How to Write an Effective Introduction in Your Essay

How to Write an Effective Introduction in Your EssayMany beginning writers use a first paragraph that introduces the topic to be discussed in the essay. These are often your hooks, the way that the reader is attracted to your essay before diving into the meat and potatoes of the paper. So how do you achieve this with a simple first paragraph?You may have come across a few ideas like the first paragraph of the thesis statement of your dissertation. Thesis statements introduce the topic to be discussed in the essay. The thesis statement will explain what the topic is about and why it is important. If the introduction is a little more lengthy, it can also serve as a springboard for the rest of the paper.A writer should never just write one paragraph because it comes easily. Instead, he or she should have in mind the style and tone of the paper before he or she gets started. If the first paragraph introduces the topic to be discussed in the essay and then the paper becomes dry, it may be best to begin a new paragraph, perhaps one containing an interesting anecdote.If this paragraph is interesting enough, it will build interest to the rest of the paper. Often, I will read an essay and try to find something interesting in the first paragraph to use as a hook. It is usually much easier to do this than to think of everything that needs to be said.Sometimes, it is difficult to decide what the main purpose of the introduction should be. However, I always tell students that this paragraph should be able to jumpstart the flow of the paper. If the reader finds the first paragraph to be boring or flat, it will be much harder to keep interest by the time they get to the meat of the paper.Sometimes, however, the introduction is so important that it can stand on its own, and the rest of the paper will continue from there. In these cases, you can expand on the introduction or use it as a springboard for your paper. You can give examples that illustrate the points you want to mak e or you can make direct connections between the subject matter and the paper.How can you keep your attention when the first paragraph introduces the topic to be discussed in the essay? Start with the sentence 'We will now proceed to discuss the various ways to introduce the topic to be discussed.' Then work through the paragraphs, discussing each sentence in turn, and come up with a conclusion that can be used as a hook.In short, the first paragraph of an essay should have some kind of an impact on the rest of the paper. You should be able to keep your attention as you go along. Without the initial paragraph, the rest of the paper would be a lot less interesting.