how to start an introduction paragraph
What are the most important things to include in an introductory paragraph? One approach to writing a hook that works is starting with a general, but interesting, statement on your topic. In this type of hook, youre trying to provide a broad introduction to your topic and your angle on the topic in an engaging way. Now that my essay is written, does my thesis statement still accurately reflect the point of view that I present in my essay. That way, people know exactly what the whole point of the essay is from the very beginning. Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Score, A discussion of what an introduction paragraph is and its purpose in an essay, An overview of the most effective introduction paragraph format, with explanations of the three main parts of an intro paragraph, An analysis of real intro paragraph examples, with a discussion of what works and what doesnt, A list of four top tips on how to write an introduction paragraph.
So take your time and make it count! Each of these pieces of the intro plays a key role in acquainting the reader with the topic and purpose of your essay. How many sentences should an introduction have? See how other students and parents are navigating high school, college, and the college admissions process. That way your readers will want to keep reading and they aren't confused by any arguments or points that you're making. For example, if your essay is about the importance of tattoos in Maori culture, begin with an interesting fact about Maori society or a quote about tattoos. As you write your own intro paragraphs, you might consider using the questions above to evaluate and revise your work. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams. hbspt.cta.load(360031, '4efd5fbd-40d7-4b12-8674-6c4f312edd05', {}); Have any questions about this article or other topics? This is also the writers argument, which theyll cover in the body of their essay. After crafting your intro paragraph, read the whole thing out loud. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(360031, '21006efe-96ea-47ea-9553-204221f7f333', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); Ashley Suffl Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University. 
Your final sentence should be your thesis. Heres why this approach can work: as you write your paper, youll probably come up with new insights on your topic that you didnt have right from the start. For instance, if theyve provided specific instructions about how long the intro should be or where the thesis statement should be located, be sure to follow them! Need more help with this topic?
The context you include should acquaint your reader with the issues, questions, or events that motivated you to write an essay on your topicand that your reader should know in order to understand your thesis.
In the face of tuition price tags that total more than $100,000 (as a low estimate), families must make difficult decisions about how to save for their childrens college education. In fact, if you did try to address this whole topic, youd probably end up writing a book! not only do we have a clearer argumentative statement in this thesis, we also have an essay map! ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score, How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League, Is the ACT easier than the SAT? Another approach you could take is to write out a rough draft of your intro before you begin writing your essay, then revise it multiple times as you draft out your paper. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. It would be tough to write an intro paragraph thats focused, purposeful, and engaging on this topic. The key takeaway here is that context establishes why youre addressing your topic and what makes it important. Check out the new section in bold. What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For? SAT is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination BoardTM. So lets review: Your thesis takes the idea youve introduced in your hook and context and wraps it up. Your introduction will also state any claims, questions, or issues that your paper will focus on. Get the latest articles and test prep tips! Think of it this way: its like when you start a new Netflix series: you look up a few hours (and a few episodes) later and you say, Whoa. How do you write a good introduction for an essay? I guess I must be hooked on this show!. Follow up with a few sentences that offer some context for the essay topic and the thesis or main focus youre about to identify. Heres a guide that focuses on how to write the perfect intro for your admissions essays. While there are some exceptions to this rule, its common for intro paragraphs to consist of three to five sentences. This sample intro paragraph does an effective job of providing an engaging hook and relatable, interesting context, but the thesis statement needs some work! Heres why you need to do some research: getting the lay of the land on what others have said about your topic--whether thats scholars and researchers or the mass media--will help you narrow your topic, write an engaging hook, and provide relatable context. After describing the aftermath of the battle, zoom out to describe the duration of the conflict, the reasons behind it, the long-term impact, and so on. How to Write an Introduction Paragraph in 3 Steps, This is commonly known as your papers thesis, giving them reliable transportation to their job, reducing the amount of money they spend on gas, and providing new and unionized work. Generally, around 5 sentences should cover everything you want to cover in a proper introduction. For example, instead of "People have been making cloth since the dawn of time," you might say, "The prehistoric Egyptians were producing high-quality linen cloth