Want to write powerful introductions? Of course, you do. It’s the first part of your writing that the reader will see, after all, setting the stage for the body of your discussion.
As much help as a grammar software can be to writing a good introduction, it’s not enough. To write a proper introduction, you need to understand its relationship with the body and the conclusion. In a nutshell:
- The introduction says what you’ll discuss about the topic.
- The body discusses the topic in detail.
- The conclusion wraps up your discussion.
An introduction lays out your plan for the essay. While a brief summary of your main points could be acceptable, a good introduction will actually do more than that, opening the floor for the discussion of the topic in a way that generates interest.
Good introductions flow like an inverted pyramid – you start with the general picture then narrow towards your main thesis. The general information, in this case, concerns the larger subject, including background and context. If you can’t find a starting point, try asking yourself: “Why is the topic you’re writing about relevant”?
Contrary to what some people think, introductions need not feature all of your arguments. What they need to do is give the reader a clear idea of what you’re writing about and why they should bother reading.
