April 05, 2021

How to Write an Introduction Paragraph for an Essay?

By Sona Mathews

Readers are meticulous about what to read, but a good introduction of an essay both grabs their attention and convinces them to read the rest of the paper.

Now, let us think about a professor who has essays from a whole class to read and grade.

Making your introduction of an essay both catchy and captivating is highly imperative.

Anything less than that could undermine the grade you aimed at. Of course, you may ask someone to write my essay, but it’s better to follow this article.

How to Write an Introduction Paragraph for an Essay?: eAskme
How to Write an Introduction Paragraph for an Essay?: eAskme

Other people are at: Types of Essays, Examples, and Challenges

Generally, an introduction paragraph is not only the first paragraph of your essay but also a venue for you to present your prowess writing skills, understanding of the issue and its related concept, awareness of your readers, and your best critical thinking abilities.

However, do not let these scare you for the tips on ways to write a good introduction essay are easy.

To demonstrate how easy it is, this article gives you tips on how to prepare your writing and how to actually write.

Sometimes students experience mind block when they attempt to start a paper with an introduction.

They feel stuck unable to start typing first the sentence.

Others write sentences as they delete them, trying to find the best point to start with.

Important to know here is that an introduction does not have to be where you always start.

You can develop this paragraph when you are done with others.

Interestingly, you will find that you had acquired a thesis idea, key arguments, and quotes prepared when you were writing other paragraphs.

You can use these items to make your introduction interesting, informative, and narrow to the subject.

What Makes An Introduction Good?

Step 1. Start broad, finish narrowly.

Among other things, a good introduction must have relevant background information and your key stand on the issue.

To achieve these two, you should start your paragraph broad and then narrow it down to your key point of view.

Let say, for example, you are writing on the influence slavery had on The American Civil War. Here, you can start by previewing how slavery was in the US, how and when the war started, or the function of the war to American history. 
These give only the general information about slavery and war, important for the readers to know. Then, narrow down to the way slavery, specifically the cold relationship between the Southern states and Northern states, led to the war. 
By doing this, you will have moved from a general approach to your essay to the specific issue, the influence of slavery on the American Civil War.

Be careful not to offer your readers with the real “juice” for this should come in your body part.

Step 2. Be Catchy from the beginning.

An interesting start is important when it comes to writing an essay.

For this reason, you should ensure that your first statement tells a reader something informative only to leave him hanging.

For example, in our essay on slavery and the American War, a student can start by typing that “ The American Civil War (1861-1865)that occurred between the Southern and The Northern regions was a conflict between human greed and the need for restoring humanity in American society.”

While this statement shows the student’s awareness of the topic, it also leaves the professor wanting to knowledge, for example, the war relates to the struggle for humanity.

Well, there are other ways to start an introductory paragraph when such statements cannot come through.

The easiest way is to start with quotes from a popular source, use of a brief personal experience (anecdote), and use of figures or statistics.

However, these elements must be related to the topic and expressed in the simplest language.

In addition, you should avoid using clinches because overused items can be boring.

For this reason, it is not advisable to use riddles, proverbs, and other popular phrases to hook your readers.

Step 3. Develop a thesis statement.

As a writer, it is necessary to pose your key argument in the first paragraph of your essay.

As an element in your essay, a thesis statement briefly puts the main point of your entire essay together to express or inform your judgment on the issue.

Consider it as an accusation that one makes before the judge before enough time is allowed to present the evidence and other explanations.

For example, consider the statement “although the American Civil War has been documented to stem from the economic differences between the two regions, it is clear that it was a conflict due to the need for the Northern residents, despite their previous benefits from slavery, to restore humanity by ending human suffering.”

It not only informs my position on the issue but also previews important points that will be in the body of the essay.

A thesis statement is another key reason why it is easy to write an introduction paragraph after the body section is fully developed.

Even if you manage to write the body paragraph first, before the body of the essay, it is a good thing to leave the thesis statement for the last moments.

This will help come up with a quality thesis statement that is well supported in the body section.

Step 4. State the purpose and organization.

Sometimes, the introduction paragraph should reveal the purpose, objective, and organization of the essay.

Such cases are common when writing an argumentative essay that has to mention the purpose and how the arguments will follow each other.

For example, the professor can find it helpful when you explain that the essay will, first define terms to be used in an argument, and then discuss supporting arguments before looking at the rebutting arguments.

A student should put the purpose and organization statements where they fit well, usually right before the thesis statement.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a good introduction paragraph is both easy and fun to write.

It gives an overview of the subject matter, in brief, and interesting ways.

First, a student should take a general approach to the topic and then narrow it down with a thesis statement.

Important elements to use include a hook, purpose, and organization statements.

If you still have any question, feel free to ask me via comments.

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