Have you ever wanted to write a perfect introduction paragraph for an essay or research paper? Well, then, you’re in the right place. You will learn about this art by going through this article. The introduction is the first paragraph of an essay or research paper and serves as a summary of what will be discussed and analyzed later in the paper. One must deliver a concise, captivating, engaging and appropriate introduction paragraph in an essay or a paper because it may lead to the overall perception of the work. This holds especially true if we are referring to school assignments, as your teacher may refuse to acknowledge any mistakes.

How to Write an Introduction

1. You must start every essay or task with an introduction. The introduction can be thought of as an inverted pyramid, if that helps. In such a pyramid, you start with a general introduction to the subject and conclude with your thesis statement, which is more narrowly focused on the subject. The introduction has three crucial sections, each of which has a different function.

The “attention-grabber” is the opening section. For your reader to desire to keep reading, you must pique their interest in your subject. Additionally, you want to approach it in a novel and innovative manner. For instance, while it may be tempting to start your essay with a definition from a dictionary, the strategy has become old due to extensive misuse. You could try one of the following methods as an alternative:

• Provide a startling statistic that says something about the issue the paper will be addressing.
• Find a memorable quotation that sums up your position, perhaps.
• To get your readers to consider your topic freshly, use rhetorical questions that put them in a different scenario.
• If you have a personal connection to the subject, you might use anecdotes or stories to elicit strong feelings from your audience.

Example

Suppose you were writing a paper about drunk drivers, for instance. In that case, you might start with a gripping tale about a person whose life was irrevocably changed by a drunk driver: “Michelle had a lifetime of potential ahead of her at 18. She was getting high marks and making many friends while attending college on a track scholarship. Then, one night, her life underwent a drastic change.”

2. You would then need to go on to the following section of the introduction, where you would provide some pertinent background information on the precise aim of the essay. The transition to your paper’s core idea is made in this section, explaining why you are focusing on this particular subject. This is why it’s sometimes referred to as the introduction’s “transitional” section.

The tale about Michelle in the example mentioned above might draw the reader in, but Michelle isn’t the article’s main subject. The attention-getter may cause the reader to consider how drunk driving may ruin lives, but it doesn’t address the need for more severe drunk driving sanctions (or whatever the real focus of the paper might be).

As a result, you need to include some transitional discussion between your attention-grabber and your argument. The attention-grabber is connected to the topic you will discuss in this section of your introduction, where you also explain why. To help the reader grasp the issue you are addressing in the paper, you should explain your unique topic and give any previous knowledge they might need. Define any important phrases that the reader might not be familiar with.

Example

Using the scenario mentioned above as a guide, we may transition from Michelle’s story to a brief explanation of the severity of the drunk driving issue. We may remark, for instance: “Michelle’s experience is not unique. Accidents involving drunk drivers result in losing XX (number) lives annually.” You might then briefly address the issue’s seriousness and why the reader should be concerned. This skillfully transitions the reader from Michelle’s narrative to your true point, which may be the necessity for tougher laws against driving under the influence.

3. The conclusion of the introduction should include a concise description of the main argument you intend to make in the paper. Your “thesis statement” is this. It expresses precisely what your essay will argue and is the narrowest portion of your inverted pyramid.

Your thesis, in this instance, would be the argument you are attempting to make on drunk driving. You can be fighting for stiffer fines, improved enforcement of current rules, or money for anti-drinking and driving education. In any event, your thesis should make it apparent what the major argument of your work is. Here’s an illustration: “Stricter sanctions for anyone found guilty of drinking while intoxicated need to be included in drunk driving regulations.” The remainder of your essay will then elaborate on this point and provide evidence for the need for harsher punishments.

Parts of an Introductory Paragraph

Intro

The introduction should draw the reader in or at least make the essay sound fascinating. You may start with a quote related to the subject.

1. Ensure the introduction shifts from a generic to a specific approach to the subject.
2. Offers a logical “road map” for the essay to the reader.
3. The conclusion should include a “thesis statement,” likely the most significant part of the introduction.
4. The thesis statement outlines the purpose of the paper and may include information about the examples and evidence used by the author.

Body

Incorporates the author’s thoughts along with the paper’s evidence and justification. Each paragraph needs a topic sentence that links the discussion to the thesis. Three different sorts of logical order

1. Chronological order—timelines work best in this format.
2. Spatial order is useful for place descriptions; top to bottom, for example
3. Most frequently used in academic writing, emphatic order is from least important to most important.
4. Include strong examples and evidence to back your point, and don’t forget to cite, cite, cite! Ensure that transition sentences are there to create a smooth flow to the essay.
5. Make certain that each example relates to the subject at hand.

Conclusion

This section should summarize all of your points and arguments.

1. Ensure the reader is left with something to consider, especially if the essay is argumentative. Concisely restate the essential points.

Strategy for Introductions    

All great essays have an intriguing opening that not only explains the topic and aim of the paper but also grabs the reader’s attention.

