Lead paragraph
Encyclopedia
A lead paragraph in literature
refers to the opening paragraph
of an article
, essay
, news story
or book chapter
. Often called just "the lead", it usually occurs together with the headline
or title
, it precedes the main body of the article, and it gives the reader the main idea of the story.
In the news journalism industry, particularly in the USA, the particular news-style of lead used is sometimes referred to as a lede. This spelling is no longer labelled as jargon by major US dictionaries such as Merriam-Webster and American Heritage.
In journalism
, the lead paragraph should not be confused with the standfirst (UK), rider or kicker (US). These terms refer to an introductory or summary line or brief paragraph, located immediately above or below the headline, and typographically distinct from the body of the article.
In journalism, the failure to mention the most interesting or attention grabbing elements of a story in the first paragraph is sometimes called "burying the lead."
Leads in essays summarize the outline of the argument and conclusion that follows in the main body of the essay. Encyclopedia
leads tend to define the subject matter
as well as emphasize the interesting points of the article
. Features
and general articles in magazines tend to be somewhere between journalistic and encyclopedian in style and often lack a distinct lead paragraph entirely. Leads or introduction
s in book
s vary enormously in length
, intent and content
.
and the main verb. In general
, there are three
types of sentences
found in the lead.
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
refers to the opening paragraph
Paragraph
A paragraph is a self-contained unit of a discourse in writing dealing with a particular point or idea. A paragraph consists of one or more sentences. The start of a paragraph is indicated by beginning on a new line. Sometimes the first line is indented...
of an article
Article (publishing)
An article is a written work published in a print or electronic medium. It may be for the purpose of propagating the news, research results, academic analysis or debate.-News articles:...
, essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
, news story
Article (publishing)
An article is a written work published in a print or electronic medium. It may be for the purpose of propagating the news, research results, academic analysis or debate.-News articles:...
or book chapter
Chapter (books)
A chapter is one of the main divisions of a piece of writing of relative length, such as a book. Chapters can be numbered in the case of such writings as law code or they can be titled. For example, the first chapters of some well-known novels are titled:*"The Boy Who Lived" – Harry Potter...
. Often called just "the lead", it usually occurs together with the headline
Headline
The headline is the text at the top of a newspaper article, indicating the nature of the article below it.It is sometimes termed a news hed, a deliberate misspelling that dates from production flow during hot type days, to notify the composing room that a written note from an editor concerned a...
or title
Title
A title is a prefix or suffix added to someone's name to signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may even be inserted between a first and last name...
, it precedes the main body of the article, and it gives the reader the main idea of the story.
In the news journalism industry, particularly in the USA, the particular news-style of lead used is sometimes referred to as a lede. This spelling is no longer labelled as jargon by major US dictionaries such as Merriam-Webster and American Heritage.
In journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, the lead paragraph should not be confused with the standfirst (UK), rider or kicker (US). These terms refer to an introductory or summary line or brief paragraph, located immediately above or below the headline, and typographically distinct from the body of the article.
Types of leads
Journalistic leads emphasize grabbing the attention of the reader.In journalism, the failure to mention the most interesting or attention grabbing elements of a story in the first paragraph is sometimes called "burying the lead."
Leads in essays summarize the outline of the argument and conclusion that follows in the main body of the essay. Encyclopedia
Encyclopedia
An encyclopedia is a type of reference work, a compendium holding a summary of information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge....
leads tend to define the subject matter
Subject matter
Subject matter, in general, is anything which can be content for some theory.Subject matter may refer to:* Patentable subject matter , defining whether patent protection is available...
as well as emphasize the interesting points of the article
Article (publishing)
An article is a written work published in a print or electronic medium. It may be for the purpose of propagating the news, research results, academic analysis or debate.-News articles:...
. Features
Feature story
- Published Features & news :While the distinction between published features and news is often clear, when approached conceptually there are few hard boundaries between the two. It is quite possible to write a feature in the style of a news story, for instance...
and general articles in magazines tend to be somewhere between journalistic and encyclopedian in style and often lack a distinct lead paragraph entirely. Leads or introduction
Introduction
Introduction, The Introduction, Intro, or The Intro may refer to:* Introduction , an opening section of a piece of music* Introduction , a beginning section which states the purpose and goals of the following writing...
s in book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s vary enormously in length
Length
In geometric measurements, length most commonly refers to the longest dimension of an object.In certain contexts, the term "length" is reserved for a certain dimension of an object along which the length is measured. For example it is possible to cut a length of a wire which is shorter than wire...
, intent and content
Content
Content or contents may refer to:* Contentment, a state of being* Content , the highest common factor of a polynomial's coefficients* Content , an additive real function defined on a field of sets...
.
Rules
A key in understanding the lead often seems to lie in the reader’s ability to identify and understand the subjectSubject
-Philosophy:*Hypokeimenon or subiectum, in metaphysics, the essential being of a thing**Subject , a being that has subjective experiences, subjective consciousness, or a relationship with another entity...
and the main verb. In general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
, there are three
Triad
Triad is a term used to describe many branches of Chinese criminal organizations based in Hong Kong, Vietnam, Macau, Taiwan, China, and also in countries with significant Chinese populations, such as Malaysia, Singapore, the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom...
types of sentences
Sentences
The Four Books of Sentences is a book of theology written by Peter Lombard in the twelfth century. It is a systematic compilation of theology, written around 1150; it derives its name from the sententiae or authoritative statements on biblical passages that it gathered together.-Origin and...
found in the lead.
- The subject and the main verb are found together at or near the beginning of the sentence. This is by far, the most common sentence type.
- The subject is separated from the main verb by information about the subject, often in the subject, often in the form of a relative clauseRelative clauseA relative clause is a subordinate clause that modifies a noun phrase, most commonly a noun. For example, the phrase "the man who wasn't there" contains the noun man, which is modified by the relative clause who wasn't there...
– the clause that starts with who, which, when, where and whose. - The sentence begins with an introductory phrase. In such cases, students must learn to read until they find a comma, after which they will find the main verb.
See also
- Introduction (essay)Introduction (essay)An introduction is a beginning section which states the purpose and goals of the following writing. The introduction is usually interesting and it intrigues the reader and causes him or her to want to read on. The sentence in which the introduction begins can be a question or just a statement...
- Abstract (summary)Abstract (summary)An abstract is a brief summary of a research article, thesis, review, conference proceeding or any in-depth analysis of a particular subject or discipline, and is often used to help the reader quickly ascertain the paper's purpose. When used, an abstract always appears at the beginning of a...
- Opening sentenceOpening sentenceAt the beginning of a written work stands the opening sentence. Considered "most important", the opening sentence needs to entice the reader and sets the subject, the tone and possibly the style for the whole work, although this does not have to be obvious. David Lodge describes the opening...
- Inverted pyramidInverted pyramidThe inverted pyramid is a metaphor used by journalists and other writers to illustrate the placing of the most important information first within a text...
- Article (publishing)Article (publishing)An article is a written work published in a print or electronic medium. It may be for the purpose of propagating the news, research results, academic analysis or debate.-News articles:...
- EssayEssayAn essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...