What is an introduction?

The introduction is the first paragraph in an essay; its purpose is to familiarize readers with the subject and general content of the essay. Successful introductions grab readers' attention, give them background information to ground them in the essay’s topic, and end with the essay’s thesis statement. An introduction has three parts that appear in the following order: 

1. a “hook,” a literary technique that grabs readers’ attention 
2. background information that provides context for readers 
3. a thesis statement 

Introductions can be tricky to write. Deciding how much background information to include can be difficult. The introduction should provide enough information that readers grasp the point of the essay, but it should leave readers curious enough to continue reading. Also, the content of the introduction should lead readers to the thesis statement, moving from the background information into the thesis in a smooth transition.

Some writers stumble by trying to write the introduction first when drafting their essays. Since readers begin with the introduction, writers often try to start there, too; however, you may find it easier to write the introduction after you’ve written the main body of the essay that explains and supports your thesis statement. The content in the essay’s main body may indicate the background information you need to include in the introduction. Because introductions can be so tricky, let’s look at how best to approach writing them.   

How to Write an Introduction in 5 steps:

1. Identify key words in your thesis statement.

The key words in a thesis statement identify the subject of the essay and indicate how it will be addressed in the essay. They raise questions that suggest background information to include in the essay’s introduction. Here are some examples with the key words emphasized:

I. A thesis from an essay about Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Through their unlikely friendship, George and Lennie illustrate the importance of human relationships in overcoming isolation and loneliness, a major theme in the novel.

The key words in the thesis raise these questions that suggest background information to include in an introduction:

a) In which novel do George and Lennie appear? Who wrote it? 

b) Who are George and Lennie? What are their circumstances in the novel? 

c) What is George and Lennie’s relationship? In what way is their friendship “unlikely”?

d) Why would George and Lennie be isolated and lonely without each other?

e) How are isolation and loneliness developed as a major theme in the novel?

II. A thesis from an essay about The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Over the course of the novel, Holden’s only meaningful and enduring relationship is with his younger sister, Phoebe, who saves him from total despair.

Here are some questions suggested by the key words in this thesis; the questions indicate background information to include in the essay’s introduction:

a) In which novel does Holden appear? Who wrote it? 

b) Who is Holden, and what are his circumstances in the novel? 

c) What makes Holden’s relationship with Phoebe “meaningful and enduring”?

d) What is the source of Holden’s despair?

Identifying the key words in your thesis and making a list of the questions they suggest will help you determine what specific background information to include in the introduction to the essay you intend to write. 

2. Write a few sentences of background information to include in the introduction.

Review the key words in your thesis and your list of questions suggested by the key words. Using the questions as a guide, write a few sentences that provide readers with background information in response to the questions. 

Here is an example of writing background information in response to the key-word questions for the thesis over Of Mice and Men:    

John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men depicts the lives of two homeless men, George and Lennie, as they travel on foot from place to place, looking for work in California during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Without other friends or family, George and Lennie forge an unlikely friendship. Lennie has the intellectual capacity and emotions of a child, and George takes care of him in an unforgiving world that Lennie doesn’t understand and can’t navigate. A major theme in the novel—isolation and loneliness—is developed through their relationship.

Let’s see how the questions are smoothly addressed in the passage:

a) In which novel do George and Lennie appear? Who wrote it?

  “John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men ….”

b) Who are George and Lennie? What are their circumstances in the novel?

“The novel depicts the lives of two homeless men, George and Lennie, as they travel on foot from place to place, looking for work in California during the Great Depression of the 1930s.” 

c) What is George and Lennie’s relationship? In what way is their friendship “unlikely”? 

“George and Lennie forge an unlikely friendship. Lennie has the intellectual capacity and emotions of a child, and George takes care of him in an unforgiving world that Lennie doesn’t understand and can’t navigate.” 

d) Why would George and Lennie be isolated and lonely without each other?

“Without other friends or family ….”

e) How are isolation and loneliness developed as a major theme in the novel?

A major theme in the novel—isolation and loneliness—is developed through their relationship.

This is an example of writing background information in response to the key-word questions for the thesis over The Catcher in the Rye: 

J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye addresses the challenges of adolescence through Holden Caulfield, the novel’s protagonist, growing up in mid-20th-century America. Holden is a sixteen-year-old traumatized by the death of his younger brother, Allie. After flunking out of his prep school and choosing not to go home to face his parents with the news, Holden spends three days exploring New York City. After spending time with several people in the city, Holden subsequently determines they are “phony,” like the other people in his life—except Phoebe, Holden’s little sister whom he loves and whose concern for him is innocent and authentic.

Again, let’s examine the answers the key-word questions, based on how the background information is integrated into the passage:

a) In which novel does Holden appear? Who wrote it?

The Catcher in the Rye; J.D. Salinger

b) Who is Holden, and what are his circumstances in the novel?

Holden is the novel’s protagonist, who is growing up in mid-20th-century America. He is a sixteen-year-old who has flunked out of his prep school and doesn’t want to go home to face his parents with the news; instead, he explores New York City for three days but finds only more “phony” people, like the others in his life.

c) What makes Holden’s relationship with Phoebe “meaningful and enduring”?

