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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How to write an hypothesis...

Writing a clear hypothesis is essential for success in any essay. The hypothesis must appear in the introductory paragraph of the essay and, if written effectively, it will be easily identifiable.

The easiest way to formulate the hypothesis is to consider this question in response to the essay topic - if you could write the essay in one sentence, what would you write? In 99% of cases, this one sentence will be appropriate as your hypothesis.

* Don't be afraid to include key words from the essay topic within your hypothesis, but don't simply restate the essay topic and expect it to stand as your hypothesis.

* Do aim to make your hypothesis memorable - be daring in your assertion

* Do make sure you are going to be in a position to support this assertion as your essay progresses with valid evidence - eg. in the case of a novel, by using examples and quotations; in the case of an information report, by using research and statistics.


For example, for the essay topic -

Explore the parallels to The Great Gatsby which exist in today's society

- an appropriate hypothesis statement could be -

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.

Of course, how you provide an outline for your essay (and this may be achieved within your hypothesis) and how your body paragraphs each work to support your hypothesis statement are also critical to your success. Without a clearly articulated hypothesis, however, your essay will not magically fall into place.

Now I've got you started, more on writing the rest of your essay later...

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