A question about report introduction
In the scope of the training of my writing skills, I am writing a report about public transport system. It goes quite smoothly, but I cannot come up with an appropriate introduction :(

I would like to start it with something like that:
"The main purpose of this report is to tell about the public transport in our town and assess whether it meets local people's demands".

Maybe it is not so bad, but for some reason, I don't like "tell" here. The writing is supposed to be on Advanced level after all :)
Could you please put forward some suggestions how I can convey the same idea in the more formal way? (for example, with "present" or "outline" or whatever).

Many thanks!

Question

A question about report introduction
In the scope of the training of my writing skills, I am writing a report about public transport system. It goes quite smoothly, but I cannot come up with an appropriate introduction :(

I would like to start it with something like that:
"The main purpose of this report is to tell about the public transport in our town and assess whether it meets local people's demands".

Maybe it is not so bad, but for some reason, I don't like "tell" here. The writing is supposed to be on Advanced level after all :)
Could you please put forward some suggestions how I can convey the same idea in the more formal way? (for example, with "present" or "outline" or whatever).

Many thanks!

Answer

You have the right idea. "The main purpose of this report is to discuss/analyze/present/outline the public transport *system* in our town and assess whether *or not* it meets the demands/needs of local people". {minimize the use of contractions in a formal essay}

Answer

Sorry to be evasive and answer your question with a complete rewrite, but I don't see why the first part is necessary. Why not jump right in and say: "This report assesses how well the public transport in our town meets local needs?" The reader is glancing at the first sentence to see what the report is about, so the sooner you say it, the better.

I see no need to say "The main purpose of this report is," just state the main purpose. I see no need to say "this report tells" or "presents," because that's what all reports do--tell or present something. I think it's implicit that an assessment will include a description of what's being assessed, but if you feel these are separate goals that both need to be stated, you could say "This report describes the public transport in our town and assesses how well it meets local needs."

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn a language from the comfort of your own home. Browse our selection of experienced language tutors and enroll in your first lesson now!