How does one write a good introduction to an essay or paper? This is an answer that relates to the opening paragraph –it should be brief and concise requiring a full-fledged piece to explain. An introduction is how you relate your story moving onwards. It is the opening paragraph of the piece that introduces the topic and gives a brief of the main idea or the theme of the essay.
When you start to write about something, you have a broad idea of the theme. Your job is to present it in a way that it makes sense to the reader and convey what you have to say unambiguously. The introduction is where you make the first impression, giving the reader an idea of your central theme and your writing style. A direct and engaging style gets you off to a good start.
Other ways to make the opening line interesting are to use some well-known or famous saying or phrase, starting with a joke or a humorous anecdote, or even a rhetorical question. So, let’s begin with the tips on how to write an impressive introduction!
Provide the road map for the essay in your introduction:
It should tell the reader the central theme, its significance, your approach to it or how you are going to deal with it, and the general structure and flow of your argument.
In academic writing, just as an essay is divided into three parts:
– The introduction
– The main body and
– The conclusion
Also, the introduction or introductory paragraph consists of three elements:
-The hook.
-A context or background
-A thesis statement.
Keep in mind the 3 components of an Introduction
The ‘hook’
-This is a general statement stating the topic and its significance.
-It is the first sentence of the introduction that takes the reader into the essay.
-The hook or the first sentence should be short and focused.
-It should ideally be catchy enough to grab attention and arouse the reader’s interest right at the beginning.
-Use it to set the theme of your story, address the five ‘W’s’ and the one ‘H’: “who, when, where, what, why, and how”.
The background
Next what comes is the background and context that states its relevance.
The thesis statement
The third is the thesis statement that states the main theme or the argument of the essay. Generally speaking, in an essay, the entire introduction should properly be no more than a paragraph, consisting of not more than three to five sentences.
The beginning of an introduction is topic-based:
The beginning of an essay depends on the topic or title and the aim to set. You will need to choose wisely, either yourself or by using online assignment help. Let’s have a look at the below pointers on this count:
a. In a formal, serious topic in an academic essay, using humour may be inappropriate and make it appear frivolous.
b. In case the topic is in the form of a question, you will need to frame the opening line of your introduction in the form of an outline of your answer to it.
c. Next, you can provide some background or context. It can be about the historical setting, or geographical location etc.
d. In this section, you bring the topic into focus, narrowing down the scope to the specific context you are going to deal with.
e. This section helps provide the framework of what you are going to write about and outline the central issue or theme of the essay or debate.
If it is an academic topic, you can give a brief of the theories or research on the topic and define the key terms related to the topic that you are going to use.
You must not provide too much detail here. Just say it in broad terms but centred on your theme. Make sure you return to these points later and deal with them in detail in the main body of your write-up.
4. Try to avoid complex sentences in an introduction
Sentences need to be short and focused. For instance, take the result of US Presidential elections. Saying, “Joe Biden was elected President of the United States of America,” is a bland statement.
A better statement to arouse interest and curiosity about what you are going to talk about would be, “Joe Biden emerged as the winner in the bitterly contested US presidential election marked with acrimony and many ups and downs.” Be as direct and specific as you can.
5. In the end comes the thesis statement!
The content of the rest of the paper is guided by the idea to substantiate with facts and figures strung together in a logically flowing structure.
It usually comes at the end and is the last sentence of the introduction.
It is not a mere statement of fact but an aspect that needs to be explored or argued.
It lays down your argument and gives the direction it is going to take.
It states your approach and shows how you are going with the topic.
The kind of thesis statement depends on the type of assignment –
Whether it is a general essay
A research paper
Answer to a question.
6. Keep a track of the length of the introduction
As mentioned above, for an essay or an answer, normally it should not be more than three to five sentences long. Otherwise, the length of each of the three parts of the introduction depends on:
-The type of assignment
-The length of the essay or paper
-The complexity of the topic
In a research paper, it may take up even a couple of pages. The structure, however, would remain the same.
Some Points to Be Avoided In an Essay Introduction:
Do not start with a generalization or too broad a statement like, “I am writing this essay to argue that…”
Do not write long introductions, they should always be short and catchy.
Do not stray from the theme and bring in any extraneous element. It is a waste of precious space and diverts your reader’s attention.
Do not get into details; deal with that in the main body of your write-up.
Do not start with dictionary definitions, such as “Oxford dictionary defines ‘racism’ as….”
Do not restate the question, saying, “This question/essay is about ….”
Finally, go back to the introduction tips once again to check after finishing your essay and see if it fits the line you have taken and the conclusion you have drawn. If need be, modify it accordingly and link body and conclusion appropriately for good essay work.
