How to write an essay introduction, basics of writing an essay.

When you’ve finished writing the essay body and conclusion, you should return to the introduction and check that it matches the content of the essay.

• Catch your reader’s attention.
• Give background on your topic.
• Present your thesis—the central point of your essay.

You have a strong introduction - now make sure the rest of your essay is just as good.

For this reason, it’s often a good idea to wait until later in the writing process before you write the introduction paragraph—it can even be the very last thing you write.

Step 5: Check and revise

This introduction example is taken from our interactive essay example on the history of Braille.

Particularly in longer essays, it’s helpful to end the introduction by signposting what will be covered in each part. Keep it concise and give your reader a clear sense of the direction your argument will take.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale. Arguably the first science fiction novel, its plot can be read as a warning about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, and in popular culture representations of the character as a “mad scientist”, Victor Frankenstein represents the callous, arrogant ambition of modern science. However, far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to gradually transform our impression of Frankenstein, portraying him in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as.

Do you love gardening? Sports? Photography? Volunteering? Are you an advocate for children? Domestic peace? The hungry or homeless? These are clues to your best essays.

Anything you write will benefit from learning these simple parts of an essay:

• America Needs Better Health Care Now
• The Use of the Mentor Archetype in _____
• Who Is the She-Conomy?
• Why DJ Is the Queen of Pedicures
• Melanoma: Is It or Isn't It?
• How to Achieve Natural Balance in Your Garden
• Expect to Be Changed by Reading _____

Your best essays will be about things that light your fire. What do you feel passionate about? What topics do you find yourself arguing for or against? Choose the side of the topic you are "for" rather than "against" and your essay will be stronger.

Purpose/Main Idea

1. Purpose and Thesis
2. Title
3. Introduction
4. Body of Information
5. Conclusion

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The body of your essay is where you develop your story or argument. Once you have finished your research and produced several pages of notes, go through them with a highlighter and mark the most important ideas, the key points.

• It gives your writing direction and focus.
• It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

You can use the checklist below to make sure your introduction does everything it’s supposed to.

As you research and write, your argument might change focus or direction as you learn more.

The “hook” is the first sentence of your essay introduction. It should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of why it’s interesting.

More examples of essay introductions

To write a good hook, avoid overly broad statements or long, dense sentences. Try to start with something clear, concise and catchy that will spark your reader’s curiosity.

This introduction example is taken from our interactive essay example on the history of Braille.

Everything in the introduction is relevant to the main body of the essay.

I have introduced the topic with necessary background information.

In your introduction, you stated the reason for your paper. In your conclusion, you should summarize how your key points support your thesis. Here's an example:

Put your idea into a single sentence. This is your thesis statement, your main idea.

Before you can start writing, you must have an idea to write about. If you haven't been assigned a topic, it's easier than you might think to come up with one of your own.

Write a paragraph about each of these key points, using the information you've pulled from your notes. If you don't have enough for one, you might need a stronger key point. Do more research to support your point of view. It's always better to have too many sources than too few.

Body of Information

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Anything you write will benefit from learning these simple parts of an essay:

Your title should make someone want to read what you have to say. Make it provocative.

Choose a title for your essay that expresses your primary idea. The strongest titles will include a verb. Take a look at any newspaper and you'll see that every title has a verb.

To know more about this specific format, we have a detailed MLA format guide to help you understand the concept better.

Here are the basic APA format guidelines for you if you don’t know how to write an essay in apa format.

Many institutions require a standard format that a paper of any kind must follow such as MLA, APA, and Chicago. The purpose of each format is to present the information in a more structured way.

Learn how to write a conclusion and better wrap up the information by bringing together all of your key points.

Basic Essay Format Template

Here is a free MLA format example to help you better understand what to include in this specific format style.

An essay format refers to a set of guidelines that decides how the elements of your paper should be arranged. The format guidelines cover the essay structure, title, citations, and the basic outline of the essay.

Here is the detailed description of each step for creating the basic essay outline.

In the last paragraph, provide a summary of the entire paper and restate the thesis statement. Provide a call to action or give the readers something to think about.