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ELA 4: Complete Sentences
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In this lesson we'll subject you to some verbs and predicates. Each one is a necessary part of a complete breakfas—er...sentence.

ELA 4: Word Choice
222 Views

Choosing words carefully is important. You may end up vexing the assemblage of citizens you're conversing with...or you might even just plain bore...

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ELA 4: What Makes an Excellent Introduction? 1021 Views


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Description:

Personally, we like to be bowed to and have our rings kissed but...oh, we're talking about introductions in your writing. Hm. Better watch the video.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:04

[Coop and Dino singing]

00:14

“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”

00:18

How does that line make you feel? A bit spooked, perhaps? [Woman looking spooked]

00:21

After all, what kind of a weirdo is putting the number thirteen on his clock?

00:25

If it sounds familiar, it may be because it’s the opening line from George Orwell's famous novel, 1984. [George Orwell's novel closes]

00:32

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”

00:35

You’re probably familiar with hobbits thanks to the Lord of the Rings films, but imagine [Man sleeping on a couch]

00:38

you'd never seen them, and you just picked up J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit for the first time ever.

00:43

Instantly, the book makes you want to know, “What sort of creature would live in a hole in the ground? [Hobbit walks through a door]

00:48

What’s wrong with these hobbit folks?

00:50

Do they have an aversion to sunlight or something?”

00:52

All right. Finally, listen to this line from Ford Madox Ford's classic 1915 novel, The Good Soldier. [The Good Soldier novel opens]

00:59

“This is the saddest story I have ever heard.”

01:02

Even if you aren't a big fan of stories that depress the heck out of you, doesn’t that

01:06

line make you at least a little bit curious about what might come next? [Man sleeping on a couch wakes up and sits up]

01:10

These three passages are all the first lines from famous novels. And part of the reason

01:14

they're so powerful is that they leave the reader wanting more.

01:17

Of course, ripping out the last five pages will do the trick, too, but…this way is much more effective.

01:21

All of this goes to show exactly how important introductions are in your writing. [1984, The Hobbit and The Good Soldier novels]

01:25

After all, introductions are what make us choose which books we want to read, which

01:29

movies we want to see, and which television shows to keep tuning into each week. [Coop discussing introductions]

01:33

Or…binge-watching, or whatever.

01:35

If you've ever seen a movie trailer, and we're sure you have,

01:37

you’ve basically seen an introduction to the movie.

01:40

In the shortest time possible, a trailer tells us what a movie is about, and roughly what [Dino explaining movie trailers]

01:44

we can expect, so we can decide if we want to see it or not.

01:47

When you're writing something you hope others will want to read – and really, isn't that the point? [Girl reading a book in a library]

01:52

- you should think of your opening introduction as a movie trailer. It's where

01:55

you let your reader know what your writing is all about. To rope ‘em in, if you can. [Girl gripped by rope and pulled away]

02:00

It's for this reason that your introduction should be strong, compelling, and enticing.

02:04

It should leave your reader excited and wanting more. [Girl reading a book behind a man riding a horse]

02:07

Engaging introductions should make us feel interested, incite emotions, and make us care

02:11

about the characters… or simply leave us wondering what might possibly happen next.

02:16

Let's say you’re writing a biography about Benjamin Franklin and

02:19

want to make your introduction as compelling as possible. [Benjamin Franklin on a 100 dollar bill]

02:21

You wouldn't want to simply begin with...

02:23

“Benjamin Franklin was a man born in 1706.

02:26

He did a lot of things throughout his lifetime before dying in 1790.”

02:30

Fascinating.

02:31

This intro gets to the point and introduces your character, but does it really make the

02:35

reader feel, care or want more? Not so much. [Boy sat at a table with introduction to Benjamin Franklin]

02:38

Instead, try to draw the reader in with something interesting and dramatic, like...

02:43

“Swirling, dark clouds cast shadows on the rain-drenched earth below. But while most

02:48

rational people hid away in their homes, one man by the name of Benjamin Franklin stood

02:53

outside and begged for lightning to strike.”

02:57

This introduction begins with the story of Benjamin Franklin's kite experiment, and unlike

03:01

our previous example, it draws the reader in and makes them want to read onward. [Boy holding an umbrella]

03:05

Who IS this mysterious man with an apparent death wish?

03:09

One last example. Imagine you walked into a restaurant and they handed you a menu. [Waiter hands a girl a menu]

03:13

If the first thing on the menu was a Deluxe Cheeseburger with Pickles, Onions and a side

03:16

of Fries and Gravy, well, you're likely to stick around and keep reading the menu because

03:19

that first item sounds delicious. [Girl excitedly looks at a menu]

03:21

But if the first thing you saw on the menu was chopped liver with a side of pickled eggs,

03:25

you're probably sprinting for the nearest exit, right? [Girl running away from a restaurant]

03:28

It's the same thing with writing – start strong to get your readers hooked.

03:31

And never, ever mentioned pickled eggs…

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