Personal Paper: Introductions and Conclusions Made Easy

Check out this great resource from a college writing center!

Introductions made easy...

Try this: Start with your background information
          When I was four, ...
          My family always used to...

Or try this: Hint at the lesson you learned
          I never used to understand why...
          They say that...

Or try this: Set the stage
          It was a fifty-story building with six elevators, and I was a kid from the mountains.
          The wind was ferocious that night, but I'd never seen so many stars.

Conclusions made easy...

Try this: Express an appropriate emotion (appreciation, regret, surprise, etc.)
          My heart still aches for...
          I will always be grateful...

Or try this: Reinforce the lesson/s you learned
          This is why...
          Now I know...

Or try this: Look toward the future
          It took months for me to...
          From now on, I will...