Introductions may vary depending on the type of essay you are writing, yet in general they all contain:

• Opening or "hook"
• Thesis statement
• Overview of the paper's main points
• Transition to the first body paragraph (this is optional, because a transition could just as easily appear at the top of the first body paragraph)

Opening Strategies

1. Ask an open-ended question that gets the reader thinking about a concept in the paper.
   1. Have you ever wondered how authors create tension in the reader? (This may work in a paper where you are explaining how an author's use of irony creates emotional responses in the reader.)
   2. Why is it that humans naturally seem to seek companionship? (This may work in a paper where you explore how friendship can affect human behavior, as is the case in Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men")
2. Make an analogy that parallels a central concept in the paper.
   1. Just as a carpenter uses a hammer, saw, and chisel to create a finished product that appeals to the buyer, likewise an author employs devices such as symbols, imagery, and similes to appeal to the reader.
3. Begin with a quote from a well-known personality or historical figure that relates to the topic.
   1. If you use this strategy, you can easily find quotes with a simple Internet search, but don't fall into the trap of just giving the quote, then your thesis directly afterward. You just take a sentence or two after you give the quote to explain it and its relationship to the topic of the paper. Don't let your quote "float" without giving it context.
4. Provide an interesting statistic having to do with the paper's topic.
   1. Every year in the U.S. more children die in swimming pools than perish from a gunshot wound. (This might be used in a debate where the author has the position of supporting gun rights.)
   2. Reminder: Be sure to cite your statistic - the source should be reliable and objective
5. Tell a story or anecdote that somehow leads in to a concept in the paper.
   1. The "story" you create is usually off the top of your head - you make up a scenario that in only a few sentences gives the reader an idea of the topic you will be discussing.
6. Give a universal or general truth that is un-arguable and relates to the paper's topic.
   1. Everyone seeks companionship, whether it is the companionship of a pet, a person, or the outdoors.
7. NEVER give your thesis statement as your opening sentence unless you are writing an essay response for a timed exam or writing a one-paragraph response. Even then, consider a one-sentence opener of some kind.

After the opening there is usually a sentence that "bridges" the opening to the thesis. This is necessary because often the reader needs the author to help connect the idea in the opening directly to the topic of the paper.

Thesis statement - click the hyperlink to read about thesis statements

Overview of the Paper

The overview section is just that - an overview of the main points you aim to make in the body paragraphs of the paper. If you have three body paragraphs, then there are three main points you are making in the paper to support the overall thesis. Because each body paragraph has an aim, you can easily "tweak" or re-write the topic sentence in each body paragraph and place the modified versions here in the introduction.

Transition

The transition is a bridge from the introduction, which revealed the thesis, to the first main paragraph, which in general gives the first supporting point. The transition must smoothly let the reader know "we are now leaving the introduction, and let me tell you what we will be talking about now."