as early as 5000 BC.". Once you figure out the three parts of an intro paragraph, writing one will be a piece of cake! wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Lucille Jenkins, 35, says she took the kittens in because it was the right thing to do.". The thesis is usually the last sentence of your intro paragraph. While college students in the U.S. are struggling with how to pay for college, there is another surprising demographic thats affected by the pressure to pay for college: families and parents. As such, this intro provides an effective opening sentence that conveys the essay topic. So not only do we have a clearer argumentative statement in this thesis, we also have an essay map! This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. Do I provide enough appropriate context to introduce my essay? Those instructions can help guide you as you write your intro paragraph! You can also lead off with a bold or surprising statement, or a fact related to your topic, which will pique the readers curiosity and make them want to keep reading. However, the thesis statement doesnt give us any details about why the writer has made this claim or why this will help American families. The thesis statement is the backbone of your introduction: it conveys your argument or point of view on your topic in a clear, concise, and compelling way. Did you know you can get expert answers for this article? For instance, compare the following and take note of how 3 little words can make a huge difference in how authoritative and confident each sentence reads: "In my opinion, Ozymandias, Shelleys famous poem, reveals the impermanence of human achievement. Its the roadmap to your essay, its the forecast for your argument, itsyour introduction paragraph, and writing one can feel pretty intimidating. There isnt an essay map that helps readers understand what points the writer will make in the essay. Once youve established a good topic, youll have the foundation you need to write an effective intro paragraph. 
So, lets recap our analysis. An intro paragraph is also supposed to grab your readers attention. The College Entrance Examination BoardTM does not endorse, nor is it affiliated in any way with the owner or any content of this site. The truth is, there isnt a right or wrong time to write your intro--but you do need to have enough time to write multiple drafts. Now that weve gone over an example of introduction paragraph analysis, lets talk about how to write an introduction paragraph of your own. Let them read the intro, then ask questions like Did the wording make sense to you? and Does this make you want to keep reading?. The context advances the plot by describing the topic in more detail and helping readers understand why the topic is important. When you put these elements together, youll have an intro paragraph that does a great job of making a great first impression on your audience! What should I include in the introduction for a persuasive essay? For example, heres one great tip: save writing your intro for last so you can make it perfect! For instance, if you're writing about the impact of a new law, you could talk about the history behind the law and how it was passed to set the scene and give your readers some more knowledge about the topic. An essay map is a section that outlines the major topics a paper will address. Support wikiHow by
Aim for them to connect and relate perfectly. Once youve written your entire essay, consider going back and revising your intro again. Charting a feasible path to saving for college is further complicated by the FAFSAs estimates for an Expected Family Contribution--an amount of money that is rarely feasible for most American families. It's usually a good idea to start with a sentence that grabs the reader's attention followed by a few sentences that give some background and context for the topic of your essay. Now that weve provided an intro paragraph outline and have explained the three key parts of an intro paragraph, lets take a look at an intro paragraph in action. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. The hook then takes a surprising turn by presenting a counterclaim: that American families, rather than students, feel the true burden of paying for college. Following these guidelines can free you up to focus on other aspects of your introlike coming up with an exciting hook and conveying your point of view on your topic! Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here: PrepScholar 2013-2018. Some say to write your intro first; others say write it last. Expert Interview. Last Updated: February 28, 2022 Of course, the intro is just one part of your college essay. Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. This writer believes that the U.S. government should do more to pay for students college educations. Alternatively, start with a brief story to capture the readers attention. Alternately, you could provide a more literal anecdote. So, for instance, you could frame your topic as, How can college professors better support NCAA football players in academics? This focused topic pertaining to NCAA football would give you a more manageable angle to discuss in your paper. It also sets you up for success on the final piece of an intro paragraph: the thesis statement. This article has been viewed 48,322 times. The introduction paragraph is a part of just about every kind of academic writing, from persuasive essays to research papers. Before we dive into analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of this example intro paragraph, lets establish the essay topic. Due to these challenging financial circumstances and cultural pressure to give ones children the best possible chance of success in adulthood, many families are going into serious debt to pay for their childrens college education. Keep