Succeeding at Writing a Good Essay Introductory Paragraph

Why is it Important to have a good Introduction to one’s essay?

• The Introduction to the essay gives the reader a general overview of what the topic is, the main points of the topic, and the thesis statement.
• The Introduction to the essay gives the reader a general overview of what will be discussed in the essay.
• The Introduction to the essay determines whether or not the reader will read the entire essay.
• The Introduction’s first sentence should grab the reader’s attention and ensure that the reader would want to read the essay.
• The Introduction to the essay should be between 4 sentences to 8 sentences long.  But, the Introduction Paragraph should never be no more than 8 sentences long for an essay.
• The Introduction paragraph should have sentences that are informative and build towards the thesis statement.
• The thesis statement should be the last sentence in the Introduction paragraph of an essay.

How to write a good introductory paragraph for an essay?

• The reader should be engaged by the first sentence of the Introduction paragraph.
• The first sentence of the Introduction should encourage the reader to read the entire essay.
• Do not be afraid to use trivial facts, quotes, or anecdotes in the Introduction paragraph to grab the attention of the reader.
• Should use facts that will be surprising to the reader in the Introduction of the essay.
• Do not be afraid to use humor in the Introduction paragraph of the essay to grab the reader’s attention.
• Do not be afraid to use famous quotes from individuals in the Introduction.
• Once write the final draft of the essay, always go back to the Introduction to make any necessary changes.

Here are some other pointers to writing a good introductory paragraph to an essay:

• It is advisable to revise the Introduction, after writing the entire essay.
• The Introduction should be written in a way that grabs the attention and interest of the targeted reader.
• The Introduction should let the reader know the topic being discussed in the essay.
• The Introduction should always contain a thesis statement.
• The Introduction should give the main points of the writer’s viewpoint and argument regarding the main topic.
• The Introduction should set the pace of the entire essay.
• The Introduction paragraph should give the reader a clear understanding of the topic that will be discussed in the essay.