Introductions and Conclusions In this worksheet, you will learn about: the purpose of an introduction. types of information in introductions.

ons. the purpose of a conclusion. techniques for writing conclusions.

The importance of introductions and conclusions - Introduction and the conclusion are two of the three main parts of an essay. Without an introduction and a conclusion, an essay is just a group of paragraphs. The introduction and the conclusion work together to make the topic and main ideas of the essay clear to the reader. The introduction - What is an introduction? - The first paragraph of an essay is called the introduction. The introduction: is usually five to ten sentences. catches the reader's interest. gives the general topic of the essay. gives ackground information a out the topic. states the main point !the thesis statement" of the essay.

The introduction is often organised y giving the most general ideas first and then leading to the most specific idea, which is the thesis statement, like this:

/eneral ideas

#pecific idea !Thesis statement"

#ource: $emach % &umisek Academic Writing: from Paragraph to Essay !'(ford: )acmillan *u lishers +td, ,--."

Task 1: Read the introduction below and complete the dia ram! If you ask average 0mericans where their language comes from, they will pro a ly say '1ngland'. 2owever, 1nglish voca ulary has also een influenced y other countries and groups of people. #ome words are orrowed from other languages, such as typhoon, which originally came from the 3hinese word, 'tai4fung', meaning ' ig wind'. Skunk, the name of a small, smelly, lack4and4white animal, came to 1nglish from a 5ative 0merican language. 0frican 0mericans, too, have oth contri uted new words to 1nglish and changed the meanings of some e(isting words.

/eneral ideas 7.88888888888888888888888 ,.888888888888888888888....... .............................................................................................

Thesis #tatement 9888888888888888888

"ow to write a stron introduction 0 strong introduction: introduces the topic clearly. gives several sentences of information a out the topic. states the thesis !the main idea" of the essay.

0ny of the following will make an introduction weak: It doesn't give enough information a out the topic 6 gives too much information a out it. It talks a out too many different topics. It does not state a clear thesis.

#ource: $emach % &umisek Academic Writing: from Paragraph to Essay !'(ford: )acmillan *u lishers +td, ,--."

Task #: Read and discuss the followin introductions with a partner! $ark the stron introductions with a tick % &! $ark the weak introductions with a cross %'&! What could the writers do to make the weak introductions stron ? ( - :amily structure has changed a lot in the last fifty years in 0sia. The decrease in the num er of e(tended families and nuclear families has caused several social changes. ) - The num er of usinesses using the Internet for selling products has increased greatly in recent years. #hoppers, too, are using the Internet in greater num ers to uy all types of products, such as ooks, cameras, and clothing. 0lthough e4 usiness has ecome popular, there are certain risks involved in Internet shopping that are a concern for oth usinesses and consumers. C - #targa;ing<looking at the stars<is something everyone should try. I love it. When looking at the night sky, most people o serve that the moon, planets, and stars move from the east side of the sky to the west over a period of several hours. In fact, this movement is actually the movement of the 1arth rotating on its a(is. In addition, as the 1arth revolves around the sun throughout the year, different stars are visi le at different times. * - The origins of Irish music can e traced ack nearly ,,--- years to the time when the 3elts arrived in Ireland. )usic thrived under the rule of the 3hieftans, ut later declined during the =ritish colonisation of Ireland. 2owever, during the /reat :amine of the 7>9-s, thousands of Irish people immigrated to 5orth 0merica in search of a etter life, taking their music with them. Irish music soon ecame esta lished in 0merican cities with a high proportion of Irish immigrants, such as 3hicago and =oston. These cities are popular tourist destinations with many interesting sights. 2owever, Irish music really ecame known to a wider audience In the 7?@-s, when musicians e(perimented with more modern arrangements of traditional songs and fusion with rock, world music and ja;;. Aa;; originated in the 0merican #outh in the early twentieth century. 5ow, in the twenty4first century, Irish music is more popular and successful than ever. + , 0djusting to another cultureBs food can e a challenge for many travellers. The geography of a country can greatly affect the typical foods that are eaten y its people. Types of information "ow to make an introduction interestin - To make an introductory paragraph interesting for the reader, you can include: Interesting facts or statistics 0 personal story or e(ample 0n interesting quotation

