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)的开头是：
i spent my last vacation happily．
下面是题为"honesty"(谈诚实)一文中的开头：
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：
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. &nbs