• It’s helpful for writers to have an introduction because…
• Introduce the thesis or main point of their paper.
• Emphasize key points in the essay’s main body.
• Give some context so the reader may get a handle on the essay’s point and thesis.

Intent and Opening Statement

You need to know if a formal introduction is required before you start writing one. If you’re writing a narrative, for instance, you don’t always have to set the scene before jumping right into the action. An informative or persuasive essay requires an introduction paragraph that sets the stage for the rest of the paper. However, any introduction must logically connect to the body of the paper.

An Exposition of the Thesis

Thesis statements, or the sentence (or sentences) that indicate the essay’s essential idea, are often required in introductory paragraphs of college-level writing assignments. An effective essay organizing skill is to include a thesis statement at the end of the introduction. Here are a few different ways your introductions can start. 

• Provide a Setting and/or a Brief Story

Prepare yourself for French class, where you will be exposed to the perilous combination of irregular verbs, flying chalk, and the continual risk of physical harm. I’m 41 years old and going back to school, so I guess I should consider myself a “genuine debutant,” as they say in my French textbook. The student ID I was given after making my tuition payment entitles me to reduced admission prices to theatres, puppet shows, and Festyland, a distant amusement park whose advertisements feature a cartoon stegosaurus sitting in a canoe while apparently eating a ham sandwich.

–In his essay “Me Talk Pretty One Day,” David Sedaris says

• Describe the Context in Which the Topic is Situated

Every animal species needs a reliable food source to keep fighting for its place in the world, and if it happens to rely on another species for sustenance, that life may be precariously balanced. If the prey were to disappear from the planet, the hunter would go extinct with it. More complications may arise if the hunted prey upon some of the pursuers.

–As quoted in Alexander Petrunkevitch’s “The Spider and the Wasp”

• Address Your Readers Directly

I’m supposed to define poverty for you? Hear me out. I’m standing here next to you, all stinky and unwashed and without “decent” underpants and with the rotten teeth scent wafting from my mouth. What I’m about to tell you may surprise you. Hear me out. Be compassionate in your listening. I can’t rely on your sympathy. Take in what you’re hearing with comprehension. Try walking a mile in my scuffed, battered, and ill-fitting shoes, and then listen to me.

–Jo Goodwin Parker Inquiry into the Nature of Poverty.

• Make an Analogy, Comparison, or Comparison

It took me a while, but I’ve identified the key distinction between tidy and disorganized individuals. One must always consider moral considerations while making a distinction. Others who take pride in their appearance are really less productive and crueller than those who are less neat.

–Suzanne Britt, “Neat People vs. Sloppy People”

• Try a Shocking Statement Or Number

The lives of American children are changing as a result of divorce and unwed pregnancies. More than eighty percent of children born to the postwar generation were raised by their biological parents who were married to one other. The percentage of children who had an intact family during their entire childhood dropped to 50% by 1980. If the current rate of separation from biological parents continues, fewer than half of today’s newborns will grow up with both biological parents. In the United States, single mothers account for the majority of children’s early lives.

–Dan Quayle was right, as written by Barbara Dafoe Whitehead.

• Start With a Query Or a Predicament

Superstition is rarely mentioned as a major threat to reason and science in serious discussions of “the revival of the irrational” in our time. Superstition, on the other hand, is just deplored while parapsychology, UFOs, miracle cures, and transcendental meditation are all roundly criticized. Could it be because so many of us feel its influence but don’t want to admit it?

–A Few Words of Praise for Superstition” by Robertson Davies

• Make Use of a Quotation

A name is a prison, but God is unbound, as the Greek poet Nikos Kazantzakis famously put it. I believe what he meant was that, despite its usefulness, language inevitably confines its users and turns them into shackled automatons. Limits are implicit in language. One can make a puppy, a rabbit, or a man just by using words. It cements their nature in front of our eyes, making us co-creators of their form. They are no longer a part of the universe’s mysterious, ever-changing construction. They appear to have been frozen into a notion or a word by some magical force. Even though human language has shown to be a potent spell, it has limited the universe.

–Reference to “The Cosmic Prison” by Loren Eiseley.

Introductory Paragraphs: What to Avoid

1. To begin, try not to be too transparent. Instead of saying something like, “In this paper, I will explore the causes of failing oil prices,” try something like this instead.
2. Second, do not apologize. Don’t say things like “I don’t know much about this” or “I’m not sure if I’m correct, but here’s my opinion” to yourself.
3. Third, avoid using cliches. Do not squander your time or the audience’s by saying cliches like “Love makes the world go ’round” or “Haste causes waste.”

Bottom Line

The introduction is the starting point. The first impression you make. While you may think that an introduction isn’t as important as the rest of the body of your paper, this is not true because a good introduction will help the audience understand the entire paper. An introduction can be considered the thesis statement since it explains what you are writing about. It develops an interest in your essay or paper and tells your audience what to look for when reading it. The introduction paragraph should persuade the reader to read the next one and clearly state how the subsequent paragraphs will be organized. The conclusion is also known as a bridge, bridging the gap between the body and your thesis.