How to Write an Introduction for Your Essay

An introduction is a key to understanding your essay. It should provide a necessary context and background information to explain to your reader what is the purpose of your writing. A successful introduction answers the questions “how,” “why,” and “what.” What are the questions you are going to address in your essay? Why are these questions worth of discussing? How are going to defend and support your topic and point?

With some pre-writing planning and a little effort, you will certainly compose an amazing introduction paragraph. In this article we have prepared, you will find the answers to all your questions about Introduction for essays. Just follow these simple rules and your paper will be effective and will grab your reader’s attention from the very beginning.

Step #1: Prewriting

As in any other case, there are three main stages. It is about preparing, actual act, and revising your work. Sometimes the first stage of essay production can be even harder than the scariest one – writing. And doing your essay Introduction will be one of the greatest challenges of this task. So, let’s start with the Introduction and the entire essay preparation.

Determine your point. You must be familiar with your topic if you are already writing the first paragraph. If you have a plan in your head and know what are you going to write, think about your main questions and explain why they are important.
Come up with a good thesis statement. You can refer to this ultimate guide on how to write a thesis from EssayToolbox in order to formulate a strong thesis. You can write it even after the entire essay is ready to make sure that your argument is going to be relevant and detailed enough.
Remember to make your thesis strong and clear. Make it informative and debatable.
Consider the reader. If you are going to include some information that doesn’t seem to be common and well-known, remember to explain it. If there are some terms and conceptions, explain them briefly.
Don’t make it too long. Avoid including general statements that say nothing about your topic and do not make your argument stronger. For examples, there is no need in such sentences as “All students have to learn.”
Start with some examples. You can easily find them online and suggest or even borrow few hooks from the most exciting essays.

Step #2: Structure and Writing

There can be various tips on how to make your essay successful. And experts will always tell you things about the Introduction and its importance. And you should not ignore those words. This is an important stage of your whole task and being attentive, focused, and conscious will just help you.

Start with an eye-catching sentence. Use a quote or a thought-provoking question to grab your reader’s attention. If your quote or question needs an explanation – include it. But do not make it to long the explanation. Your Introduction should strike like lightning. It should grab your reader’s attention and make him continue reading, but not just shocking.
Add some context. There are topics that cannot be covered without background information. Give a clear idea of your topic providing some important background information. Do not provide too many details. Try to be brief and clear at the same time. It is like reading a detective. No one wants to know right from the start who is the villain.
The thesis should be the last sentence of the first paragraph. Some essays need a thesis, which is longer than a single sentence.
Do not forget to synchronize your Introduction with other parts of the paper. The intro should slightly flow into the first paragraph of the essay Body. Just follow your outline (you should write one before starting the entire essay) and be clear about where your argument will go in the next few sentences or even paragraphs.

Step #3: Avoid common mistakes

Some people suggest the editing and proofreading be even more important than the writing itself. Well, we are not totally agreed with that, but there is definitely something about that last stage of your Introduction writing. So, take your time and start with your revising.

Have a break after writing the last word for your essay. It’s okay to make some changes later. Sometimes your idea develops and evolves while you write the body of your paper, and you may have a necessity to rewrite your introduction after the whole essay is done.
Avoid too much filler. The Introduction should be informative, so don’t write anything pointless. Leave the fluff to the body paragraphs.
Make it short and easy to understand. Include only the necessary background without going too far into details. If your introduction is too large, just move something to the body paragraphs.
Do not try to proclaim the purpose directly. It means that there is no necessity to include such statements as “In this paper, I am going to talk about…” or “This paper is going to prove the following…” A good thesis statement will explain the purpose of your essay without direct statements.
Check how your Introduction works with another part of the paper. Pay attention to details and the mood it sets for you as a reader. Do not be afraid to try any other variants of beginning and presenting of the material.
Read your paper out loud for yourself. It will give you more space for understanding the entire picture. Also, you will have not the just visual point of view, but a sounding one too. Then you may read it to your friend or relative. It is always good to have another perception in your arsenal.

As you see, writing the Introduction is sometimes even more serious than some other paragraphs of an essay. Of course, Conclusion plays a great role for the final impression about the text. If you have any problems with essay writing, you’ve got to the right place. Our team of writing experts is to your service.