Writing introduction: section A

1. Looking at the information on both the websites – what should a good introduction contain?
The first thing that should an introduction contain is the central idea or the main subject of the essay. Some background should also be included to inform the reader and attract his attention. In an introduction we give a statement about the matter or the main problem and try to explain the plan that the discussion will follow.

According to Manchester university website an introduction shoul contain:

¨ establish the context, background and/or importance of the topic
¨ indicate a problem, controversy or a gap in the field of study
¨ define the topic or key terms
¨ state of the purpose of the essay/writing
¨ provide an overview of the coverage and/or structure of the writing


2. On the University of Manchester page, look at the suggested language for different sections of the introduction. Which verb tenses are most commonly used in each section? (Write down a verb tense and an example for each…)

Establish the context, background and/or importance of the topic:

· Simple present: X is the leading cause of death in western industrialised countries
· Present continuous: It is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore
· Present perfect: In the new global economy, X has become a central issue for......

Establishing the importance of the topic (time frame given):

· The most used tense in this section is the present perfect: In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in....
· The simple past: One of the most important events of the 1970s was…

Highlighting a problem or controversy in the field of study:

· Present simple: However, a major problem with this kind of application is......
· Present continuous: However, these rapid changes are having a serious effect
· Present perfect: To date there has been little agreement on what......
· Simple present: One major issue in early X research concerned.......

Highlighting a knowledge gap in the field of study:

In this section the passive voice is used most of time with the simple present and the present perfect.

Focus and aim:

· Simple future: This paper will focus on/examine/give an account of......
· Simple present: This paper seeks to address the following questions

Outline of structure:

· Simple present: This paper begins by......
· Present perfect: The essay has been organised in the following