How to Write an Essay Introduction

The introduction of the essay serves two important purposes. First, it makes the reader interested in the topic of the essay and want to read on to see what you are going to say. Second, it gives the reader a roadmap of what you will say and the overarching idea you will present, i.e. your thesis. An effective opening will have to engage the reader and keep them interested in continuing. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Table of Contents

Attract readers

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Identify your reader. The first sentence or two of the introduction serves to draw the reader in. You have to make anyone who reads your essay fascinated, amused, even angry. You won’t be able to achieve this without knowing who your readers are. ^{[2] X Trusted Source University of North Carpina Writing Center Go to source}

If you’re writing an essay in class, don’t assume that the teacher is the reader; otherwise you may end up omitting some of the information needed to show that you understand the topic of the essay.
It may also be helpful to choose your audience based on the topic of your essay. For example, if you are writing an essay for women’s studies on a women’s health issue, you might identify your audience as young women in the age group most affected.

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Use the element of surprise. A shocking or startling statistic can grab a reader’s attention because it immediately reveals to the reader something they didn’t know. When encountering something new from the very first sentence, the reader will be curious to know where you will lead them next. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

In order for a catchphrase to be effective, the fact you’re bringing up must be surprising enough. If you’re not sure, you can experiment with a few friends. If their reaction is astonishment or astonishment, you’ve come up with a good idea.
Use a fact or number to help form the basis of your essay, not the facts you will present to support your point. Facts or figures that demonstrate why your topic is important (or should be of interest) are often effective leads.

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Appeal to the reader’s sympathy. Especially with personal or political essays, use a catchphrase that moves the reader with the content of the story you are about to tell. You can do this by talking about a difficult ordeal or related tragedy. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

For example, if your essay proposes a change to drunk driving laws, you might start with a story about a life that was changed forever after an accident caused by a drunk driver.

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Tell a relevant example or anecdote. As you research your essay material, you may come across a funny story or an interesting anecdote that, while relevant, might not be appropriate for the body of the essay. Stories like these can be used as compelling examples.

For example, if you’re writing an essay about a public figure, you might anecdotally tell about an odd personal habit that cleverly led to your point.
Especially with relatively less formal or personal writing, humorous anecdotes can be a very impressive quote.

Create context

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Relate the lead sentence to a broader topic. The next part of the introduction will explain to the reader how the introduction relates to the rest of the essay. Let’s start with a broader, broader framework to express that connection. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Use a suitable transition word or phrase, such as “however” or “similar,” to move from a particular anecdote to a broader range.
For example, if you start with a story from someone who is not the subject of your essay, you can relate the story to the broader topic with a sentence like “Tommy is not the case.” only. More than 200,000 dock workers are affected by the strike.”

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Provide the necessary background information. While you still state your problem in a relatively general way, you should give your readers everything they need to know so that they understand your main point and the points you will present in your essay. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

For example, if your topic is about blackface – a form of entertainment in which actors dress up as black people for satirical purposes – that has been used to promote racism. race, your opening will describe what blackface performances are, as well as when and where they take place.
If it’s an argument, you need to interpret both sides of the argument in a neutral or objective way.

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Identify key terms that serve the purpose of the essay. Your topic may include concepts or terms that you need to explain to the reader. The introduction isn’t the place to repeat basic dictionary definitions, but if there are terms that have different meanings depending on the context, let the reader know how you use the term. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Definitions can be extremely important if your essay is about a scientific subject, where scientific terms may be unfamiliar to the uninitiated.
Definitions are also useful for legal or political essays, where a term can have many different meanings, depending on the context in which they are used.

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Move from general to specific. Imagine your opening is an inverted pyramid. With your lead sentence at the top, your introduction will transport the reader into a larger world that includes your topic. ^{[9] X Research Source}

If the introduction has 2 or 3 sentences that describe the context of the topic, you should try to make the latter a little more specific than the former. Take the reader through the essay step by step.
For example, if you’re writing about the dangers of drunk driving, you might start with a story about a specific victim, then provide national statistics, then narrow down the scope. en to a specific age group or gender.

