How to Begin and End an Essay - Ms. Marcia Smith



How to Begin and End an Argument

There is no ONE right way to begin and end an argumentative essay, but here are some ideas to help you come up with something engaging that won’t sound like a formula.

INTRODUCTIONS

1. A personal anecdote – This can be SO effective.

(Some examples: The first thing I remember owning was a Tonka truck.

My grandfather always told me that hard work is its own reward.

When I was seven years old I committed a crime. I stole my friend’s favorite matchbox car.)

2. A definition--your own, don’t try to pass it off as a dictionary definition

(for example: To “own” something is to possess it.)

3. A rhetorical question

(for example: Is there any real reason to listen to other people’s opinions?)

By the way, rhetorical questions are typically bad places to use 2nd person.

Who’s supposed to answer you?

4. A quote or paraphrase from the passage or prompt - worked in with your own words!

(for example: The poet Horace said that “Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant.”)

Conclusions

A conclusion that does nothing but repeat your main ideas doesn’t add much to an argument. If this is what you are going to go with, keep it short, short, short. Two or three short sentences are plenty.

Another option:

Create a Frame--If you have the time and inclination to do something extra with your conclusion, try creating a sense of closure by connecting it to your introduction.

For example, a paper that begins with the simile above (The complexity of nature is like a woven tapestry…) could end include something like this in the conclusion:

Mary Oliver conveys the complexity of the woven tapestry that is nature through her use of…

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