This guide focuses on the best ways to start an essay by addressing all the necessary structure and formatting details. You will learn how to start an essay introduction, review writing strategies, and see rules for body paragraphs and conclusion. Read on to make your essay stand out and earn the best grades and professor’s recognition!
Learning about good ways to start an essay
Starting an essay is one of the most challenging aspects to consider in academic writing. Most students simply feel confused and need inspiration to start. The trick is to make a strong introduction to motivate you to write. It will automatically impress your readers when done correctly. While there is no universal introduction example that one could find, certain rules still apply. One of them is using an introduction hook to start off an essay, where you introduce an unusual fact or make an assumption before continuing with a background of your subject and the following ideas. Since every start of an essay will result in a thesis statement, providing a good start is crucial!
Understanding essay basics
Before starting an essay, learning what type of writing must be done is essential. The best way to verify your objectives is to consult an academic advisor and double-check your grading rubric. Since you can get numerous essay types, there will be minor and major peculiarities to consider. Some assignments will include the following:
- Narrative essay;
- Descriptive essay;
- Expository essay;
- Persuasive essay;
- Reflective essay;
- Analytical essay.
There are many ways to begin an essay based on what you have to do. Most college professors recommend using the hamburger essay structure. It means that you should start with an introductory essay paragraph with a statement and a conclusion part first, then continue with the body parts or the “filling”. The introduction and conclusion are tasty buns, while the body paragraphs represent meat and vegetables.
Before starting with your essay!
You should not consider yourself ready to start an essay introduction unless you already have an outline that serves as a special roadmap. Although it may seem like a time-consuming task, you will be able to narrow things down and save precious time later. It also guarantees that you mention all the key elements and follow the main arguments as you start. Here is what a basic essay outline looks like:
- Choosing an essay topic by alternating between 2-3 possible essay titles.
- Coming up with a strong thesis and a hook sentence.
- Creating the list of key elements and arguments for the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.
Introduction
a) Hook sentence
b) Introduction
c) Background information
d) thesis.
Body paragraphs
a) First argument
b) Examples
c) Explanation.
d) Second argument
e) Explanations and examples.
f) Third paragraph with concluding data.
Conclusion
a) Review of every paragraph.
b) Restatement of your thesis statement.
c) Closing statement and call to action or a moral lesson.
Now that you have outlined your topic and all the critical key points, it’s time to continue with details and focus on the writing. Starting an essay can help proceed with the body paragraphs before composing an introduction. It will help you to develop your content better, find all the facts, create an introduction, and focus on your examples. You should also start long before your deadline to have more editing and proofreading time. If something makes you feel confused, you should seek professional assistance and ask for help. A college essay writing service helps you achieve success and get clarity of mind as you write. Now, let’s continue with each part separately to learn more!
How to compose an essay introduction?
In learning how to write an essay introduction, the most important thing is to include a hook sentence and grab your readers’ attention. It should inspire and provide the framework for argumentation. A correct introduction should create an impression and provide sufficient clarity to explain your work. Organization and accessibility is the key! Remember to present a viewpoint and argumentation that corresponds with your subject. Here are the best ways to start an essay and structure an introduction paragraph:
- Introduction Adjustment. Find out more about the required essay type by focusing on structure, tone, and the target audience. Use either creative or technical writing methods by focusing on your tone!
- Setting Essay’s Tone. Knowing your audience is paramount for presenting information correctly. Decide whether you need a formal or an informal tone, friendly or strict, descriptive or explanatory. If you wish to persuade your readers, show confidence and discuss things.
- A Hook Sentence. It should be there before your thesis comes up. The trick is to use words to start an essay that will stir emotions and ask an important question. It should be an attention-grabbing element where your creativity and confidence can be seen.
- Subject’s Background. Remember that your target audience may need to be more familiar with all the peculiarities of your essay’s topic. Therefore, provide a short summary and analytical information.
- Only Relevant Information. Use it if you are sure about some citation or an argument. If you use any external data, it must be supported with a piece of evidence. It helps to improve the trustworthiness of your essay.
- Avoiding Clichés. Do not start your essay with a quote, although it may seem like a good way to start an essay! Use direct citations with great care. If some information is too common, take your time to research things deeper.
- Thesis Statement. It appears at the end of your introduction paragraph and represents your main argument. You can use another explanatory sentence after your thesis for clarity purposes.
Your final sentence should make it easy to transition to an essay’s body parts. Therefore, an introduction essay paragraph should be at most 15% of the total word count. If it´s a research paper, you may consult a guide on how to write research paper by following the given requirements. It helps to achieve much better results!
Introduction writing strategies
There are many ways to start your essay as such and finally complete an introduction paragraph. It all comes down to what writing strategy you wish to choose. You may consider each of them to open an essay, depending on your essay type, available time, and mood. Here are some of the most prominent solutions to consider:
- Writing your introduction last. While you must compose a thesis statement, it will be edited repeatedly as you work with your body paragraphs. As your ideas will change and develop, you may have to adjust things later on, thus affecting your introduction.
