一篇文章通常可分爲三個部分，即開頭、正文和結尾。這三個部分安排是否得體，直接影響到文章的質量。
文章的`開頭一般來說應儘量做到開門見山，用簡單明白的敘述引出文章的話題，使讀者瞭解文章要談論什麼，一下於引起讀者的興趣。
作文常見的開頭形式大致有以下幾種：
1.開門見山，揭示主題
文章一開頭，，就交待清楚文章的主題是什麼。如How I Spent My Vacation的開頭可以寫成：
I Spent my last vacation happily．
Honesty的開頭可以寫成：
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．
在文章的開頭，先把人物、事件和環境交待清楚。例如A Trip to Jinshan 的開頭可以寫成：
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. 回憶性的開頭
用回憶的方法來開頭。例如A Trip to the Taishan Mountain的開頭是：
