Openings & Closings Vocabulary

an opening that immediately captures attention

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

beginning in the middle of the action

“The gun went off. Starting with action, explaining later.”

beginning without preamble or context

“Dropping readers directly into scene without setup.”

a clear statement of the main argument or point

“This essay argues that... The central claim, stated plainly.”

the opening sentence or paragraph of a news story

“Burying the lede means hiding the main point too deep.”

an ending that urges the reader to do something

“The time to act is now. Start today.”

returning to the opening image or idea

“Beginning and ending with the same image creates closure.”

a conclusion that lingers in the reader's mind

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”