一篇文章通常可分為三個部分，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，使讀者了解文章要談論什麼，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．
2.交代人物、事情、時間或環境開頭
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