Task -: Read these introductions and find out what types of information does each one contain! ( , =efore I travelled to the CD last year, I thought that =ritish food was just fish and chips, roast eef, apple pie, rice pudding and endless cups of tea. These foods are popular in =ritain, ut during my travels, I discovered that there is so much more to eating in the CD. *eople from all over the world have made their home in =ritain, and they have rought with them their own food. 1ven in small towns, you can find 3hinese, Indian and Italian restaurants, amongst #ource: $emach % &umisek Academic Writing: from Paragraph to Essay !'(ford: )acmillan *u lishers +td, ,--."

others. The CD can e divided into different regions that each has its own characteristic foods influenced y the culture of the people who live there. ) - 1very ody knows the koala, that sweet 0ustralian animal that resem les a teddy ear. 0lthough koalas look like toys, they are actually strong clim ers and spend their days in the treetops. )other koalas carry their a ies around from tree to tree in a pouch, or pocket, on their stomach. 0lthough there were millions of koalas in 0ustralia in the past, they are now a protected species of animal. 0s a result of human population growth, deforestation and hunting, the num er of koalas has declined. C , Taoism is an ancient philosophy from 0sia that places great importance on the natural world. Taoists elieve that spirit can e found in every person or thing, living or non4living. :or the Taoist, even a mountain or a stone contains spirit. +ao Tsu, a Taoist writer and philosopher, said, E*eople follow earth. 1arth follows heaven. 2eaven follows the Tao. The Tao follows what is naturalF. :or thousands of gears in 3hina and other 0sian countries, gardens have een an important wag to create a place where people can feel the spirit of the natural world. 3reating a Taoist garden is an art. 5o two Taoist gardens are e(actly alike, ut all Taoist gardens include four essential elements: water, mountains, uildings and ridges. The conclusion The importance of a conclusion - The conclusion is the final paragraph of the essay. 0 good concluding paragraph: summari;es the main points of the essay. restates the thesis !using different words". makes a final comment a out the essay's main idea. may emphasi;e an action that you would like the reader to take.

Gon't introduce new ideas in a conclusion. 0 conclusion only restates or gives further commentary on ideas discussed in the essay. Task .: /ook at the essay below and answer these 0uestions! a! Goes the conclusion use any of the four techniques descri ed a oveH Which onesH ............................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................... b! Which sentence in the conclusion restates the thesis !from the introduction"H ............................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................... ...............................................................................................................................................................

#ource: $emach % &umisek Academic Writing: from Paragraph to Essay !'(ford: )acmillan *u lishers +td, ,--."

