How to start an essay

How to Start an Essay: Quick and Simple Tips to Start a Great Essay

How to start an essay? Writing an essay is a time consuming and often times difficult task which requires a lot of attention. Getting off to a good start on your essay can give a good first impression to the reader as well as set the tone for the entire piece of writing. But how do you start an essay in the correct way? In this article, we are going to be looking at some tips on how to start an essay which will give you the confidence to get off on the right foot.

Table of Contents

How to Start an Essay

Of course, the most important thing when beginning your essay is to select a good topic. You will likely have been given an essay prompt or an essay question but then choosing the topic and theme is completely up to your imagination. It is important to choose something that you have a passion about and can easily write about. Once you have done this and made the necessary preparations, you can begin writing. But where do we start?

Preparation

No essay can be started without good planning and therefore it is important that once you have chosen your topic, you spend a good deal of time outlining your ideas and coming up with a detailed plan of what you are going to write. You should also perform any research at this point and record any relevant data or statistics which you wish to include in your writing.

Essay Introduction

The start of your essay should immediately grab the attention of the reader and cause them to want to continue reading. There are various ways in which you can do this and we are going to take a look at these in a little more detail now.

Include A Thesis Statement

The first few lines of your essay should detail the thesis statement. This should briefly outline the question posed and a summarised answer of your take on it. It does not need to be detailed at all but should engage the reader and give them a good idea of what the essay is going to be about. An example of a good thesis statement can be seen below:

“Homeschooling can be of much more benefit to children because they are able to spend time in a familiar environment which is much more conducive to learning and will help them to more easily retain learned information.”

You can see that the above thesis statement clearly outlines the topic of the essay as well as the author’s point of view, giving you an understanding of what will be discussed.

Ask A Question

A good way to engage the reader is to ask a question within your introduction. This might be a question which is left unanswered or it may be one which you go on to explain. Following on from the thesis statement that we have just read, here is an example of a question and answer which could come next.

“Why would a parent choose to stay home and teach their child over sending them to school? The simple answer is that the parent has more control over what the child is learning and how that information is delivered. Not only this but the parent has the opportunity to spend more one on one time with the child which would be greatly lacking if the child were to attend a traditional school setting.”

Include Some Interesting Facts Or Data

If you want to get the reader onside, it is important to show them from the get go that your writing is made up from reliable sources and with credible data. A great way to do this, as well as to get the reader’s attention is to state some facts or statistics about the subject you are writing on. Let’s take a look at an example of what you might write.

“In the United States, 3.3% of children are taught at home. This may come as a surprise, but what is even more surprising is that the majority of these children come from poorer families. But what is the reason for this? Could it be that parents who are unemployed are keeping their children at home as a way to give themselves a purpose?”

You might notice that within this paragraph, we have also included a question, giving the reader something else to consider and perhaps encourage them to look further into the subject for themselves.

Talk About A Personal Experience

If you are looking for a way to engage the reader on a more personal level, you might consider beginning your essay with an anecdote, a story or an observation you have made. This will not only make the piece of writing more personal to you but will also add some of your own personality into it. We are now going to take a look at an example of what you might write.

“My younger cousin was homeschooled from the age of 7. I remember a great feeling of envy as a child that he could take field trips in his own back yard or spend time with his father at the same time as learning the history of America. As a child, the idea of being taught at home was highly appealing and I still believe that I would have benefited from it more than I did attending school.”

How To Start An Essay Quick Tips

If you are looking for some quick advice on starting your essay, these quick tips will give you a good footing.

Conclusion

When you begin to write an essay there are a few key points to remember. The main point is that the start of your essay should be appealing and clearly detail what is going to be discussed.

How to Begin an Essay: 13 Engaging Strategies

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An effective introductory paragraph both informs and motivates. It lets readers know what your essay is about and it encourages them to keep reading.

There are countless ways to begin an essay effectively. As a start, here are 13 introductory strategies accompanied by examples from a wide range of professional writers.

State Your Thesis Briefly and Directly

But avoid making your thesis a bald announcement, such as «This essay is about. «.

