In the most abstract sense, the function of an introductory paragraph is to move the reader from the world of daily life into the textual and analytical space of an essay. In a more concrete sense, an ...

Extended "discourse," such as class presentations or essays written as school assignments, has a particular structure arising from particular expectations and standards. Such structure, expectations, ...

Most students when asked to write a paragraph or two on any stipulated topic begin producing lengthy essays overflowing with details. The practice is like an epidemic in government schools, especially ...

2. The introductory paragraph should state the argument (sometimes also called the ‘thesis’) – the argument tells the reader what the essay will claim and prove. This is your and the reader’s map or ...

The word essay comes from the French word ‘essayer’ meaning ‘to try’ or ‘to attempt’. A French writer called Michel de Montaigne invented the essay in Europe as his ‘attempt’ to write about himself ...