What does opening line mean?
Definitions for opening line
open·ing line
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word opening line.
Princeton's WordNet
opening linenoun
the first line of a piece of writing (as a newspaper story)
Wikipedia
opening line
At the beginning of a written work stands the opening sentence or opening line. The opening line is part or all of the opening sentence that may start the lead paragraph. For older texts the Latin term "incipit" (it begins) is in use for the very first words of the opening sentence.As in speech, a personal document such as a letter normally starts with a salutation; this, however, tends not to be the case in documents, articles, essays, poetry, lyrics, and general works of fiction and nonfiction. In nonfiction, the opening sentence generally points the reader to the subject under discussion directly in a matter-of-fact style. In journalism, the opening line typically sets out the scope of the article. In fiction, authors have much liberty in the way they can cast the beginning. Techniques to hold the reader's attention include keeping the opening sentence to the point, showing attitude, shocking, and being controversial. One of the most famous opening lines, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times ...", starts a sentence of 118 words that draws the reader in by its contradiction; the first sentence of Yes even contains 477 words. "Call me Ishmael" is an example of a short opening sentence. Formulaic openings are generally eschewed, but expected in certain genres, such as fairy tales beginning "Once upon a time...". Inspired by the opening, "It was a dark and stormy night...", the annual tongue-in-cheek Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest invites entrants to compose "the opening sentence of the worst of all possible novels", and its derivative, the Lyttle Lytton Contest, for its equivalent in brevity. The opening sentence may sometimes be also used as the title for the work; papal encyclicals and bulls are titled according to their incipits.
Matched Categories
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of opening line in Chaldean Numerology is: 3
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of opening line in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3
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"opening line." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 7 Jun 2023. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/opening+line>.
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