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的开头可以写成：
I Spent my last vacation happily.
Honesty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 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