- Brainstorming various ideas. You can compose several intro paragraphs to see which one is better. You can consider different essay topics this way, see what arguments you can see, and come up with the best thesis statement ever. The more research you do, the better!
- Revising text. When you revise your introduction, you can make certain changes and adjust things to your outline and the body paragraphs. It’s only natural to get back and do some editing, so do not limit yourself to what you already have to start essays but feel free to revise accordingly.
- Collecting opinions. Show your introductory paragraph to friends and family. As they check and proofread it, check their emotions and ask them if they understand every point. If they seek more information, ask them to tell you about it. Try your best to collect opinions, talk to your academic advisor, discuss your draft, and show that you really care about what you do!
Essay introduction examples
Undoubtedly, one can encounter numerous essay formats and types of academic writing, so it’s hard to provide an example that will fit everyone’s needs. Nevertheless, we shall provide you with a basic overview of what several essay types present and focus on the main requirements to give you the basic idea:
Argumentative essay
This is where you must present a clear writing structure that would help you to stand for your statement and defend it with examples and evidence. If it’s something controversial, be sure to provide data for both sides of the camp. Start by narrowing your topic down to reflect your thesis. Remember to use good starting sentences for essays that show confidence and tone. Investigating your reasoning and determining all “pro” and “against” issues should be easy. Focus on your position, research, and collect supporting evidence.
A personal essay
Composing a personal essay is more challenging than it may sound! While most students tend to write about their achievements or life experiences, it is more to it than that. Start by focusing on the list of strengths and weaknesses, think about how to overcome them, and make people inspired by your storytelling. As the next step, think about a suitable format. A five-paragraph essay should work well with an introduction with a thesis statement, 3-5 body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The most important is to make it unique and avoid copying content from elsewhere or using ChatGPT. If you need clarification on originality, using our free plagiarism checker can help you stay safe!
Examples of introduction hooks to start an essay
While at it, take a look at some inspirational hooks as you work on an essay:
- An interesting question.
- A strong statement or declaration.
- Historical facts to start a college essay intro based on History or Anthropology.
- Statistical or scientific data.
- Various literary devices like metaphors or similes.
- A short catching storyline.
- An object or subject description.
- A quotation (in very specific cases)
Helpful tip: When you start a new paragraph, you should use transition words to help your readers see the logic and flow of your essay. Some examples of transition words are “Although,” “As a result,” “At the same time,” “Consequently,” or “It shows that” phrases.
How to start body paragraphs correctly?
Body paragraphs in an essay serve the role of the filling or the meat in our hamburger. In other words, the purpose is to explain and support your argument by using your thesis statement as the basis. It can include three paragraphs from the strongest to the weakest argument. Start each paragraph with a topic sentence to start an intro for an essay to introduce the main idea and tell what shall follow. Once you introduce the subject, provide evidence from an external source or use an example to support your data. If you see it necessary, tell and show why the subject is important and how your evidence helps see things through your thesis’s lens. Remember to make transitions between paragraphs by using bridging words. A body paragraph should also have a concluding sentence that summarizes your idea.
Other body paragraphs should follow the same pattern. You may include a counter-arguments paragraph in certain cases if your essay type requires that. If you are writing a compare-and-contrast essay, your final body paragraph should focus on the methodology corresponding to an essay introduction format. The key is to explain each point to your readers and follow your outline. If something needs to be clarified or you have too many ideas to be narrowed down, approaching Academic Essay Writing Service can greatly help. Even if you need something minor or feel unsure about the number of external sources, you can always ask for help!
How to start an essay conclusion?
The final paragraph should not be considered “the end” element of your work. It should be an opportunity to prove your point again without introducing new ideas. The purpose here is to support your methodology and connect all the things that have been learned with a thesis statement. A conclusion for an essay should represent a certain reiteration of your opening statement in simpler terms. Do not approach direct repetition here, as it will decrease the originality factor! To start off a sentence in an essay conclusion, it is easy to get confused and carried away. Like an introduction paragraph, do not exceed 15% of the final word count here. In certain senses, your conclusion may be longer, like in compare-and-contrast or reflective journal essays.
The use of “In conclusion” beginning is not necessary as you can use different words like “The research done shows that” or “It is possible to conclude that.” It will help determine your readers’ final part by adding to the emotional flow. Finally, making a call to action or providing information about limitations you have encountered when writing your essay is possible. For starters, do not just restate your thesis and call it a day! Be cautious not to repeat it repeatedly, and avoid adding new ideas! Try to deliver your main message again, but do so through the lens of clarity by supporting it with main facts from the body paragraphs.
Speaking of the call-to-action part, you may leave some food for thought for your target audience. If you find it too difficult and do not know what sentence to use for the final essay, choosing a cheap essay writer can help you avoid stress and finally submit your essay on time. When you need to get things done up to the standards, it’s one of the safest and legit methods!
As you can see, learning how to start an essay or how to write introduction for essay types is not overly complex as long as you pick your topic and have some examples to start with. Using this guide, you will definitely achieve success. If you want to receive a perfect essay or feel stuck with some parts, checking essay writing services reviews done by experts can be a life-saving grace! Take your time to find what works for you!
