what to include in an introduction essay

This guide covers stages and issues involved in writing up your essay, including: Printable version of this guide (this is designed to be printed double-sided on A4 paper, then folded to make an A5 leaflet). We also have a series of bitesize Video tutorials to help you develop key aspects of your essay writing. Introductions and conclusions Introductions and conclusions are not just the bits tagged on to the ends of your essay. They form a conceptual framework which the reader will need to understand your arguments. Always keep your reader in mind when writing the beginning and ending to your essay: What do they need to know at the start so they become interested in reading your essay and can follow the rest of your argument? What do you want to leave them with as the main message of your essay at the end? The best introductions and conclusions tell the reader exactly what they need to know to understand the main body of the essay. Watch our Structuring your essay for more suggestions. back to top Writing your introduction An introduction gives your reader a way in to your essay. It is like consulting the map before starting on a journey; it situates the journey in the surrounding landscape, and it identifies the main route. You can think of an introduction as covering what / why / how: What the question is about – explain your interpretation of the question and what it is asking you to do. Why the question is important – put the question into context and identify the main issues that are raised by the question. How you are going to answer it – let the reader know what you are going to cover in your essay in order to answer the question. If you want to narrow down a very open-ended question, tell your reader that you are doing this in your introduction. Explain briefly that you are aware of the many issues raised by the question, but that you are only going to focus.
First and last impressions are important in any part of life, especially in writing. This is why the introduction and conclusion of any paper - whether it be a simple essay or a long research paper - are essential. Introductions and conclusions are just as important as the body of your paper. The introduction is what makes the reader want to continue reading your paper. The conclusion is what makes your paper stick in the reader's mind. Introductions Your introductory paragraph should include: 1) Hook: Description, illustration, narration or dialogue that pulls the reader into your paper topic. This should be interesting and specific. 2) Transition: Sentence that connects the hook with the thesis. 3) Thesis: Sentence (or two) that summarizes the overall main point of the paper. The thesis should answer the prompt question. There are several ways include to write a good introduction or opening to your paper. They also give you examples of the introduction paraphrase. That will help you to understand the idea of writing sequence with the hook, transition and thesis statement. » Thesis Statement Opening This is the traditional style of opening a paper. This is a mini-summary of your paper. For example:       Gallaudet University, the only liberal arts college for deaf students in the world, is world-renowned in the field of deafness and education of the deaf. Gallaudet is also proud of its charter which was signed by President Abraham Lincoln in year of 1864. All of this happened in Gallaudet's history,Gallaudet could not live without its rich history and fame to two men: Amos Kendall and Edward Miner Gallaudet. Hook: a specific example or story that interests the reader and introduces the topic. Transition: connects the hook to the thesis statement Thesis: summarizes overall claim of the paper » Opening with a Story (Anecdote) A good way of catching your reader's.
Writing Help Part 1 of 3: Crafting the Hook Pull your reader in with a hook. A great hook will make it almost impossible for the reader to put down the paper. Your first sentence should pull the reader in, making him or her want to read the essay because they are fascinated, intrigued, or even outraged. Think about using an interesting fact or statistic as a hook. This interesting fact or statistic should surprise your reader. While the fact should be relevant to what you're saying, this is not the place to state the facts that you are using for evidence down in the body of your essay. Some examples of interesting facts or statistics as hooks: The average iceberg weighs over 100,000 metric tonnes. Think about using an anecdote as a hook. If you are writing a less formal paper, consider beginning with a relevant, humorous, or moving story. This will provide context and allow the reader to get to know you, or the person or thing you're writing about, a little bit better. Note that in many cases it is not appropriate to use the first person in an essay, so double check before you the first person I in your hook. Some examples of anecdotes as hooks: When I was a young boy, my father worked at a coal mine. For 27 years, he made it his occupation to scrape and claw and grunt his way into the bowels of the earth, searching for fuel. On April 19, 2004, the bowels of the earth clawed back. Sergei Filin was walking home on a cold Moscow morning when a man in black approached him. With his hand held behind his back, the man in black muttered something menacing. Before he knew what hit him, Filin was on the ground, tossing snow in his face, his skin literally burning off. Filin had been attacked with acid. Think about using a quotation as a hook. Finding a good quotation is also an appropriate way attract your reader, as it connects the essay both to a point in history and to.
Your essay lacks only two paragraphs now: the introduction and the conclusion. These paragraphs will give the reader a point of entry to and a point of exit from your essay. Introduction The introduction should be designed to attract the reader's attention and give her an idea of the essay's focus. Begin with an attention grabber. The attention grabber you use is up to you, but here are some ideas: Startling information This information must be true and verifiable, and it doesn't need to be totally new to your readers. It could simply be a pertinent fact that explicitly illustrates the point you wish to make. If you use a piece of startling information, follow it with a sentence or two of elaboration.Anecdote An anecdote is a story that illustrates a point. Be sure your anecdote is short, to the point, and relevant to your topic. This can be a very effective opener for your essay, but use it carefully.Dialogue An appropriate dialogue does not have to identify the speakers, but the reader must understand the point you are trying to convey. Use only two or three exchanges between speakers to make your point. Follow dialogue with a sentence or two of elaboration.Summary Information A few sentences explaining your topic in general terms can lead the reader gently to your thesis. Each sentence should become gradually more specific, until you reach your thesis. If the attention grabber was only a sentence or two, add one or two more sentences that will lead the reader from your opening to your thesis statement.Finish the paragraph with your thesis statement. Conclusion The conclusion brings closure to the reader, summing up your points or providing a final perspective on your topic. All the conclusion needs is three or four strong sentences which do not need to follow any set formula. Simply review the main points (being careful not to restate them exactly) or briefly.
Things NOT to do in an introductory paragraph: Apologize. Never suggest that you don't know what you're talking about or that you're not enough of an expert in this matter that your opinion would matter. Your reader will quickly turn to something else. Avoid phrases like the following: In my [humble] opinion.. I'm not sure about this, but.. Announce your intentions. Do not flatly announce what you are about to do in an essay. In this paper I will.. The purpose of this essay is to.. Get into the topic and let your reader perceive your purpose in the topic sentence of your beginning paragraph. Use a dictionary or encyclopedia definition. According to Merriam-Webster's WWWebster Dictionary, a widget is.. Although definitions are extremely useful and it might serve your purpose to devise your own definition(s) later in the essay, you want to avoid using this hackneyed beginning to an essay. Dilly-dally. Get to it. Move confidently into your essay. Many writers find it useful to write a warm-up paragraph (or two, even) to get them into the essay, to sharpen their own idea of what they're up to, and then they go back and delete the running start. The following material is adapted from a handout prepared by Harry Livermore for his high school English classes at Cook High School in Adel, Georgia. It is used here with his permission. Students are told from the first time they receive instruction in English composition that their introductory paragraphs should accomplish two tasks: They should get the reader's interest so that he or she will want to read more. They should let the reader know what the writing is going to be about. The second task can be accomplished by a carefully crafted thesis statement. Writing thesis statements can be learned rather quickly. The first task — securing the reader's interest — is more difficult. It is this task that this.