Write a strong opening sentence
The introduction of an essay has the potential to capture the interest of a reader or convince the reader that the essay is not worth his or her time. A well-written introduction should be short, concise, and attention grabbing. Let the reader know that you have something interesting to say and that you are well equipped to write about it. Convince the reader that your essay will give them something to think about.
Instructions
1. Outline the major ideas and topics for the essay. A well-written essay has a particular theme, topic, or point of view to get across. An essay submitted with a graduate school application makes a case for admittance to the program. You may want to use an essay to convince and persuade people about a particular political point of view. Many famous essayists, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, use the essay as a vehicle for expressing particular ideas and points of view about contemporary life and culture.
2. Write the essay first and the introduction last. Once the major points of the essay are outlined and formulated you are in a position to write the essay. Saving the introduction for last makes it possible to summarize the content of the essay in an introductory paragraph. The original ideas and content typically undergo revision and reorganization during the actual writing process.
3. Grab the attention of the reader with a strong opening sentence. The opening sentence of the introduction may be the most important sentence in the entire essay. Depending upon the subject matter and intended audience, it can be provocative and catch the reader by surprise. One of the most famous opening lines in literature is the opening line in "The Communist Manifesto" by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. "A specter is haunting Europe -- the specter of Communism." The opening sentence announces the form and content of the essay.
4. Summarize the primary point or arguments of the essay in three to six sentences. Think of the introduction as a miniature version of the essay. The introduction provides the reader with a general sense of the content of the essay, as well as introducing the reader to your writing style.
5. Conclude the introduction with a sentence that leaves the reader wanting more. The concluding sentence of the introduction should promote an attitude of anticipation in the reader. Remind the reader why the topic is important and persuade the reader that you have something interesting to say about it.
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