Holden loves Phoebe, and her concern for him is innocent and authentic.

d) What is the source of Holden’s despair?

Holden is traumatized by the death of Allie, his younger brother.

In writing background information to include in the introduction, you don’t have to respond to your key-word questions in any particular order. Keep your responses to the questions brief, and work them smoothly into the text of what will become the introductory paragraph.

3. Choose a hook to begin the introduction.

Several types of narrative hooks can be employed at the beginning of an introduction to immediately grab readers’ interest so that they will want to continue reading the essay. A hook must relate to the essay’s subject and thesis, and it should be meaningful to readers in some way. Here are some types of narrative hooks:

• An evocative description of a universal experience
• Surprising facts or statistics
• An anecdote from literature, history, or contemporary society
• A quotation from literature or from a well-known person from the past or the present.
• A song lyric 
• A reference to a literary work or a work of art

Here are two narrative hooks that would work in an introduction to the essay over Of Mice and Men:

a) A quotation from literature: 

Modernist poet e e cummings once wrote, “Came home with a smooth round stone / as small as a world and as large as alone.” The poem implies that being alone, which suggests loneliness, is more significant in life than the world itself. 

b)  A surprising statistic followed by an evocative description of a universal experience:

This year, the population of the earth reached seven billion. Ironically, as the world becomes increasingly crowded, isolation and loneliness continue to haunt the human experience.

These two narrative hooks would work in an introduction to the essay over The Catcher in the Rye:  

a) An evocative description of a universal experience

Many adults have powerful memories of adolescence—the excitement of first love, the bittersweet freedom from parents, the daily drama of trying to make one’s way through a more complicated world. For some adolescents, these challenges are made more difficult by personal tragedy.

b) A song lyric

So wake me up when it's all over / When I’m wiser and I’m older / All this time I was finding myself / And I didn’t know I was lost. This song lyric from “Wake Me Up” by Swedish musician Avicii (Tim Bergling) speaks to the emotional state experienced by many adolescents, trapped between childhood and maturity. 

Sometimes a specific example of a narrative hook for your essay will come to mind immediately as you recall something you have read, heard, experienced, or studied. If that’s not the case, however, choose the type of hook you want to use in the introduction, and do some research in a library or online to locate examples of it that would be appropriate for the subject and thesis of your essay. 

4. Draft the introduction.

You now have on paper what you need to draft an introduction to your essay: a hook, sentences of background information, and a thesis. All you need to do now is to put them together. Write the paragraph of introduction by arranging the blocks of text you have written in this order:

a) the hook to grab readers attention and create interest in the essay

b) the background information to create context for the essay

c) the thesis to state the idea that will be explained and supported in the essay 

5. Review the introduction for content and structure.

Read the draft of your introduction, keeping these questions in mind: 

• Is it organized properly with the hook first, background information second, and thesis statement last?
• Does each part of the introduction lead smoothly into the next part?
• Is it longer or shorter than one very well developed paragraph?

Edit and revise your draft as needed to make sure it is properly organized and that you have transitioned smoothly from each part to the next by adding or deleting words. If your draft is too short, add some additional details to the hook or the background information. If it is too long, delete any content that may now seem superfluous. Sometimes an introduction can consist of two opening paragraphs if the content is concise and necessary to achieve your purpose.

Bonus: Examples of Completed Introductions

Using the thesis statements and some of the blocks of text created in illustrating the first 3 steps of writing an introduction, here are two examples of how the introductions look on paper. Notice that some editing has been done to create smooth transitions between the hook, background information, and the thesis statement. The revisions are highlighted.  

An Introduction to an Essay over Of Mice and Men:

This year, the population of the earth reached seven billion. Ironically, as the world becomes increasingly crowded, isolation and loneliness continue to haunt human experience, an idea explored in John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men. The novel depicts the lives of two homeless men, George and Lennie, as they travel on foot from place to place, looking for work in California during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Without other friends or family, George and Lennie forge an unlikely friendship. Lennie has the intellectual capacity and emotions of a child, and George takes care of him in an unforgiving  world Lennie doesn’t understand and can’t navigate. A major theme in the novel—isolation and loneliness—is developed through their relationship. The unlikely friendship between George and Lennie illustrates the importance of human relationships in overcoming isolation and loneliness, a major theme in the novel.

An Introduction to an Essay over The Catcher in the Rye:

Many adults have powerful memories of adolescence—the excitement of first love, the bittersweet freedom from parents, the daily drama of trying to make one’s way through a more complicated world. For some adolescents, these challenges are made more difficult by personal tragedy. J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye addresses the challenges of adolescence through Holden Caulfield, the novel’s protagonist growing up in mid-20th-century America. Holden is a sixteen-year-old traumatized by the death of his younger brother, Allie. After flunking out of his prep school and choosing not to go home to face his parents with the news, Holden spends three days exploring New York City. After spending time with several people in the city, Holden subsequently determines they are “phony,” like the other people in his life—except Phoebe, Holden’s little sister whom he loves and whose concern for him is innocent and authentic. Over the course of the novel, Holden’s only meaningful and enduring relationship is with Phoebe, who saves him from total despair.