Without a clear thesis, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.
Everything in the introduction is relevant to the main body of the essay.
- Catch your reader’s attention.
- Give background on your topic.
- Present your thesis—the central point of your essay.
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
A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay. Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.
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.
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.
This introduction example is taken from our interactive essay example on the history of Braille.
“First impression is the last impression”, they say and rightly so which is why writing an introduction for an argumentative essay is so critical.
Your thesis statement will give your argumentative essay structure and direction as the rest of the paper will be devoted to presenting the stand you’re taking and justifying it.
There’s a lot riding on introductions. After all, it’s the first thing people read and it gives an indication of what the rest of your essay is going to be like.
By doing this, you waste precious word count on not-so-important aspects of the paper which could have been used to justify your arguments/claims with supporting evidence and examples.
5. Boring and uninteresting
Imagine if the first paragraph of your essay itself makes them yawn, how will they get to the end of it?
A weak thesis statement is one that’s broad, not reasonable and undebatable. It fails to tell the reader the stand you’re taking. Moreover, it shouldn’t be your opinion, it needs to state the position you’re taking.
An argumentative essay involves investigating a topic, doing comprehensive research, collating evidence and presenting your argument. The first step is writing the introduction.
The toughest part of writing an essay is starting it. Won’t you agree? When you get the introduction right, you’re more confident about writing the rest of the essay.
Examples of introduction for essays can be found all over the internet as well as in many guide books widely available in the market. Below is one of sample essay introductions for the convenience of students:
The above essay introduction sample is informative about the author, the subject of the drama and the main elements of the play. By this, the reader already has a brief idea about the play and knows what to expect in the forthcoming essay. It is neither too long nor too short for an essay of approximate 1000 words, which is the normal word-length for school or college level essays. Providing too much information will also make the reader skip parts of the essay. Thus, the introduction should be concise but precise, introducing the topic but leaving a question in the mind of the reader to induce him to read the rest of the essay with interest. Given below is another introduction essay example.
“The best things in life are free, but the second best are very expensive" - Coco Chanel
The introduction for an essay should be captivating as well as informative so as to put in the picture of the issue discussed in the essay. Below are some tips for writing an introduction to essay:
ESSAY INTRODUCTION EXAMPLES
Introduction to essays can be generated by essay introduction generator, usually online services, which provide an introduction for an essay for a charge. However, it is always to the credit of the author if the introduction is written by the author himself. Any good essay written for a thesis is checked for plagiarism which can be penalized if the work is not original. To be on the safe side, one should attempt writing a good introduction for his essay
One of the best pieces of tragedy written by the greatest playwright ever, William Shakespeare, was Macbeth. Concerning a war hero, whose ascend to the throne was predicted by the witches he had met by chance and his journey towards his demise is what Macbeth is all about. An equal important character is Lady Macbeth, his wife, whose dilemma is unravelled throughout the play which brings to light her debatable character. Macbeth is best read in original by Shakespeare as abridged versions distort the actual essence of the drama.
- A good essay introduction should not begin with a dictionary meaning or the like. It's a cliché and does not impress the reader. Beginning an introduction with a famous quote or an anecdote or a small story which is witty as well as pertaining to the subject of the essay is always welcome by the readers. It makes the introduction interesting which immediately adds flair to the essay.
- The introduction should introduce the essay in few lines and explain any keywords which are essential to know about. This is usually done so words are not wasted in the body of the essay.
- Essay introductions should not include any thorough discussion of the topic. Only in the end of the introductory paragraph, the author should start off the essay.
- If it is an argumentative essay, the introduction should not begin with the author's opinion on the subject of the essay. Instead, he should present the issue and then talk about the different opinions, finally presenting his own. It is only in the body where he should substantiate his views with adequate proof, citing examples and statistics.
- Introduction examples for essays can be: a line from any novel, a line from a poem, a famous saying of an author/ poet, an example, an anecdote which can be real-life or taken from any source.
- The introduction should first address the basics of the subject such as "what", "why", "how". Making the reader familiar with these answers helps them to evaluate the essay better.
In school life, when a student is given to write as essay, it usually intimidates him because writing an essay is considered one of the toughest things of any language. An essay can be on a number of topics such as oneself, one's family, pets, a season, the country, a festival, a tour. These essays are assigned to students in their formative years. Ever since then, the first thing they are taught is how to write a good introduction. Many grammar and language books provide with the introduction essay examples. These essay introduction samples are of much help to students who are learning how to write an essay. The teachers also tutor them on the subject. However, no teacher or book is more important than individual writing practise. The more one practises writing and reads more books, the more expert can he be in the field of writing essays. This habit comes in very handy in later years when one is pursuing his master degree or a PhD where thesis writing is the main area of getting marked and a thesis with an exceptional introduction is viewed more favourably than the others. Thus, writing an essay introduction is probably one of the most important things in an essay because it is the first thing which the reader goes through. A catchy essay introduction will attract the reader and capture his attention for the rest of the piece. The introduction to an essay should be in proportion to the length of the essay. This piece will explain the meaning, construction of introductions to essays as well as provide some examples of essay introductions.
Writing the thesis statement can be time-consuming so a good hack to not waste time would be to start with a working thesis statement and write the rest of the essay. You can then come back to the statement and refine it for submission.
- Historical
- Cultural
- Economic
- Political
- Social
- Physical or Geographical
- Philosophical
The argumentative essay’s thesis statement should be a crisp and clear explanation of the main argument of your essay.
So, here are five tips to keep in mind while writing an introduction for an argumentative essay and begin on a strong note.
2. Presenting your arguments
Keep it short, clear and to the point. Write the introduction in the end if you have to but do a good job at it.
Don’t make the mistake of presenting your arguments in the introduction because not only is it misplaced but it won’t give your readers any reason to read further.
The first one or two sentences of your essay are known as the essay hook and are meant to generate interest in readers and grab their attention. Writing a catchy hook is likely to increase your chances of scoring well.
Planning is key to writing an effective essay. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to just start writing without creating a rough outline.
Essay writing is an inevitable part of the academic life of a student. No matter what grade you are in, you will get to write some sort of essay at least once in that grade.
A writer writes a descriptive essay from his/her knowledge and imaginative mind. In this essay, the writer describes what he has seen or experienced or ever heard from someone. For a descriptive essay, it is important to stay focused on one point. Also, the writer should use figurative language so that the reader can imagine the situation in mind.
Following is an example of a descriptive essay written using the famous 5 paragraph method.
Once you have created the thesis statement and you are done writing the introduction for your essay, it's time to move towards the body paragraphs.
Descriptive Essay Example for Grade 7
The following are some very basic yet important steps that can help you write an amazing descriptive essay easily.
But if you think wisely, work smart, and stay calm, you can get over it easily. Learn how to write a descriptive essay from a short guide given below.
A descriptive essay is often referred to as parent essay type. Other essays like an argumentative essay, narrative essay, and expository essay fall into the category of descriptive essays. Also, this essay helps the student to enhance his/her ability to imagine the whole scene in mind by appealing to the senses of the reader.