How to Write an Introductory Paragraph for Your Essay

An introductory paragraph is usually very difficult to write, as it sets the tone for the entire essay. This means that it must be both informative and engaging. At the same time, it must provide only enough information to allow the readers a glimpse of what is to come. Otherwise, people won’t continue reading, since they will get all the information they need from the introduction.

If you struggle with writing a good introductory paragraph, follow the guidelines listed below:

  • Make sure that your introduction includes the explanations of the importance of the topic and structure of the essay. Your thesis must be stated in the part of the paper.
  • An introductory paragraph must catch the readers’ interests. You will need to research common attention grabbers that can be used for this purpose. Be sure to pick the one that fits in with the style of the essay.
  • The language used in an introduction must be clear and formal. There is no room for phrases like “In my humble opinion”. In this part of the paper, you state facts and must present yourself as an expert on the subject.
  • Avoid using jargon and professional terms in the introduction. Providing a term with a definition will also be a mistake. You can do this in the body of the paper, but the introductory paragraph must contain only the “juiciest” parts.
  • A good introduction must be concise and to the point. Every word included in this part of the paper must serve its purpose. If you see that some phrases can be reworded to be shorter and more precise, you should do so when editing the essay.

How to Catch the Readers’ Interest

There are five popular approaches used by professional writers to grab the reader’s interest in an introduction. They are:

  1. Historical review.

    Depending on the topic, it may be better to start the intro presentation with a short review that leads the readers through the major steps towards the current situation.

  2. Anecdotal.

    Humor is often the best way to make people interested in listening to what you have to say. However, you must be careful to create a humorous anectote that is witty and inoffensive.

  3. Famous person presentation.

    Quoting a famous person who has a direct connection to your subject or retelling one of their life stories can be a good attention grabber if you present it in the right light.

  4. Surprise.

    Introduce a surprising statement of some sort that will turn your readers’ thoughts towards the direction you need.

  5. Declaration.

    This technique is very common and the least effective of all. It is based on stating the goal of your paper directly.


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