How to write an essay's opening text (with photos) - tips

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The opening of your essay will serve as a reader guide map. It should provide the necessary background or information relevant to the context of the topic you choose, as well as present your thesis. A good introduction will highlight the 'what', 'why', and 'how' elements of the topic: Your essay is about What's the problem? Why Is it important or useful? You will argue for your argument how? It might seem intimidating at first, but with a little preparation and effort, you should be able to write a great opening.

Steps

Part 1 of 4: Build a concise introduction

Start with an example. Before we go into the details of an important issue in your essay's opening paragraph, it might be helpful to look at a few examples:
- Literary essay: "Anyone who reads Bram Stoker's Dracula story today will be well aware of the element that was often present in the little snow about vampires millions of years ago: garlic, mirrors, bats, powerful bad guys, cunning. The novel also arouses the myth of vampires, and the popularity of the threat posed by vampires makes this common element appear abused. excessive and unconventional - part of the general rule of mythology.However, to this day, Dracula is still pretty frightening.We can stop skepticism because we are ready to act ; we are holding a true copy of the events that Mina wrote, led by Dr. Seward's superstition, we must also begin to believe. He immerses the reader in the character and bound them in a strange world, where science and superstition are closely related. In this way, Stoker composed a modern novel, e to work Dracula remains forever in terror and fresh to this day because we are not sure if it is true. In the end, our main character is still the "old" book.
Engage readers with sentences. You can use short anecdotes, surprise data, humorous words, or quotes. They should be used to draw the reader's attention to the essay, not to tell the whole story. They can be quite broadly related to your article, not around a specific element. You can consider a few more examples below for good guiding sentences:
- Literary essay: "Anyone who reads Bram Stoker's Dracula story today will be well aware of the element that was often present in the little snow about vampires millions of years ago: garlic, mirrors, bats, powerful bad guys, cunning. sly and seductive ".
- Research Essay: "According to Max Weber, one of the most influential developments in the Modern West has been to" undo the confusion "of the world - of course, the world has changed dramatically. Attention from the period of the "medieval Greek gods or witches".
- Personal Essay: ’Star Wars: Counterattack Empire has changed my life, but like every other moment in a child's life, I'm too young to recognize it. "
Provide context for your argument. Engage readers with some information that does not appear in the article, but relevant to it so they can understand your point. It could be historical context, related document / research paper, or some practical data to set the "mood".
- Literary essay: "The novel also sparked mythology about vampires, and the popularity of the threat posed by vampires made this common element look overused and unreasonable. unique - part of the general rule of mythology. However, to this day, Dracula is still quite frightening, appearing quite a lot in movies, TV, and books.
- Research Essay: "But are the West moving towards rationalism, are they really eliminating mystery and magic, or are things just on the surface? The West is not on the way. move towards rationality as Weber says, even though it looks like they're looking forward to it. "
- Personal Essay: "I insisted on buying every VHS tapes every time they were released while collecting all the character models, comics, and games I could afford. One day, in an obsession of age. young, I walked downstairs and announced to my parents that I wanted to "be George Lucas" when I was growing up. In other words, I wanted to be a professional storyteller. "
Review the article's structure. This is exactly why some people write the final opening, but this isn't really necessary if you have an outline. You should have a short, concise route for your argument. You don't need to review each paragraph, but you should provide a general idea and direction of the argument you will present.
- Literary essay: "We can stop skepticism because we are getting ready to act; we are holding true copies of the events that Mina has written, led by Dr. Seward's superstition, they We must also begin to believe. He immerses readers in characters and binds them in a strange world where science and superstition are closely related. "
- Research Essay: "Since 1830, intellectual history has had moments of rationality, Weber's linguistic moments, but overall tendencies have gone in a detour; slow, weak progression of master. the absurd meaning culminates in the philosopher Nietzsche and dissolves in the denial of postmodernism ".
- Personal Essay: "Complex, fictitious metaphor has been with humanity for many years, but what factors make people create it, or spend money to learn about it in school? Storytelling will help people achieve success?" What comes up in a world filled with problems and dread? And why would someone want to make a living by doing this? "
Build a unique, controversial argument. Thesis is the heart of the whole essay. It is your argument or focus. Remember that your best argument is specific, can be justified, and noteworthy. They will give your readers a reason to continue reading your essay.
- Literary essay: "Stoker has drafted up a modern novel, to the work Dracula remains in awe and freshness to this day because we are not sure if it is true.
- Research Essay: "Over the past 180 years, there have been deliberate attempts at unraveling the world's support for rationalism, but a close examination of these arguments shows that the tendency to obey it destroying yourself in almost every respect.
- Personal Essay: "However, the last question of why" why write a novel "is more important than any answer. Storytelling revolves around asking questions, exploring unanswered issues of mankind, and using the endless human imagination to clarify the best and worst experiences of our lives.
Add transitions to your opening paragraph to wrap things up. Sometimes your thesis will be the last sentence, and the transition will be quite natural. But it doesn't have to be the last sentence. A short, easy-to-understand sentence is a great way to initiate your argument and keep your reader's attention.
- Literary essay: "In the end, our main character is still the" old "book.
- Research Essay:In general, this is not a problem because the research presentation (history or science) is more important.
- Personal Essay: "But how did the narratives make this clear?"
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Part 2 of 4: Prepare to write your introduction