«It is time, at last, to speak the truth about Thanksgiving, and the truth is this. Thanksgiving is really not such a terrific holiday. » (Michael J. Arlen, «Ode to Thanksgiving.» The Camera Age: Essays on Television. Penguin, 1982)

Pose a Question Related to Your Subject

Follow up the question with an answer, or an invitation for your readers to answer the question.

«What is the charm of necklaces? Why would anyone put something extra around their neck and then invest it with special significance? A necklace doesn’t afford warmth in cold weather, like a scarf, or protection in combat, like chain mail; it only decorates. We might say, it borrows meaning from what it surrounds and sets off, the head with its supremely important material contents, and the face, that register of the soul. When photographers discuss the way in which a photograph reduces the reality it represents, they mention not only the passage from three dimensions to two, but also the selection of a point de vue that favors the top of the body rather than the bottom, and the front rather than the back. The face is the jewel in the crown of the body, and so we give it a setting.» (Emily R. Grosholz, «On Necklaces.» Prairie Schooner, Summer 2007)

State an Interesting Fact About Your Subject

«The peregrine falcon was brought back from the brink of extinction by a ban on DDT, but also by a peregrine falcon mating hat invented by an ornithologist at Cornell University. If you cannot buy this, Google it. Female falcons had grown dangerously scarce. A few wistful males nevertheless maintained a sort of sexual loitering ground. The hat was imagined, constructed, and then forthrightly worn by the ornithologist as he patrolled this loitering ground, singing, Chee-up! Chee-up! and bowing like an overpolite Japanese Buddhist trying to tell somebody goodbye. » (David James Duncan, «Cherish This Ecstasy.» The Sun, July 2008)

Present Your Thesis as a Recent Discovery or Revelation

«I’ve finally figured out the difference between neat people and sloppy people. The distinction is, as always, moral. Neat people are lazier and meaner than sloppy people.» (Suzanne Britt Jordan, «Neat People vs. Sloppy People.» Show and Tell. Morning Owl Press, 1983)

Briefly Describe the Primary Setting of Your Essay

«It was in Burma, a sodden morning of the rains. A sickly light, like yellow tinfoil, was slanting over the high walls into the jail yard. We were waiting outside the condemned cells, a row of sheds fronted with double bars, like small animal cages. Each cell measured about ten feet by ten and was quite bare within except for a plank bed and a pot of drinking water. In some of them brown silent men were squatting at the inner bars, with their blankets draped round them. These were the condemned men, due to be hanged within the next week or two.» (George Orwell, «A Hanging,» 1931)

Recount an Incident That Dramatizes Your Subject

«One October afternoon three years ago while I was visiting my parents, my mother made a request I dreaded and longed to fulfill. She had just poured me a cup of Earl Grey from her Japanese iron teapot, shaped like a little pumpkin; outside, two cardinals splashed in the birdbath in the weak Connecticut sunlight. Her white hair was gathered at the nape of her neck, and her voice was low. “Please help me get Jeff’s pacemaker turned off,” she said, using my father’s first name. I nodded, and my heart knocked.» (Katy Butler, «What Broke My Father’s Heart.» The New York Times Magazine, June 18, 2010)

Use the Narrative Strategy of Delay

The narrative strategy of delay allows you to put off identifying your subject just long enough to pique your readers’ interest without frustrating them.

«They woof. Though I have photographed them before, I have never heard them speak, for they are mostly silent birds. Lacking a syrinx, the avian equivalent of the human larynx, they are incapable of song. According to field guides the only sounds they make are grunts and hisses, though the Hawk Conservancy in the United Kingdom reports that adults may utter a croaking coo and that young black vultures, when annoyed, emit a kind of immature snarl. » (Lee Zacharias, «Buzzards.» Southern Humanities Review, 2007)

Use the Historical Present Tense

An effective method of beginning an essay is to use historical present tense to relate an incident from the past as if it were happening now.