Present your opinion

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State your opinion. After establishing the context in which you will discuss, let the reader know about your point. Use the thesis statement to directly convey the point you want to make through the essay. ^{[10] X Research Source}

For example, a thesis statement on black comedy shows might read: “Due to the humiliating and demoralizing effects of African-American slaves, the Black comedy was used to promote racism rather than entertain.”
Maintain an assertive and confident tone of voice. Avoid conservative statements like “In this article, I will try to prove…” Instead, you have to get straight to the point, stating your point firmly and forcefully.
Your outline should be specific, unique, and provable. Through your essay, you’ll come up with arguments to prove your point – or at least convince the reader that it’s likely to be true.

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Describe how you would prove your point. Complete your introduction by giving the reader a basic outline of what you will say in your essay to support your point. Usually this part needs to be wrapped up in just one sentence. ^{[11] X Research Source}

If you’ve outlined your essay, this sentence will essentially be the main topic of each paragraph in the body.
For example, if you were writing an essay about Italian unification, you might list three obstacles to the unification process. In the body of the article, you will discuss in detail how those obstacles are handled and overcome.
Instead of just listing all the supporting points, bring them together by stating that your opinion is “how” or “why” it is true. For example, instead of saying “Cell phones should be banned in class, as they distract students, encourage plagiarism, and cause disorder,” you could write “Cell phones need to be It is forbidden to bring it to class because it interferes with student learning.”

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Smooth transition to the body of the post. In many cases, you can go straight from the introduction to the first paragraph of the body. However, some introductions may require a short transition at the end of the paragraph to transition naturally into the rest of the essay. ^{[12] X Trusted Source University of North Carpina Writing Center Go to source}

To see if a transition sentence is needed, read the introduction and the first paragraph of the body aloud. If you feel hesitant or stumbling when changing paragraphs, find a transition sentence to make your essay smoother.
You can also ask a friend or relative to read the essay. If they feel like the essay is broken or suddenly jumps from the introduction to the body, you need to go back and find a transition sentence that flows smoothly.

Gather all the elements

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Read essays by other authors in the same field. The factors that make a successful opening will vary widely, depending on the topic. An introduction that is appropriate in one academic area may not work in another. ^{[13] X Trusted Source University of North Carpina Writing Center Go to source}

If you’re writing the assignment given in class, ask your teacher for good sample essays you can refer to. Note the conventions commonly used by authors in the field.
Create a brief outline for the sample essay based on the information presented in the introduction, then look at the outline as you read the essay to see how the author used it to support their point.

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Write short and simple introductions. In general, the introduction should make up 5 to 10 percent of the length of the essay. If you write 10 pages, the introduction should take up about 1 page. ^{[14] X Research Source}

For short essays of less than 1,000 words, you should write your introduction in a paragraph between 100 and 200 words in length.
Always adhere to the length specified by the teacher. These rules can sometimes vary, depending on the genre or form of writing.

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Write the introduction after writing the essay. Some people like to write the body first, then come back to write the introduction. It’s easier to write a summary of your essay once you’ve finished writing its body. ^{[15] X Trusted Source University of North Carpina Writing Center Go to Source}

When writing your essay, you can make quick notes of what you want to include in the introduction. For example, you may find yourself using a term that needs to be defined in the introduction.

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Edit the introduction to match the essay. If you wrote the introduction first, go back to check that it provides the reader with an accurate roadmap of the complete essay. Even with an outline, you can still deviate from your original plans. ^{[16] X Trusted Source University of North Carpina Writing Center Go to source}

Remove redundant or unnecessary words. Due to the brevity of the introduction, each sentence should be necessary for the reader to understand your essay.

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Build an effective structure for your introduction. The introduction to the essay is fairly formulaic, covering the same basic components, regardless of the subject or academic field. It’s brief, but it has to convey a lot of information. ^{[17] X Trusted Source University of North Carpina Writing Center Go to source}

The first one or two sentences will be the lead sentence, helping to attract the reader and make them want to continue reading.
The next few sentences serve as a bridge between the lead sentence and the overarching topic of the rest of the essay.
End your introduction with a thesis statement and a list of ideas that you will present in your essay to support or support your point.

Advice

If you’re answering or responding to a question, make sure you’ve interpreted the problem correctly. The quality of your writing will be useless if your essay does not answer the question in the essay.
Ask a friend or relative to read the essay and provide feedback. If you are writing an essay in class, you should exchange it with another classmate and give each other feedback.

Steps

Attract readers

Create context

Present your opinion

Gather all the elements

Advice

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