+ssay: Chan in +n lish: the (frican (merican Influence If you ask average 0mericans where their language comes from, they will pro a ly say '1ngland'. 2owever, 1nglish voca ulary has also een influenced y other countries and groups of people. #ome words are orrowed from other languages, such as typhoon, which originally came from the 3hinese word, 'tai4fung', meaning ' ig wind'. Skunk, the name of a small, smelly, lack4and4white animal, came to 1nglish from a 5ative 0merican language. 0frican 0mericans, too, have oth contri uted new words to 1nglish and changed the meanings of some e(isting words. 0frican 0mericans, many of whose ancestors were rought to the #tates as slaves hundreds of years ago, have introduced a num er of words to 1nglish from languages that they spoke in their native countries. The common 1nglish word OK is used around the world today, ut it was not always part of 1nglish voca ulary. 'ne theory is that slaves in 0merica used a phrase in their own language that sounded like OK to mean 'all right'. 0mericans heard the phrase and started using it. Today, almost everyone in the world uses OK to mean 'all right'. 0nother good e(ample of a 'new' word is the word jazz. 0frican 0merican musicians living in the Cnited #tates egan playing ja;; music in the city of 5ew 'rleans, and they used the word jass or jazz to descri e the music and certain kinds of dancing. 5o one is sure where the word originally came from, ut as ja;; music ecame more and more popular, the word jazz ecame a common 1nglish word. The meanings of words sometimes change over time. The word cool is a good e(ample. Cool has een used in 1nglish for a long time to descri e a temperature that is 'not warm ut not too cold' or to descri e a person who is 'calm or unemotional'. 2owever, an additional meaning was given to the word cool in the past 7-- years. Aust like the word jazz, 0frican 0merican musicians used the word cool to descri e the music they were playing. :or them, cool meant 'good'. 0s ja;; music and other forms of music played y 0frican 0merican musicians ecame popular, more and more people started to use the word cool in conversation. Today, it is still a commonly used word, especially y younger people, to mean 'good' or 'great'. 0 word with the opposite meaning of cool is square. #quare is, of course, a shape, ut it also is used to descri e a person who is not cool. This may e ecause a person who is too old4fashioned and not fle(i le is like a shape with four straight sides and four corners. 1nglish owes some of its interesting and colourful voca ulary to 0frican 0mericans. 1(isting ethnic groups in the Cnited #tates as well as new immigrants will surely continue to ring new words to 1nglish and give fresh meanings to e(isting words. Who knows what the 'cool' words of tomorrow will eH III

#ource: $emach % &umisek Academic Writing: from Paragraph to Essay !'(ford: )acmillan *u lishers +td, ,--."

Task 1: $atch each of these introduction thesis statements with its rewritten 2ersion for a conclusion! a!!!!!!! #upermarkets are the est places to uy food ecause of their convenience and lower prices. b!!!!!!! Travelling a road is a valua le learning e(perience. c!!!!!!! +earning to play a musical instrument is very eneficial for children. d!!!!!!! 3reating and owning a usiness offers more advantages than working as an employee in a company. e!!!!!!! )ore houses should e adapted to use solar energy ecause it is clean and renewa le. f!!!!!!!! The World Wide We can e very useful for research, ut it also contains a lot of incorrect information. 7. *eople can learn many things y travelling to other countries. ,. Gespite the challenges, eing an entrepreneur can offer more enefits than other types of employment. .. The fact that larger supermarkets offer cheap prices and a large selection of products makes them the est place for shoppers. 9. The World Wide We gives access to a huge amount of knowledge, ut users shouldn't elieve everything they read there. J. When children are e(posed to music and are taught to play instruments such as the piano or violin, there are many positive effects. >. The sun gives a constant, free supply of clean energy, which more homes should take advantage of.

Task 3: Read para raph ( in task - on pa e . a ain! Choose the best concludin para raph, below! ( , The =ritish eat many different kinds of food, ut the typical diet of many people includes eating a lot of fast food and ready4made dishes. The popularity of ham urger and pi;;a restaurants has increased greatly over the years. 0s a result of this diet, many =ritish people have food4related health pro lems. To create a healthier society, people should learn a out eating a good diet and should teach their children to do the same. ) , 3learly, it is difficult to say that there is one type of =ritish food. 1very part of the country has its own special dishes ased on the produce and tastes of that region. :rom the 0ncient =ritons and the &oman, #a(on and Kiking invasions to present4day immigrants, the cuisine of the CD continues to change with its changing population. C , *eople who have come from other countries to live in the CD have rought their own traditions and customs with them and added them to =ritish culture. It is possi le to find restaurants from all different ethnic ackgrounds, especially in larger cities around the country. Immigrants may also maintain their traditions y uilding places to practise their religion, such as mosques, temples and churches. =y continuing to follow some of their customs and eliefs, immigrants can stay in touch with their past while also living a new life in a new country.

#ource: $emach % &umisek Academic Writing: from Paragraph to Essay !'(ford: )acmillan *u lishers +td, ,--."