What does opening line mean?

Here's a list of possible definitions for the term opening line:

Princeton's WordNet

  1. opening line(noun)

    the first line of a piece of writing (as a newspaper story)

Wikipedia

  1. 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.

ChatGPT

  1. opening line

    An opening line refers to the first sentence, phrase or dialogue in a piece of writing, speech, performance, or conversation, which is typically designed to grab the listener’s or reader's attention, introduce the topic, or set the tone.

Matched Categories

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of opening line in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of opening line in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3


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