«Ben and I are sitting side by side in the very back of his mother’s station wagon. We face glowing white headlights of cars following us, our sneakers pressed against the back hatch door. This is our joy—his and mine—to sit turned away from our moms and dads in this place that feels like a secret, as though they are not even in the car with us. They have just taken us out to dinner, and now we are driving home. Years from this evening, I won’t actually be sure that this boy sitting beside me is named Ben. But that doesn’t matter tonight. What I know for certain right now is that I love him, and I need to tell him this fact before we return to our separate houses, next door to each other. We are both five.» (Ryan Van Meter, «First.» The Gettysburg Review, Winter 2008)

Briefly Describe a Process That Leads Into Your Subject

«I like to take my time when I pronounce someone dead. The bare-minimum requirement is one minute with a stethoscope pressed to someone’s chest, listening for a sound that is not there; with my fingers bearing down on the side of someone’s neck, feeling for an absent pulse; with a flashlight beamed into someone’s fixed and dilated pupils, waiting for the constriction that will not come. If I’m in a hurry, I can do all of these in sixty seconds, but when I have the time, I like to take a minute with each task.» (Jane Churchon, «The Dead Book.» The Sun, February 2009)

Reveal a Secret or Make a Candid Observation

«I spy on my patients. Ought not a doctor to observe his patients by any means and from any stance, that he might the more fully assemble evidence? So I stand in doorways of hospital rooms and gaze. Oh, it is not all that furtive an act. Those in bed need only look up to discover me. But they never do.» (Richard Selzer, «The Discus Thrower.» Confessions of a Knife. Simon & Schuster, 1979)

Open with a Riddle, Joke, or Humorous Quotation

You can use a riddle, joke, or humorous quotation to reveal something about your subject.

«Q: What did Eve say to Adam on being expelled from the Garden of Eden? A: ‘I think we’re in a time of transition.’ The irony of this joke is not lost as we begin a new century and anxieties about social change seem rife. The implication of this message, covering the first of many periods of transition, is that change is normal; there is, in fact, no era or society in which change is not a permanent feature of the social landscape. » (Betty G. Farrell, Family: The Making of an Idea, an Institution, and a Controversy in American Culture. Westview Press, 1999)

Offer a Contrast Between Past and Present

«As a child, I was made to look out the window of a moving car and appreciate the beautiful scenery, with the result that now I don’t care much for nature. I prefer parks, ones with radios going chuckawaka chuckawaka and the delicious whiff of bratwurst and cigarette smoke.» (Garrison Keillor, «Walking Down The Canyon.» Time, July 31, 2000)

Offer a Contrast Between Image and Reality

A compelling essay can begin with a contrast between a common misconception and the opposing truth.

«They aren’t what most people think they are. Human eyes, touted as ethereal objects by poets and novelists throughout history, are nothing more than white spheres, somewhat larger than your average marble, covered by a leather-like tissue known as sclera and filled with nature’s facsimile of Jell-O. Your beloved’s eyes may pierce your heart, but in all likelihood they closely resemble the eyes of every other person on the planet. At least I hope they do, for otherwise he or she suffers from severe myopia (near-sightedness), hyperopia (far-sightedness), or worse. » (John Gamel, «The Elegant Eye.» Alaska Quarterly Review, 2009)

How to Start an Essay

Essay introduction is the most important part, a determinant for readers of whether they are going to read it till the end. That is why every student should know how to start an essay. There is no universal introduction template but many teachers and scholars suggest open an essay with a hook followed by background info that concerns the main idea to bring readers up-to-date. Then mention why topic under discussion is so crucial and finish with an arguable thesis statement.

Begin with Understanding of Essay Basics

If you’ve spent any amount of time around anyone over the age of forty, you’ve likely heard the phrase ‘there is more than one way to skin a cat’, meaning that there are many ways to achieve a certain goal. Same ideology may be applied to writing an essay. In fact, there are over a dozen different types of essays, most of which can be grouped into these major categories:

Just as there are multiple essay kinds, there are also multiple ways and steps to complete an essay. Hamburger essay structure is used very often. Depicted in hamburger format, concluding paragraph is simply a reiteration of introductory statement. The most pertinent information is placed in body section. Think of introduction and conclusion as of hamburger buns and meat of the burger represents crucial facts and statements found in body paragraphs.

