Types of Essay Introductions 1. A general statement. Begin with a general statement and then follow it with more particular or specific statements leading to your thesis statement. This introductory strategy is sometimes referred to as a funnel introduction because, like a funnel, it is broad at the opening and narrow at the bottom.

The issue of whether we should allow marine parks to stay open has been widely debated in our community recently. It is an important issue because it concerns fundamental moral and economic questions about the way we use our native wildlife. A variety of different arguments have been put forward about this issue, but considering arguments for having marine parks and pointing to some of the problems with these parks, it is not difficult to understand our legislation should introduce laws which prohibit these unnecessary and cruel institutions. 2. A Question. Many writers open their essays with a question that is meant to attract the interest of the reader. Sometimes writers use a rhetorical question; that is, a question for which no answer is expected because the intended answer is obvious. An example of a rhetorical question: “Should we allow child abuse to continue?” A writer might open an essay with a question that requires an answer; the need to hear the answer keeps the reader reading.

When people think ahead to the year 2050, many different questions come to mind. Does germ warfare have the potential to destroy the world? Does the medical profession have the knowledge and technology to make gene therapy a natural part of medical care? Will the cloning of humans be successfully accomplished in the next few years? If the answer to all these questions is yes, then it is only logical that in the next fifty years people will experience major differences in medicine, lifestyles, and living environments.