reading for four tips for writing a successful intro paragraph for any essay. It helps them better understand the relevant points of the topic that your essay debunks, refines, or expands upon, For instance, instead of writing, "President Jones declared in a joint session of Congress today that he will work with his counterparts abroad to reorganize international fiscal policy and lending practices, making it easier to distribute international aid," you could write, "A new law aims to fast-track international aid to developing nations. ", Heres an example that gives lots of details without going overboard: "On Saturday, a local librarian unexpectedly became a foster mother to 5 kittens when an unknown person left them on the library doorstep. To revise this thesis statement so that it establishes the specific aspects of the topic that the essay will address, the writer could add the following to the beginning of the thesis statement: The U.S. government should take on more of the financial burden of college education because other countries have shown this can improve education rates while reducing levels of familial poverty. There are 11 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Think of your introduction as being a gateway for the rest of your essay. Is my hook still relevant to the way Ive approached the topic in my essay? Does this intro provide a thesis statement that establishes the writers point of view on the topic and what specific aspects of the issue the essay will address? You'll want to have a strong, attention-grabbing first sentence and then a few sentences that give some context and background information about the topic or focus of your essay. Check out Tutorbase! You can include anywhere from one to several sentences of context in your intro, depending on your teachers expectations, the length of your paper, and complexity of your topic. Because theyll be reading and responding to your essay, you want to make sure you meet your teachers expectations for an intro paragraph. Some instructors also ask students to include an essay map as part of their thesis. The intro of any type of essay or article must identify the topic, give important context details, and offer your thesis or major focus. The underlined section is the essay map because it touches on the three big things the writer will talk about later. Finally, this intro provides a thesis statement that conveys the writers point of view on the issue of financing college education. Not only does it clarify that the writer is talking about the pressure put on families, it touches on the big topics the writer will address in the paper: improving education rates and reduction of poverty. The type of paper youre writing can give you clues as to how to approach your intro as well. But the assumption presented in the hook can also be seen as controversial, which gets readers interested in learning more about what the writer--and the essay--has to say. Thank you; this was very helpful for me, and I bet to a lot more! But that doesnt mean writing one is easy! Ideally, you want to use words and sentences that really grab the reader's attention at the start of your introduction. As a readers first impression of your essay, the intro paragraph should introduce the topic of your paper. They may catch errors or inconsistencies that you missed. Our vetted tutor database includes a range of experienced educators who can help you polish an essay for English or explain how derivatives work for Calculus. And finally, the thesis statement provides the climax by telling the reader what you have to say about the topic. For instance, instead of describing or reporting on the actual details of a public policy and how it moved through the legislative process, use the start of your introductory paragraph to explain how the policy will change society or the lives of those affected. Get others opinions. Oftentimes, your professor will ask you to write multiple drafts of your paper, which gives you a built-in way to make sure you revise your intro. Doing this will help ensure youve covered all of your bases and written an intro that your readers will find interesting! Our step-by-step guide can help you knock it out of the park. A Comprehensive Guide. Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.PrepScholar.com, allow you to interact with your peers and the PrepScholar staff. It also helps readers start to understand why the topic youre writing about matters and why they should read about it. The introduction of your essay or article has to capture the readers attention right awayso its extremely important that you nail the start of your intro! Using the parameters set out by your instructor and assignment sheet can put some easy-to-follow boundaries in place for things like your intros length, structure, and content. But generally speaking, hooks must include these two things: what your topic is, and the angle youre taking on that topic in your essay. Our step-by-step guide can help you knock it out of the park. When you learn how to approach each part of an intro, writing one wont seem so scary! The opening line of your intro is the first impression that will color how everything you write after that is perceived by the reader. This is commonly known as your papers thesis. And for a piece of writing to be effective, it needs to have a clear purpose. Below, well explain how to start an introduction paragraph by writing an effective hook, providing context, and crafting a thesis statement.
In the next section, well demystify the intro paragraph format by breaking it down into its core parts. Also note that the hook relates to the general topic of the essay, which is the high cost of college education. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
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