Good Ways to Start an Essay

Prior to starting an essay, it’s necessary to create an outline as a roadmap of what you’ll write about. It helps not only stay on topic and organize thoughts but also ensure that they are touching on all of key elements and follow the right intent in delivering their message.

Here is an example of an essay outline:

As soon as you grab an idea of it, you may continue reading about how to begin an essay.

Develop Your Essay Right

Now that you’ve determined your topic and key points, it’s high time to create your essay. It might surprise that when it comes to essays and other academic papers, it may actually be a benefit – writing body before starting with an introduction. Why so? It allows developing a better grasp of content, supporting facts, create an introduction that strengthens argument and peaks readers’ interest, drawing them to the body of paper. Also, consider starting an essay way before your deadline so that there is more time for composing and revising everything. If you are not sure that you’ll cope on time or whether completed outline is correct, just ask a professional for help. There exists a professional college essay writing service that is always ready to assist students.

Essay Introduction With Ease

Purpose of an introduction is to grab readers’ attention and lays groundwork for an upcoming argument. A solid introduction should be viewed as a first impression that is significant. Consider an introduction that is riddled with misspelled words or that is a jumbled mess of disorganized information – no one would like to read it. Objective of introductory paragraph is not only to engage audience but also present viewpoint or argument on discussion topic. Here is the best way to structure an introduction:

Final sentence should help guide readers into the first body part. Most introductory paragraphs should be no longer than three or four sentences. Here you can find a guide on how to write research paper, follow requirements to achieve better results.

Introduction Writing Strategies You Should Know

There are several ways of how to start off an essay and complete an introduction. All of them are different and it’s up to you which strategy to choose and successfully implement in your text. You may try each of them and then select that very one that works the best for you and your writing style.

How to Start the Body Paragraphs

As mentioned earlier, essay’s body serves as ‘meat’ of burger and exists for clarification and support of thesis. Ideally, it consists of three paragraphs, the first paragraph should support the strongest argument. The first sentence is called topic sentence. It should provide an argument to underpin thesis and give brief description of paragraph. Then, provide evidence, from an outside source. It can be direct quote or paraphrased info but do not forget to indicate the source. Once this has been done, illustrate why exactly this particular example proves the point that you are making in your thesis. The merit of this step cannot be overlooked – this is, for all intents and purposes, why you have offered an example to start with. Interpret this evidence, explain how they are significant for your argument, how they help support your point. Finally, add paragraph with concluding sentence, summarize topic idea of paragraph.

Other paragraphs should follow the same pattern. Deliver five relevant facts about subject that clearly explain why they are crucial. Move along from the second most important to the third or least important in the second and third body paragraphs. Transitional phrases such as ‘furthermore’ or ‘in contrast’ can be used show where one paragraph, or section, ends and where the next starts. This can be helpful when introducing new sets of ideas. Essentially, they direct reader from one section to the next. But, if you really need excellent paper and cannot deal with writing on your own, do not hesitate and use Academic Essay Writing Service.

How to Start a Conclusion in an Essay

Just because conclusion, or closing statement, is at the end of paper that does not mean that it should be viewed as ‘the end’. Closing statement represents your final opportunity to prove your point and, as such, should follow a highly methodical format. More often, conclusion is reiteration of opening statement because it contains the same information. It’s easy to get carried away when writing closing remarks, ideally, conclusion should be no longer than four sentences. Remember to start concluding sentence with a transition phrase such as ‘in conclusion’ or ‘in summation’ to relate it to the hook that was used to bait reader in the opening paragraph. Next, tie everything up by restating your thesis.

Since you may have your thesis already restated four or five times, be cautious not to repeat it verbatim. Instead, use a variety of verbiage to deliver the same message but in a different format. Repeating thesis will help not only reinforce an argument but also serves as a lead into the next element of a conclusion paragraph – a brief two or three-word highlight of chief facts taken from body.

