一篇文章通常可分为三个部分，即开头、正文和结尾。这三个部分安排是否得体，直接影响到文章的质量。文章的开头一般来说应尽量做到开门见山，用简单明白的叙述引出文章的话题，使读者了解文章要谈论什么，一下于引起读者的兴趣。

作文常见的开头形式大致有以下几种：

1。开门见山，揭示主题

文章一开头，，就交待清楚文章的主题是什么。如“How I Spent My Vacation”(我怎样度假)的开头可以写成：

　I Spent my last vacation happily．

　"Honesty"(谈诚实)的开头可以写成：

　Honesty is one of the best virtues．An honest man is always trusted and respected．On the contrary, one who tells lies is regarded as a "liar"，and is looked upon by honest people．

2.交代人物、事情、时间或环境开头

在文章的开头，先把人物、事件和环境交待清楚。例如"A Trip to Jinshan" (去金山旅游)的开头可以写成：

The day before yesterday my class went on a bus trip to Jinshan. The bus ride there took three hours. The long trip made us very tired, but the sight of the beautiful sea refreshed us.

3. 回忆性的开头

用回忆的方法来开头。例如"A Trip to the Taishan Mountain"(泰山游)的开头是：

I remember my first trip to the Taishan Mountain as if it were yesterday.