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Planning an Effective Introduction

The job of your introduction is to grab the readers’ attention.  It will introduce them to your argument and the evidence or information that supports your argument.  After reading your introduction, your reader should know exactly what your essay is about.

These are the key components of an introduction:

1. Hook (Attention-Getter)—quotation, shocking fact or statistic, anecdote, humorous or interesting statement, etc.
   
   
2. Background Information—information your reader needs to know to understand your essay
   
   • If your essay is about an event in your life, provide a quick summary and key background information readers need to understand the story.
   • If analyzing a text (novel, film, poem, etc.), you must introduce the title, the author, and a brief summary of the text in no more than a few sentences.  Tell your readers just enough so the essay makes sense.
   
   
3. Thesis Statement—a one or two sentence statement of your position on the issue you are discussing or your answer to the essay question.  It’s an answer to the essay question or a response to the essay topic.  The thesis should not be a question, a fact, or a neutral statement.  All information in your essay must have a connection to the thesis.  Think of it this way:  if you mention an idea in your thesis, your are promising to prove it or explain it later in your essay. 

The basic “shape” of an introductory paragraph is an upside down triangle.  Begin with a very broad statement about the topic that relates to the audience and hooks their attention.

Then, add more specific information, and end with your thesis.