Having nearly completed conclusion, the final step is to create a ‘call to action’ that not only tells readers that argument has concluded but also leaves them with something to ponder. If you still struggle with assignments, choose a cheap essay writer and receive papers of the highest quality.

Essay Writing Tips

Now that you know how to start off an essay, check these useful tips. They’ll help make an outstanding paper and receive high grades.

Essay Introduction Examples

Given how many different essay formats there exist, understanding the best way to start your writing is key. Here is an overview of three different kinds of essays and the best structure for each.

Argumentative Essay

The argument requires author to deploy writing structure that allows them successfully argue that their stance on a controversial issue or topic is the right one. If you were working on this essay type, start by picking a topic that you can easily argue, investigate all possible reasons that are for or against an issue. Decide which position you will take, research and compile as much supporting evidence as possible and start working on your intro.

An Essay About Yourself

Writing about yourself is not as easy as it sounds. You would think you could call upon your achievements or experiences and simply start writing, but there is more to it. Start by making a list of your strengths and weaknesses; be they mental, physical, spiritual or even emotional and any special talents or qualities you may have, people you adore – all things that make you confident.

Next you should decide which format is best suited. More often five-paragraph essay will suffice. In a five-paragraph essay, there is an introduction paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. You should always check the uniqueness of your text using our free plagiarism checker.

Examples of Hooks

Here are some basic hook examples that you can use for inspiration while working on your own paper:

How to Start a Paragraph

When starting a new paragraph, it is helpful to use words or phrases for transition to alert readers that one point has ended and another has begun.

Examples of transition words are:

Learning how to start a paper is not hard. Pick your topic, research a few great introduction examples and get started! With the help of this guide, you will definitely succeed! Want a more perfect paper? Look through these essay writing services reviews from experts.

How To Start a College Essay: 9 Effective Techniques

This post was co-written by me (Ethan) and Luci Jones (Brown University, CO ‘23).

In anything you do, there’s a special, pivotal moment.

I don’t mean the moment when inspiration strikes or the last brushstroke is painted or the audience oohs and ahs over the final product. The point in time we’re talking about here is the Moment When You Do The Darn Thing (DTDT for short). It’s when you get off the couch, stop binging Netflix, and take action. It’s when you put pencil to paper, fingers to keyboard, or *insert whatever other analogy feels applicable here.*

For many, getting started is the hardest part of anything. And that’s understandable. First, because it turns whatever you’re doing into a reality, which raises the stakes. Second, because where you start can easily dictate the quality of where you end up.

College essays have their own special brand of DTDT. Knowing how to begin a college essay is daunting. It can be hard to write an engaging, authentic opener. But without an interesting hook, you risk getting lost in a vast sea of applications. To this end, we’ve put together some techniques about how to start a college essay to make your DTDT moment a little smoother and a little less stressful.

I say “probably” because I’m about to share a few overused techniques that I don’t recommend. Having said that, it is possible to pull them off—they’re just really hard to do well.

The Overly Grand Ambiguous Statement: From a distance, it might seem nice to talk about why all of humankind has felt some type of way for as long as history has existed. (Examples: “Many great thinkers have existed in our nation’s history” or “The key to a successful endeavor is perseverance.”) But these kinds of overly generalized or impersonal grand statements get lost easily in the crowd because they don’t tell the reader much about you. And without a connection to you, there’s not much reason for them to continue reading.

Going Meta: As cool as it may seem to demonstrate to your audience that you are aware of how you’re writing your essay in the moment you’re writing it, it’s less cool to college admissions officers who read meta stuff like that all the time. There are other, more subtle ways to demonstrate self-awareness in your intro rather than to open your essay with some variation of, “I stare at the blank screen. ” or, worse, “When I was asked to write this personal statement, at first I wasn’t sure how to begin.” Note that the meta essay can sometimes work (you’ll see a couple examples below), but has a higher degree of difficulty.

