Introductions are the first paragraphs of your essays. An introduction should explain a topic for readers for the first time. They should follow the rules of all paragraphs, and have a topic sentence, good unity (one topic) and a concluding sentence. The concluding sentence is usually the thesis statement.
Often, students wonder what they should write for an introduction, and they get stuck because they don’t know what to write. Sometimes, it’s a good idea to write the introduction after the body paragraphs, because then you know what you are introducing!
No matter what, an introduction is the beginning of an essay, and tells the reader what is coming. Take a look at this example from a student essay. The thesis statement is in blue.
The guitar is my favorite instrument. I started loving this instrument when my friend I were traveling by car. I was a hip-hop fan, and my friend asked if he could play one metal song. I refused because I wasn't into the metal world, and I thought it was all about screaming rather than talent. He was persistent, so I allowed him to play one song only, but when the song started it instantly got my attention. I played it over and over, then I started asking him about the band and the guitar world, so we spent the whole trip listening to rock/metal songs. At that point, I decided to buy a guitar and learn how to play it and master it, and to enter the realm of strings, harmony, and emotion.
A story is a common way to introduce a topic. This story is a little bit long, and the student could have talked a little more about the guitar and less about this one time. However, the topic of guitars and his love of them is introduced, and the thesis statement is clear. This paper will be about string instruments, harmony and emotion.
Here is another example that does not use a story. Again, the thesis statement is in blue.
Music is something that has no boundaries. It’s the sort of thing that everyone can listen and relate to. Rap music is one of those kinds of music. There’s a lot of history in this art form. It represents generations of people that have been subjected to harassment and slavery. Black people used to communicate with one another and express their deep thoughts and ideas through rap. When people changed so did the music. This music represents the transactions that have happened in communities, from pain and sorrow to demonstrations to stopping racism and finally being equal in the society. Unfortunately, today the people who supposedly represent this art form all signed to music industries that see this art as a quick way to make profit; they forgot the true meaning of rap and present
Here, the writer introduces first the subject of music, then the topic of rap specifically. He talks about the history of rap, and what it has meant. Finally, he gets to his specific topic. We can see from the thesis statement that this paper will be about the current rap industry and how it is not true to the original spirit of the music.
As we saw in both examples, introductions tell readers about what specifically will be in the paper. The details in the introduction should only help introduce the subject and topic.
Exercise
Open the exercise to begin the activity. Follow the instructions in the document.