Introduction Paragraph Examples for Essays
An essay introduction is the first paragraph of your paper, which precede the body paragraphs. Writing an introduction can be paragraph can be a mind-blowing task, for beginners and veteran writers. Unlike body paragraphs, which come from researched evidence, you will often confront the challenge of developing an intro that convinces the reader to read the rest of the paper. The introduction paragraph examples for essays in this guide will help you overcome this challenge and nail a great intro for your next assignment.
The introduction of any written work carries a lot of weight because it creates the first impression. First impression is a lasting impression. How many times have you heard this saying? In other words, your audience will make an opinion about your work depending on your first paragraph on the paper. Take your time and familiarize yourself with these guidelines.
Good introduction paragraph examples for essays
The number one rule to observe when writing an essay introduction is grabbing the reader’s attention. Give the audience a reason to spare their time and proceed to other sections of the paper. In other words, wet their appetite in a similar way you prepare for that sumptuous meal.
As we proceed to other detailed sections of this handout, keep in mind that these are simply recommended guidelines to better your writing skills and not rigid and strict rules about essay organization. Be flexible in your writer for adjustment to the needs of different assignments you will meet.
Consider the following functions of intros before we look at selected introduction paragraph examples for essays.
What the introduction does to your essay:
Every introductory paragraph should do the following:
Introduce your topic: Capture your subject of discussion with clarity. In addition, state your scope of research, i.e. the boundaries within which you are going to write your essay. At its minimum, the first paragraph should give a clear context of your paper. It should be clear to the reader what they are reading.
Indicate the structure– The reader wants to know your essay methodology early enough. What are the major sections in the paper? What is the structure of your essay?
Capture your thesis statement. This is the compass pointer of your paper. State the position you are defending in the rest of the paper. Your thesis statement should come as the last sentence of your introductory paragraph. Specify if you will support your argument with logos, ethos or pathos.
Importantly, a standard essay introduction takes the above order of tasks. Following is a simplified pattern to consider when handling your papers. It is practical, simple and professional. Take a look…
Example #1
I: Introduction
- The topic
- The scope of your paper
- Its significance
- Structure or Methodology
- Main sections M
- structural principle-Reason for that order
- How you will make conclusions from available evidence
- The Thesis Statement
- Its premise-state your claim
- Its conclusion – the impact of the first claim
This sample introduction paragraph was adapted from writing.ucsb.edu. As we mentioned earlier, be flexible when doing intros. Not every essay will follow this order as much as most excellent essays will have the above elements. Feel free to adjust it according to your essay needs and lecturer’s instructions.
What to look for when sampling introduction paragraph examples for essays
Professional writers know the real value of introductions. You too can join this league of top notch writers by grabbing the readers’ attention using the following approaches. Good introduction paragraph examples for essays begin in the following ways:
5 ways to start your intros
- Begin with historical review
- Start with anecdotes
- Have a startling statement
- Quote a prominent person
- Be declarative
What follows is an explanation of how you can practically apply these strategies to write a winning essay.
Introducing your essay with historical review– As you sharpen your writing skills and meet varying subjects, you will realize that you can only introduce some topics holistically using a brief historical review.
This review leads the reader into the discussion. It is a common approach in history to ensure that you are reading from the same script with your audience. Make it brief and spare the details for the body paragraphs. Preempting everything in your intro renders the rest of the sections null and void.
How to introduce your essay with anecdotes– An anecdote is a short and interesting story. Everyone likes reading stories. Do not include a whole story, with the plot and characters. Importantly, anecdote can be a personal experience or the story of another person.
If you masters anecdotal approach, your essays will be more than appealing to the readers at all times. However, remember that your story is just but an introduction and it should not take over the paper.
Let us look at well-done introduction paragraph examples for essays before we move to the remaining introduction approaches.
The title of this essay is Legalization of Abortion. The writer employs historical review approach in a professional way to arouse the reader’s curiosity. Here we go…
Example #2
“In 1973, American stunned the world and went into the annals of history for their progress in fighting for their rights and privileges. The US Supreme Court gave a ruling that would later set precedence on other legal matters related to abortion. The court held that there were enough constitutional rights to consider women’s decision to terminate a pregnancy prematurely. For these reason, women were not to be treated as second-class citizens because of pregnancy.”
This essay intro takes the reader down the memory lane. It briefly captures the history of abortion and the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling. This captures interest, as one would want to know more on the issue at hand.
Note that you too can become that writer, who piques the audience. If you are wondering how…more secrets are in the remaining sections of this guide to effective intro writing.
More interesting ways to start your introduction paragraph for essays
Begin your essay with an interesting statement– This is a common technique among professional writers. Remember, a statement can be surpassing if:
- It is disgusting
- It is shocking
- It is joyful
- Depending on the speaker
- It carries blasphemy
While this approach is not as common as the first two, it is used. Professional writers enjoy it because they have refined their skills to a fine edge. However, there is no magic in achieving this other than going through introduction paragraph examples for essays and practicing.
Quote a prominent person. People always want to know what famous personalities think about a particular issue. Dropping that name of a celeb in the first paragraph of your essay always intrigues readers.
As you do this, the name of the person you choose must be relevant to your subject matter. There are millions of celebrities in the world, dead and alive but you might only need a quote from one of them, which connects well with your paper.
With the above ways of introducing your essay, you should be able to spice an intro that will put a smile on that ever-serious professor…try it! It is possible.
However, before you do that, it is important to address mistakes to avoid when putting together your first paragraph. But take a look at more examples of essays with interesting introductory paragraphs.
Example #3
- Ethics and Channel Stuffing
- Criminology
- Impact of Legalization of Gay Marriage
- The Main Causes and Types of Ataxia
As you familiarize yourself with more introduction paragraph examples for essays, you will realize that some intros are less effective, boring and repelling. Endeavor to avoid such the following common mistakes:
4 things you should never ever do in your intro
Do not apologize to the reader: -Never express your inability to handle the subject matter to the reader. Whether in your introduction or in the rest of the paper, be confident and an authority.
Your reader will automatically turn to something else once they realize you are not a credible source. Some of the phrases to avoid are:
In my [humble] opinion . . .
Though I am not sure on this. . .
Do not announce your intentions. Do not flatly declare what you are about to do. Delve into the discussion to allow the reader perceive your purpose using topic sentences at the beginning of every paragraph.
Avoid statements like:
“In this paper I will . . .”
Do not use a dictionary definition. Definition is a hackneyed way of introducing your essay. Use them to develop body paragraphs.
Stop dillydallying. Write confidently without beating around the bush. Remember, no one has all the time for you.
With the guidelines and introduction paragraph examples for essays above, you have what it takes to write a professional intro to all your essays. Do it NOW!
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WORKS CONSULTED
http://www.mesacc.edu/~paoih30491/intropgph.html
http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/introductions/
http://www.writing.ucsb.edu/faculty/donelan/intro.html
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/intros.htm
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/724/
http://lklivingston.tripod.com/essay/intro.html