The Quote: While quoting famous people who have said something cool in the past may seem like an appealing way to start your essay, remember that colleges want to hear YOUR thoughts. Don’t use the words of another person to stand in for your own opinions or insights. You have cool things to say. It may just take a little while to discover what those things are.

The Too-Obvious Thesis That Spoils the Ending of the Movie (i.e. Your Essay): What if Avengers: Infinity War had opened with a voiceover from the director saying, “This is a film about how Thanos collects all the infinity stones and destroys half the population.” (Aaaaaand this is your too-late spoiler alert. Sorry. But don’t worry, they go back in time and undo it in Endgame. Oh, also spoiler.) That would’ve sucked. That’s what it feels like, though, if you start your essay with something like, “I want to be a veterinarian because I care about animals and the environment.” I read a sentence like that and I go, “Cool, thanks, now I can save myself the three minutes it would’ve taken to read the essay. Thank you, next.” While you may want to have that sentence in mind so you know what you’re trying to get across (this is called a logline), just don’t give away the whole thing. Instead, start your essay with something to pique our interest. How? We’re about to share 9 ways.

Want to read a few more college essay tips? Check out this huge list from admissions experts.

How To Start An Essay: Examples For All Essay Types

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You may know exactly how you’ll approach your essay assignment, from your research to detailing interesting facts and figures and perhaps include some charts in an effort to get a good grade. But many students aren’t sure how to write an essay introduction. The beginning of an essay is instrumental in getting your work noticed and most importantly, earning a high grade.

Without a strong beginning, all your hard work could be in vain. So instead of putting it all at risk, we’ve included a guide to get you started – Literally. Our tips from professional writers will build your confidence in putting pen to paper. So read on to find these secrets to starting an essay.

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How To Write Introduction Paragraph For An Essay

The first paragraph of an essay can make or break your great so be sure to put much thought into each part. First, there are a few ways to open an essay. The main idea is to develop a good hook to have your audience asking for more. If you need to know how to write a good hook, take a look at our essay writing tips and state an interesting fact or ask a question that’s on everyone’s mind. Once you’ve accomplished this you want to give some background information to further involve the reader in your topic. Finally, once they are informed about what you’re writing about, you can put a quality thesis statement that gives purpose to your paper.

Examples On How To Start An Essay

You can apply this basic template according to any academic essay. In the following, we’ll give you some ideas of opening lines for many popular homework assignments you may come across. Use our essay writing tips and put yourself in the readers’ seat. Lead off with some valuable information or a quotation that respects your target audience’s time and they are sure to take an interest in your work. So let’s look at some examples of lead-ins for common papers.

Argumentative essay

In an argumentative essay, you need to convince the audience you are right on a hot essay topic. These papers can be familiar with political topics such as Roe vs Wade or your position on gun control. They can involve complicated subject matter such as testing mechanisms in an analytical essay.

Opinion essay

An opinion essay is just that, a point of view on a particular topic. Often times you’ll find these topics can be debated either way without a concrete answer. You can have some fun with these topics by merely finding a never-ending pool of points to throw into the paper. Just be sure to backup your points with reasons and data to avoid a low grade.

Persuasive essay

The world is full of skeptics and what better way to show them the truth than to write a compelling paper showing them why a particular theory is correct. These papers will teach critical skills to build your emotional intelligence. Particularly if you need to know how to start an analysis essay, you’ll need to gauge your audience to find the best strategy to appeal to their rationale mechanisms. In this case, we’ll begin an essay with a question to persuade the audience of the need to promote a clean environment.

Stuck with finding the right title?

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Essay about yourself

Writing essay about yourself is never easy. You may be a bit shy or uncomfortable disclosing your personal life to others. Also, it’s hard to find the right tone to not come off as bragging and to be objective about your own experiences. But such tasks are very common, particularly when finding a job or entering university (see application essay below). Also, be sure to make yourself interesting without sounding like a megalomaniac. One piece of advice is to turn the focus on how another individual had an influence on you. In this case, we’ll demonstrate writing about yourself and how to start off a quote in an essay.

