How to write an essay introduction...

Following on from my post of April 28, where the focus was writing an hypothesis for an essay, this post is about the essay introduction as a whole. Your essay introduction need only be three sentences in length and should do exactly as it says, introduce.

Keep it straightforward and use this simple formula to write the introductory paragraph to the essay -

* Sentence 1 - insightful general statement on essay topic
* Sentence 2 - hypothesis statement - your one sentence response to the essay topic
* Sentence 3 - outline of the essay's key points - subpoints of the hypothesis

For instance, using the essay topic and hypothesis statement from April 28's blog post, here is a sample introduction:

Essay topic - Explore the parallels to The Great Gatsby which exist in today's society.

Sample introduction -

(Sentence 1 - insightful general statement on essay topic) Although F Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby almost 80 years ago, many similarities exist between the 1920s society depicted in the novel and the society in which we live today. (Sentence 2 - hypothesis statement) The Great Gatsby provides a mirror for today's society through its representation of the need for instant gratification, a worship of material possessions and the superficial relationships between people. (Sentence 3 - essay outline - subpoints of hypothesis) Today's society requires immediate action or results, material possessions are accumulated driven by want not need and individuals live in greater isolation than ever before, as they interact 'virtually' rather than in real life.

The essay introduction is NOT the place for supporting evidence, such as quotations or facts. The body of your essay is where your evidence is required. More on the body of your essay another time...

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