(from "The Eclipse," by James Fenimore Cooper, 1836)

The eclipse of the sun, which you have requested me to describe, occurred in the summer of 1806, on Monday, the 16th of June. Its greatest depth of shadow fell upon the American continent, somewhere about the latitude of 42 deg. I was then on a visit to my parents, at the home of my family, among the Highlands of Otsego, in that part of the country where the eclipse was most impressive. My recollections of the great event, and the incidents of the day, are as vivid as if they had occurred but yesterday.

Which is most likely to happen next?

The author will describe his interesting birth.
The author will tell the story of the eclipse.
The author will explain why an eclipse happens.
The author will ask how the other person is doing.

After the author has provided the background surrounding the occurrence of the eclipse it is expected that he will now go into the details of the eclipse and the events that accompanied it. When writers write texts, they first whet the appetite and interest of the reader about a particular event before going into extensive details of the text.

This is what the writer does in this text by first informing the reader of the day the event occurred and how he moved to his parent's house where there was a clearer picture of the eclipse. After this introduction, he will tell the story of the eclipse.