Expository essay

Your goal in an expository essay is to give further clarification on a particular issue. This could be a follow-up on another’s work that wasn’t as clear or to give comments on an investigation of a case study. With these papers, you want to ensure you first ask yourself what questions people may have and provide a succinct answer to fill in the gaps. An example of good essay beginnings for this task could be as follows:

Compare and contrast essay

A popular topic in university is when you have to examine two subjects and detail how they are similar or different. These papers illustrate a student’s ability to analyze data and research details to come to conclusions. So if you are wondering how to start a compare and contrast essay being a bit controversial in the beginning may help. In our example we can begin with a common argument we can see anywhere in our daily lives.

Essay for scholarship

We all know the financial burdens college tuition brings. In fact, it can ruin a student if they fail to do well with their studies as they may not find a good job after leaving college. A word of the wise is if your grades are in jeopardy, enlist the help of custom essay writing services to protect the investment in your future. Applying for a scholarship is also a prudent move to reduce costs. These essays can vary in topic and are typically one page in length. The key is to demonstrate you will be successful in college so the sponsor has confidence in helping you succeed. Let’s take an example for an essay on how education is important in the world.

Application essay

Universities include an essay as part of the application kit to not only get an idea if you can write but to get some inside information about yourself. This is often in the form of a personal statement and typically takes the form of an English Essay. Here you want to hammer away that you are ready for higher education and you’ll apply yourself to do good in the world. It’s not easy to differentiate yourself from the pack which is why a strong lead-in is vital.

Informal essay

A pitfall many students fall into is that they don’t take these seriously. In fact, you may start laughing when your teacher gives some example topics to write about. The idea of this work is to be fun and allow students to show their creative sides. But be creative in an educated way. Be sure to include facts and reasoning and not just random words on paper for the sake of reaction.

Build your thesis statement

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Do and Don’t For a Good Essay Beginning

Writing a good intro isn’t rocket science but it is a skill that can always be developed. Professional academics recommend drafting a few intros to your work and selecting the one you like best. You can rework the passage, adding and rewording parts to give it strength.

Another tip is to ask your friends their opinion. Get some honest advice to see if they are interested in what would follow. In the beginning, be sure to be on point. Try not to water down your meaning with unnecessary details and always be serious. If your paper comes across as comedy, you won’t be laughing when you get your grade.

How To Start Each Part Of The Essay

So taking in this information, along with the examples of how to begin an essay examples let’s look at your paper as a whole. After all, the beginning is the start of something that must be consistent throughout your work. We’ve laid out some basic essay writing tips to put together a standard 5 paragraph essay. Follow this guide, and at the end, remember to review your work to spot any typos or mistakes.

How to start an essay introduction

The easiest way to write an essay introduction is to do it last. Once you finish with your body you can make a powerful start to your text as you’d have a better understanding of the main points you hit on best. Begin with a quote or fact and follow up with a catchy phrase to work as a hook. Then you are ready to place the thesis statement for the reader to keep in mind as they go through your work.

Write the second paragraph

On longer papers, you may have a multiple-paragraph introduction to set up the paper. In the second paragraph, you build off the thesis statement and supply some background information or common questions that exist around your topic. Be sure they are relevant and will be answered later in your work.

Starting essay body paragraph

Your transition into the body is important to maintain the flow of the paper. Hopefully, by now your audience is captivated and hungry to know more. Depending on the paper it’s time to state your research or show your teacher you understand the topic. You want to give your most important findings first. But don’t cram in all the interesting details at once or the rest of your paper may get boring. Structure your paper in a cycle of ups and downs alternating between interesting facts and mundane details which are important.

How to start a conclusion for an essay

In your conclusion, you need to re-engage the reader as they’ve likely forgotten some key elements by now. Write in a brief summary of the takeaways of your work and why it’s important. If your paper requires any type of decision you want to state it clearly so whoever reads your paper knows your perspective. You may also encourage the readers to take action or to further investigate areas that were beyond the scope of your work.

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