Introduction is an essential part of an essay.
It is what a reader sees first.
Whether it is a compare and contrast essay, process analysis essay, or personal essay, a strong introduction comes in handy.
As reflected in typical essay introduction examples, the introduction sets the tone of an essay.
This applies to essays in all fields and topics, including but not limited to essay on business ethics, social work career goals essay, or reflective essay for nursing.
Crafting a good essay introduction paragraph is therefore one of the most important steps to essay writing.
So, what are some of the tips you can use to write an effective introduction?
Replicating essay introduction examples?
Essay Introduction Guides
Without doubt, essay introduction examples are good guides.
Just like conclusion examples for an essay, essay introduction examples can act as useful templates.
Note that they can be used as models for all types of essays.
The introduction is technically the same for all essays- whether it’s an introduction for an argumentative essay or a critical reflection essay.
Accordingly, before you start crafting one, you should understand its roles.
Purpose of an Essay Introduction
The introduction of an essay plays several key roles, including:
1. Creating a first impression
The introduction should create a good first impression.
As observed in all good essay introduction examples, the opening paragraph should be well-written, concise, and engaging.
It should avoid being disorganized, error-ridden, off-the-wall, or vague.
2. Capturing the attention of the reader
A good essay introduction should be captivating.
It should not only grab the interest of the reader but also persuade them to read the whole essay.
You should find a way to make the readers understand why the topic matters and as a result trigger their desire to engage in a conversation with your ideas or arguments.
3. Providing a roadmap for the essay
The essay introduction paragraph should convey important information to the reader.
Such information include:
- What is the topic
- Why the topic is important and
- The way you intend to present your arguments or ideas
Such a roadmap should enable the reader to with certainty know what to expect in the essay body.
Parts of an Essay Introduction
To effectively play its role, the essay introduction paragraph should have different parts.
These parts include:
1. An attention grabber
All good essay introduction examples have a strong attention-grabber.
The attention grabber captures the interest on the reader and makes them want to continue reading.
To be effective, it should be fresh and original.
You should therefore avoid overused techniques such as using a dictionary definition.
2. Background
This should be the second part of the essay introduction paragraph.
The background should be relevant and specific to the purpose of the essay.
Through the background, you should make the reader see the reason for focusing on the topic.
It usually acts as the transition to the main point of the essay.
Note that it should only be a small part of the essay or the introduction paragraph.
3. Roadmap
Borrowing from well-crafted introduction examples for essays, roadmaps explain how writers intend to defend the entailed essay thesis.
They provide a general idea on how the different points in the essay will be organized.
They stipulate how you intend to get to the essay conclusion.
The roadmap can be a separate sentence or incorporated into the essay thesis statement.
4. Thesis statement
The essay introduction paragraph should also have a clear thesis statement.
This is a clear statement of the overall argument you intend to advance in the essay.
In the inverted pyramid, it is the narrowest point and it states the point the essay will argue.
All the subsequent essay paragraphs should be aligned to the essay thesis statement.
The Attention Grabber
The attention grabber is particularly an important part of the essay introduction paragraph.
As earlier noted, you should aim to capture the attention of the reader.
Good essay introduction examples provide numerous ways to capture this attention.
They include:
1. Using an unexpected statement or fact
You can use a surprising statement or fact to grab the attention of the reader.
The idea is to start the essay introduction paragraph with a statement or a fact that people are not aware of.
A statement of fact or a specific statistic can be effectively used to arouse the interest of the reader.
After introducing the statement or fact, you should go ahead and state your thesis in a clear and succinct manner.
The example must be aligned to the essay thesis statement.
2. A puzzling scenario/ anecdote
A confusing or perplexing incidence can as well be used to capture the attention of a reader.
Usually referred to as anecdotes, they are good attention grabbers.
Such a scenario should point contradictions in a specific situation.
In this case, the essay introduction paragraph should juxtapose two things or incidences. The intention of doing so would be to show the difference between perception and existing reality.
3. A thought-provoking question
This is another way to start your essay introduction.
As illustrated in introduction examples for essays, this approach entails asking a question that stimulates the mind of the reader.
Note that using questions as attention grabbers is controversial especially when poorly used.
Nonetheless, a thought-provoking question is more suitable compared to a rhetorical question.
4. An interesting example
You can also use an interesting example to grab the attention a reader.
As demonstrated in good essay introduction examples, this approach is effective in engaging he reader.
It should be preceded by a brief statement and then followed by an explanation of the context (background).
Types of attention grabbers to avoid
There are obvious to start an essay introduction paragraph you should avoid.
They are:
- Restated or rhetorical question introduction
- The place holder introduction
- The dictionary introduction
- The book report introduction and
- The “dawn of mam” introduction
Essay Introduction Examples
As earlier noted, different essay introduction examples reflect various approaches on how to use the attention grabber.
Below are some of such examples.
Example 1: Using an unexpected statement or fact
With recent studies indicating that while black people account for 13% of the US population, 27% of people fatally shot and killed by police in 2021 were blacks, there’s no doubt that there is need to enact policies designed to change the system.[L1] Black people have historically been predisposed to higher police brutality compared to their white counterparts. Police violence against the blacks has been a major social and political discourse in the U.S., with scholars, policy making stakeholders, and the larger society showing increasing interest in being actively involved in unraveling this social phenomenon. [L2] This essay examines the various causes of police brutality against the blacks from the symbolic interactionism theoretical perspective.[L3] It explores the causes of violence, examines past remedies, and suggests potential approaches.[L4]
Example 2: Anecdote
Adoption of religion and its diversity in different societies has been met with serious objection, where its role and practice has been debated upon and curtailed through direct legislation as well as passive policies. [L5] Religion and its influence on society members is viewed as a major challenge to successful multiculturalism. Nonetheless, many if not most rely on religion as a principle guideline. It is widely viewed as a major influence on an individual’s cultural values, behaviors, and ways thinking. Most argue that it helps individuals function efficiently within the society as it lays the principle foundation for appropriate patterns of thoughts and effective communication. All this adds to the intricate relationship between religion, ethnicity, and conduct in the public sphere.[L6] Accordingly, positive impacts of religion on society have however been identified in areas such as education and academic performance.[L7]
Example 3: A thought-provoking question
From the 2018 breach of Facebook customer data by Cambridge Analytica to 2014 Yahoo data breach by alleged state-sponsored actors, 2014-2018 Marriot International data embezzlement by cyber thieves, and 2016 Uber data breach, enterprises have suffered increasing incidences of identity theft, database corruption or destruction, and intellectual property theft.[L8]Companies of different sizes and in various industries have fallen victims of severe data breach incidences in the last decade, all with serious implications. Cyber security attacks have in the past resulted into significant losses whether it’s through compensation, fines, lawsuits, missed opportunities, or reputational damage.[L9]With advancement in hacking technology and skills, how will companies survive cyber-crime in the next decade? [L10]This essay explores the state and nature of data breaches, existing security methods, and potential future mitigation measures. In doing so, it examines the responsibility of the management in all this uncertain data environment.[L11]
[L1]Attention Grabber
[L2]Background
[L3]Thesis statement
[L4]Roadmap
[L5]Attention grabber
[L6]Background and roadmap
[L7]Thesis statement
[L8]Attention grabber
[L9]Background
[L10]Thought-provoking question
[L11]Roadmap
