LEARN ENGLISH:

Hi there, What's the difference between "introduction," "foreword " and "preface"?
Tricky one, isn't it? :-)

Well, here goes:

Introduction

Generally speaking, an "introduction" is the first part of something.

In the context of books and speeches, the "introduction" is the first part of the book or speech.

It is a piece of writing that gives a general idea about what will follow in the main part.

Or in other words, it can answer the question: "What should you expect to find in the book?"
Examples:

The introduction covered the main parts of the book.
I would like to give you a brief introduction to the course.
The school principal gave a long introduction to the year to come.

Foreword

A "foreword" is an introduction at the beginning of a book, which is usually written by someone else other than the author.

Examples:

The book's foreword was written by a known scientist. In the foreword he praised the book and its author.
In the beginning of the book there is a foreword by Amanda Shein.

Preface

A "preface" is an introduction at the beginning of a book written by the author
Examples:

In his preface, the author explains why he wrote the book.
The preface gives us important background to the author's life.
In the preface the author thanked all those who helped him complete his book.

In summary:

Foreword = a piece of writing at the beginning of the book written by someoneother than the author.

Preface = a piece of writing at the beginning of the book written by the author.
Both the foreword and the preface give you information you should know beforereading the book.

Introduction= a piece of writing at the beginning of the book which gives you an overview of what the book is about.

The sequence in most cases would be:

Foreword --> Preface --> Introduction
For example, John writes a book about cooking.
In the foreword, we would have another famous cook praising the book and/or its author.
Then in the preface, John himself would tell us how and why the book was written.
Finally in the introduction, John would give us an overview of the book's contents.

So now that you know, you can begin writing your book! :-)