Helping English

Technique

Example

Begin with an anecdote or example.

 Each person entering the canopy where my cousin Louise was getting married was handed a small paper box and given the warning not to open it until the end of the ceremony. I shook the box but heard nothing inside. It couldn’t be rice or confetti. Finally, after the words I do, I learned that each box contained a butterfly. When the butterflies were released into the air, they created a spectacular effect.

Begin with a startling fact or by adopting an unusual position.

Scientists have yet to clone a butterfly, but, as it turns out, ordinary people can breed thousands of dollars worth of butterflies right at home. The question is, is the practice as good for the environment as people think?

Use an appropriate quotation.

“Although most people consider butterflies to be beautiful creatures, the practice of releasing hundreds at a time into a new environment troubles me,” says Dr. Gwyneth Monroe, of Valley College. Dr. Monroe’s comment raises several important questions about the breeding and releasing of butterflies.

Start with background information.

In just the last few years, more than sixty butterfly breeding companies have started operations. They breed tens of thousands of butterflies each season for the purpose of releasing them into the wild. Scientists are worried that the released butterflies will bring disease to the population of wild butterflies.

Begin with a simple statement of your thesis.

Now that people are releasing butterflies on special occasions instead of balloons, rice, or confetti, the impact of butterfly breeding on the environment is only just being examined. On the one hand, breeders believe that they are benefiting the environment; on the other hand, scientists are worried about widespread outbreaks of diseases.

Begin by addressing the reader in a question or a challenge.

Is there anyone who can deny the simple beauty of a butterfly in flight? How about hundreds at a time? The sight is a common one these days at weddings and other special occasions. We must ask ourselves, though, are these butterflies a harmless pleasure?