The introduction paragraph is the first part of your essay, and it's important to start
strong.
A great introduction grabs your reader’s interest and tells them what to expect.
You can write one in 4 steps, just keep watching!
Hi, I’m Jessica from Scribbr, here to help you achieve your academic goals.
Step 1, hook your reader
Your first sentence sets the tone for the whole essay.
This sentence is often called the “hook”, because you want to catch your reader and
reel them in!
Avoid long, dense sentences — start with something clear, concise and catchy that will
spark curiosity.
So we’re writing an essay about the history of the Braille writing system.
We want to start by saying something like:
Sure, that tells us what the essay’s about, but it’s a bit plain and boring.
Let’s try turning it into a hook:
The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability.
That’s more like it - instead of just stating our topic, we’re making a bold claim about
its place in history and linking it to relevant social themes.
The phrase “turning point” hints at the big changes we’re going to discuss, without
giving too much away just yet.
What does your introduction sentence look like?
Pique my interest in the comment below!
I’m curious!
Step 2, give background information
Next, give your reader the background they need to understand your argument.
Depending on the subject of your essay, this might include:
Describing the historical or social context Defining key terms
Introducing relevant theories or research Setting up the different sides of a debate
But don’t overdo it here - save your evidence and interpretation for the main body of the
essay.
In our Braille example, we first introduce the topic
The writing system of raised dots used by visually impaired people was developed by
Louis Braille in nineteenth-century France.
and then sketch the social context that the essay will address.
In a society that did not value disabled people in general, blindness was particularly stigmatized,
and lack of access to reading and writing was a significant barrier to social participation.
The idea of tactile reading was not entirely new, but existing methods based on sighted
systems were difficult to learn and use.
Step 3, present your thesis statement
Now it’s time to narrow your focus and show exactly what you want to say about the topic.
This is your thesis statement—a sentence or two that sums up your overall argument.
It’s the most important part of your introduction, because it defines the focus of your whole
essay.
A thesis isn’t just a statement of fact, but a claim that requires evidence and explanation.
The goal is to clearly convey your own position in a debate or your central point about a
topic, and to indicate the reasoning behind it.
So, the main point of our essay is to show why Braille was such an important invention.
The thesis statement sums up the two stages of our argument - the innovation of a writing
system made for blind people, and the social changes it facilitated:
As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking
new accessibility tool.
It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of
blindness.
More about thesis stat ements in our next video on this playlist, but don't head on
over just yet..
We got 1 more step to go!
Step 4, map your essay's structure
Particularly in longer essays, it’s helpful to end the introduction by signposting what
will be covered in each part.
Keep it concise and give your reader a clear sense of the direction your argument will
take.
In our example, we map out the three main parts of the essay: the pre-Braille situation,
the development of the invention, and the consequences.
This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe.
It then describes the development of Braille and its gradual acceptance within blind education.
Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people’s
social and cultural lives.
By the way, even though the introduction comes at the start of your essay, you don’t have
to write it first - if you’re stuck, feel free to work on the rest of the essay and
come back to it later.
Just make sure you’ve got your thesis statement to guide you - click this video next to learn
how to write a strong one!
I'll see you there!