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．

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.

3.介绍环境式的开头

即开头利用自然景物或自然环境引出要介绍的事物。如"An Accident"(一场事故)的开头是:

It was a rainy and windy morning. The sky was gloomy, the temperature was low, and the street was nearly empty. I was on my way back to school. Suddenly, a speeding car came round the corner.

文章结尾的作用是概括全文内容，进一步强调或肯定文章的中心思想，使文章意义表达得更加深刻。

文章结尾的形式也是多种多样的，常见的有以下几种：

1．首尾呼应，画龙点睛

在文章的结尾，把含义较深的话放在末尾，以点明主题，深化主题，起到画龙点睛的效果。如"I Cannot Forget Her" (我忘不了她)的结尾：

After her death, I felt as if something were missing in my life. I was sad over her passing away, but I knew she would not have had any regrets at having given her life for the benefit of the people.

2．重复主题句

结尾回到文章开头阐明的中心思想或主题句上，达到强调的效果。如"I Love My Home Town"(我爱家乡)的结尾：

I love my home town, and I love its people. They too have changed. They are going all out to do more for the good of our motherland.

3. 自然结尾