write a text about how Brazilians use the internet and, in particular, social networks. Your text could start like this:
According to a Panorama Mobile Time/Opinion Box survey, WhatsApp is installed on almost 100% of Brazilian mobile phones. Furthermore, 93% of Brazilians use this app daily, which only proves the importance that this instant messaging app has nowadays.
7. tell a little story
This type of introduction is used a lot in reporting, but it can also be used in other types of writing. This short narrative must be related to the theme and serve as something exemplary or a starting point for what will be addressed in sequence. This little story can come from an excerpt from a book, from a movie, or from a person's life story.
Example:
Let's assume a story about the daily lives of workers who depend on public transport in big cities. This text could start by telling the routine of one of these people.
Arlete da Silva, 28, wakes up every morning at 5 am, has breakfast and, without wasting time, leaves home to catch the bus. “The later I go out, the greater the traffic jam,” says Arlete, who dreams of one day being able to live closer to the center of the city, where she works. This is the reality of many other people who, like Arlete, face hours and hours of congestion every day in order to be able to work.
8. List examples
Making a short list of examples at the beginning of the text can be an interesting strategy, especially in argumentative essays. When well chosen, the examples bring the text closer to the reader, which immediately recognizes the content of what is being discussed. Good examples are those shared by everyone. They are easily recognized by the reader as they are part of their daily lives.
Example:
Suppose a newsroom that wants to discuss the harms of conspiracy theories in democratic societies. This text can start by giving examples of conspiracy theories currently circulating on the internet.
The world is dominated by a race of reptiles. Man has never set foot on the moon. The earth is flat. Vaccines can trigger autism. Powerful forces want to erase national borders and submit the world to a totalitarian world government: the New World Order. These and other conspiracy theories are so fanciful they even provoke laughter. But that doesn't mean they are harmless. On the contrary: there are conspiracy theories that pose serious risks to public health and democratic freedoms.
9. show empathy
Showing empathy is always desirable in a text, whatever the genre. After all (with the exception of the diary), we write for readers and we want to respond in some level to their needs, anxieties and doubts.
There is a way to introduce texts whose strategy is to put empathy first. In this type of introduction, the author addresses the reader, places himself at his side, simulating a situation of dialogue. To do this well, you need to know your readers (target audience) well.
Example:
Do you use your cell phone as soon as you wake up? Do you even interrupt lunch to check the message that arrived on WhatsApp? Spend minutes on end running the Facebook timeline not knowing exactly when to stop? Know that you are not alone in this. The documentary O Dilema das Redes exposes, in a very didactic way, this contemporary addiction that affects billions of people around the world and that, it seems, is here to stay.
Did you like this content? So try reading these too:
- Meaning of Introduction
- What to write in the methodology
- Meaning of Opinion Article