Guide to spelling, punctuation and grammar

MORE OPENING PARAGRAPHS
E
XAMPLE
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Consider this assignment:
Should the voting age be lowered to sixteen? Write an essay that
weighs up the arguments for and against this action.
The key words and phrases in the assignment question are: ‘voting age’,
‘sixteen’, ‘weighs up’, ‘arguments for and against’. These should be
underlined before making brief notes to focus your thoughts. Then you
must write an opening paragraph that addresses the topic immediately, is
specific and maps out for your reader the kind of approach you intend to
take.
Your first task is to write an impressive opening sentence, which gets the
essay off to a brisk start and grabs the reader’s attention:
Debate about the age at which young people should
be allowed to vote usually centres on the issue of
whether or not they are mature enough to make a
reasoned judgement about how to use their vote.
This opening sentence refers to the terms of the assignment (voting age,
young people) and focuses on one of the issues that is usually raised when
this topic is discussed. It also has the merit of directness and clarity. The
point about maturity is flagged up for the reader and expectations that this
issue will be addressed later in the essay have been raised.
Second sentence:
However, this raises the question of whether most
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H
OW TO WRITE ESSAYS

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voters of whatever age make their voting choice after
a process of mature judgement or whether they
usually vote in the way they do out of habit or based
on some prejudice of one kind or another. 
This second sentence naturally follows on from the opening sentence
and again indicates to the reader that this point about mature judgements
will be addressed later in the essay.
Third sentence:
It is questionable whether so-called maturity is an
issue at all when discussing when to allow citizens
the right to vote.
This third sentence raises the issue of whether maturity is, in fact, an
issue at all in this debate. Again, it seems a logical extension of what has
been raised in the first two sentences.
Fourth sentence:
More central to the debate, perhaps, is a discussion
of the innate rights of citizens in a democratic
society, whatever their age may be.
This final sentence of the opening paragraph specifically raises the issue
of the rights of citizenship, which clearly will have to be developed later
in the body of the essay.
Thus, this opening paragraph consists of these sentences:
Debate about the age at which young people should
be allowed to vote usually centres on the issue of
whether or not they are mature enough to make a
reasoned judgement about how to use their vote.
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2 – T
HE OPENING PARAGRAPH

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However, this raises the question of whether most
voters of whatever age make their voting choice after
a process of mature judgement or whether they
usually vote in the way they do out of habit or based
on some prejudice of one kind or another. It is
questionable whether so-called maturity is an issue
at all when discussing when to allow citizens the
right to vote. More central to the debate, perhaps, is
a discussion of the innate rights of citizens in a
democratic society, whatever their age may be.
In your opinion, does the opening sentence of the paragraph meet the
standards we have recommended? Does it address the question
immediately, is it specific enough, does it map out the ground to be
covered later in the essay and does it grab the attention of the
reader/assessor?
Does the opening paragraph avoid ‘waffle’? If so, how?
Do the remaining three sentences of the paragraph also perform the
function of mapping out the territory that will be covered later in the
essay? If so, how?
How impressive is this opening paragraph to the essay? Is there any way
it could be improved on? How?