Great Ideas for Writing a Great Introduction for Your Essay
A paper must always start strong and end strong. You want to pull your reader into your paper and you want to leave your reader thinking about your paper long after he or she has finished the paper. There are several tricks to starting a paper with a strong impression. Always make sure the paper has correct spelling and has correct grammar. And always follow the teacher’s instructions and directions. Some tips for a good hook in the introduction are to tell an interesting story, to use strong and credible statistics, or to use an appropriate quote that relates to your paper’s topic:
- Tell a story in your introduction: If you can find an interesting story that relates and supports your topic, then use it. Just make very sure that the story actually relates to your topic and is not random. Stories tend to make a paper more accessible and more personable to the readers. Just be careful to not use the first or the second person when you are telling the story. Use quotation marks for your direct quotes. Also make sure that you do not lose your formal tone when you are telling a story in a formal paper. Stories are fun, too!
- Use statistics in your introduction: If you are trying to prove a point in a persuasive essay, nothing can prove your point more than some strong data, facts, or statistics. This is one of the best possible types of topic support if it is from a reputable source. Try not to use charts, graphs, or spreadsheets in your very first paragraph. Simply write out the data in sentence form and save the graphics fr other pargaraphs. These items are too distracting for a first paragraph and most teachers will not allow them in a paper’s introduction.
- Use an appropriate quote in your introduction: In the old days quotes were never, ever put in an introduction or a conclusion. Now that theory has changed. A strong quote can cause your reader to stop and consider the meaning and to consider how that quote is relative to your topic and relative to them. Make sure the quote fits the occasion. An oddly placed and inappropriate quote may just confuse your readers. Look around for the best quote possible, and do not be afraid to use it in your introduction.