The introduction of an essay is as important as the body and the logical conclusion. When writing an introduction, you should begin with a generalization, to eventually grow into your main point. The main point of an essay transforms into a strong and well-written thesis, which has to be as powerful. The beginning of an essay has to catch the reader’s attention. It can be something amusing or serious. The introduction has to serve the purpose of grabbing the reader’s interest. The thesis is the heart of an essay. The main goal of a strong thesis is to determine (in one sentence preferably) what the center argument of the story is, and give a brief note on what the body of the essay is going to discuss. Sometimes the thesis statement is two sentences, but a writer should not make it longer than that.
To build a strong introduction a writer can start with some figures that will be stunning for readers to hear. It can be an issue of social importance or a personal observation that made the author think and search for answers. For example, if a writer discusses a social issue, he could provide some statistics on cases that happened in the past and have caused this issue to become a subject of interest for the society. The statistics might show impressive figures like deaths, injuries, accidents, growing marriages, child abuse cases, divorce rates, investment fluctuations or world policy changes.
Some tips on how to make the introduction of an essay grab the reader’s attention
The following are tips on how to write a memorable introduction to an essay:
1. Stunning facts. This information does not necessarily have to be an unknown fact to your readers. It can be a well known case that a lot of people consider pertinent to them, or a story that has touched millions of hearts. Describing these facts will help the writer support his point, and get the reader on the right track of understanding what the main point of an essay is. When making a point by using a distinguished fact, try to elaborate it with your own thoughts that conclude in a couple of sentences.
2. A short story or an anecdote. This technique works well only if it is relevant to the point and instantly fascinates the reader.
3. Include a dialogue. It should be short, precise and appropriate. The writer does not have to reveal who the speakers are. A couple of sentences should follow the dialogue to expand the fundamental point that reaches the mind of the reader after encountering the dialogue.
4. Sum up the facts. A few sentences that lead to the main point of the essay can make a decent summary. Each sentence should become more precise and understandable to the reader and show what the writer is trying to bring up as the main point of the essay. The summary written in that form predicts the thesis statement clearly.
Do not make your opening paragraph too long. Remember, that it has to capture your reader’s interest and make him want to finish reading the story to find out more on the issue the essay is describing. A well-written and logical thesis statement should finish the opening paragraph.