A Practical Guide on How to Write an Essay Introduction

18 May 2024 404 share it:

Are you someone who has been assigned an essay? But do not know the way to write its introduction. Do you lack the knowledge of what makes an essay introduction engaging? These problems can make you search for online help. But stop worrying; it is just a small introduction; this blog will solve all your problems in a minute.

It talks about the meaning and the best structure to make it fun and catchy starters. The essay introduction is the first thing that readers see, which sets the tone of the entire essay.

So, let's start with the meaning and purpose of writing an essay introduction.

What Is Essay Introduction and Its Importance?

The essay introduction is the opening paragraph of an essay, which gives a glance at the written content. It is then followed by the body and conclusion. The basic parts of the essay introduction structure are as follows.

• Introduction hook
• Background Information
• Thesis Statement or Essay Brief

How Long Should an Essay Introduction Be?

It can be as long as you want it, but the general length should be 6-10% of the whole essay, as suggested by assignment help experts. For example, if the essay is 1000 words, then the introduction should be 60-100 words. That length must cover all the parts of the structure.

The Importance of an Essay Introduction

• To hook the reader and give him a reason to stay till the end.
• To provide context for the content of the essay.
• To give a summary of the main topic.

Structure of an Essay Introduction

You may ask how to write an essay introduction. So, the first thing you need to know is its structure, the basic flow of how things come. You can make it different or similar to the one discussed below. But if you follow this one, then it will be easier for the reader to navigate.

Introduction Hook

If you want to know how to start an essay introduction? You do it with a hook, which is the first sentence of an essay. It is a line that grabs the viewer's attention and gives a reason to read till the end. Keep the hook short and catchy and avoid filler words. To make a persuasive essay introduction hook, you can start with a question, proverb, quote, fact/data and big claims relevant to the topic.

Background Information

Then comes the background information, which means the context of what will be discussed in the essay introduction paragraph. Three things you can add here first definition and importance of the topic. Second, the outline of the debate is discussed in the content of the essay. Third, the historical/ social context of the subject of the essay is discussed.

Essay Brief/ Statement

The last thing you write is an essay brief, a summary of the whole content being written in the essay. It basically tells what you have talked about in your writing in one or two lines. Many people also call it a thesis statement. Briefs make the readers know what to expect from the essay, making it easier to understand. Let's try to know all of them with an example.

Do's and Don'ts of Writing an Essay Introduction

Now, let's discuss what you have to do and avoid while writing your opening paragraph. These essay introduction tips will help you improve the quality of the opening paragraph and avoid mistakes. You can also use an essay typer tool for the content if you face difficulty writing it.

Do's of Writing an Essay Introduction

• Clearly define the purpose and essential goals of the essay in the introduction.
• Make the meaning of the opening paragraph clear, not vague to avoid any confusion for the reader.
• Ensure that your writing must fulfil the requirements of the assignment.
• Show your knowledge and mastery over the topic.
• Ensure a smooth transition from the introduction to the body of an essay.
• Keep some interesting information for the body, don't reveal everything in the intro.
• Do avoid dictionary definitions, cliches and general statements.
• Define all the content terms you will use in the content.
• Proofread your introduction to remove fluff and remove repeating words.
• Cite the primary sources for the readers to check.

Don'ts of Writing an Essay Introduction

• Exceeding the word limit, do not make an essay introduction more than 10% of your content.
• Writing extensive background information, as it extends the word limit.
• Including irrelevant or unnecessary information in the introduction.
• Giving all the information at the start, then what you will say later. Give to the extent which makes the reader curious to go further.
• Adding highly used phrases, statements and cliches, add something new.
• Using a lot of quotes, one is sufficient.
• Forgetting to mention the topic name of the essay in the introduction.
• Using unrelated quotes to the topic or not explaining how it is related.
• Using jargon to sound smart, leave it for the body.
• Forgetting to write all the points that you want to add. Keep a checklist that you wrote all the ideas correctly.

Some Catchy Essay Introduction Starters

It is essential to write a quality first line to keep the reader hooked. If you write a persuasive essay introduction, people will read your essay till the end. So, how to make the first line hooky of the opening paragraph? There are various ways to do that. However, some struggle to find the right ways and ask "Can someone write my paper?" So, to help out with this problem, let's discuss each with an example. The theme of the essay is ‘Depression and teenagers', so what can be hooky starters of essay introduction examples?

Question

You can start with a question to make the reader hooked. A question makes one stop for the answer. It also makes the audience more curious about the topic. Question words to start an essay introduction are why, how, what, when and what. For example.

• Why depression is more prevalent in teenagers in modern times?
• How teenagers can come out of depression?

Quotes

A relevant quote to the content provides a glance at the topic and sounds good to read. But remember not to write a quote, which is distant from the topic as it is useless, so pick something less cliche and related. You can refer to these examples.

• "It's so difficult to describe depression to someone who's never been there because it's not sadness" -J.K. Rowling
• "A human being can survive almost anything as long as she sees the end in sight. But depression is so insidious, and it compounds daily, that it's impossible to ever see the end" - Elizabeth Wurtzel

Statement

It means saying something unexpected or strange in support or against an essay topic. A Bold statement helps to build curiosity in the minds of the readers and makes them click and read to know more. Refer to essay introduction examples below and remember to back your statement with evidence and proper arguments.

• You can heal depression in 10 minutes. (It sparks curiosity, as now it is next to an impossible task, but the reader wants to know how?)
• Depression is an advantage to a teenager. (It will make readers think about how sadness can be an advantage?)

Facts

A fact or data provides knowledge to the readers and impresses them simultaneously. But again, ensure that it is relevant to the topic and taken from a credible source. For instance, refer to these.

• MHA states that 60% of adolescents in the U.S. did not get treated for their depression.
• In 2021, Over 14.7% of U.S. adolescents had a depressive episode in the past year.

Get Our Help with Writing a Perfect Essay Introduction

So, to sum up, we talked about meaning, structure, tips, and catchy starters in an essay introduction. Still, if you are experiencing any issues, you can seek essay writing help from our experts. But, you may ask why should you choose us. We have a team of experienced writers, on-time delivery, competitive prices, and cover all major subjects.

Also Read: How to Answer “To What Extent” Questions? Structure, Tips, and Examples