Think about the "key idea" of your topic. If you are writing an opening, you probably already know the topic and issue you want to discuss (If not, you'll need to go back and do this before trying to write your introduction!). A good essay will have a "main idea," or a way to present reason or information to the reader. You should think about the questions the essay raises and why it matters.
- You need to have your thesis ready before you start writing your essay. Last minute opener writing is also helpful, after you've finished your essay, so that you can clearly identify the argument you need to provide.
- Remember that the argument IS an assertion, not an actual data or an observation. It has its own place; The other person will have to argue to show approval or protest to the argument you made in your argument. For example: “Because of the humiliating and immoral influence it has on African-American slaves, blacking is often used as a means of enforcing racism rather than weakness. the humor in comedy, ”and“ Science is seriously asking whether comets, not asteroids, were the cause of the dinosaur extinction ”, are both. present thesis. The first one is for the analytical essay, the second is for the informational essay.
Consider your audience. Readers include your teacher or professor, but you should also consider the reader as a whole. What information do you need to present in order for your argument or discussion to be useful? Should you present any background information? Do you need to define any terms? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you gain insight into the information you need to add in your introduction.
- Remember that the reader may already know some information, and that they want to get to know the "focus" of the essay as soon as possible. Avoid opening articles with general or too broad statements like "People love to learn" or "Throughout history, people have written many poems". They won't do your argument any good, nor will they help the reader.
Think about the "sentence". Your first sentence should appeal to the reader, causing them to want to learn more about your essay because they are attracted, curious, or even angry. Opening your essay with a catchy or provocative statement can be helpful, but don't go too far from the overall purpose of the essay. Examine a few different types of coaching statements, and choose the one that works best for you.
- You can leverage interesting facts or statistics to surprise your readers. Of course, you have to give factual information relevant to the issue you're talking about, but this is not the time for you to present elements that you will use as evidence in the body. Instead, write about them in such a way that they draw your readers' attention and let them know about the issue you are about to discuss. For example: "Although we often see social media as a youth game, the fastest growing number of Twitter customers is those aged 55-64." This statistic will contradict the expectations that many readers have and could form debates about the importance of internet access for older people (for example).
- Your sentence can also be some anecdote. If you're writing a less formal essay, consider starting with a relevant, humorous, or touching story. This method will provide context and allow the reader to learn a little more about you, the character or thing you're writing about. Example: “A man in a black suit approaches Sergei Filin while he is on his way home on a cold Moscow morning. Hiding his hand behind his back, the man in black muttered a certain threat. Before Filin knew it, he was lying on the ground, throwing snow on his face, his skin on fire. Filin has been hit with acid ”.
- Occasionally, your question may come up in the form of a question. This method is especially effective if you're writing convincing essays. Using questions to entice readers is very reasonable and quite provocative. Example: “What would you do if you could become God in a day? This is also the question that the little head of Guam is trying to answer.
- Quotations can also be used as a guide, but be careful: this is a rather boring opening method, and many readers may view it as laziness rather than creativity. It's best to start writing with your own words, instead of borrowing from others.
- Avoid opening with a “Dictionary defines ____ as”. It won't help you add information to the essay and is often pretty useless (everyone knows what the dictionary defines love / war / peace / ice cream like).
Outline. Planning an outline can be very helpful, especially if you want to give out a lot of information. The outline will tell you about the "problem-building" method of your introduction before making your argument.
- After the sentence, you will have to add some information relevant to the topic. Write about anything that will help the reader understand what you are discussing. For example, the essay on whether the state should further subsidize agriculture needs to include some information about the crops to grow in the area you are describing, as well as the challenge the farmer must face to face.
- You can also provide information on the topics your reader will need to understand your argument. For example, if you are writing an analysis of Shakespeare's play, you should give a summary brief about the content of the play and the main character.
- End the sentence to show thesis. This is when you should state your argument or topic if it is an informative essay. If you don't know how to write essay statements, you can check out other articles in our column.
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Part 3 of 4: Build structure for your preamble

Begin with the sentence. Once you have determined the type of sentence that best suits your essay, use it to start the essay. Some sort of guide line cannot stand alone, or otherwise it becomes useless. Some sentences need an explanation. In particular, quotes and questions will often require an explanation. The interpretation of your quote can affect the strength and reasonableness of your argument.
- For example:
  - The verse: "How often did you walk past a certain building and wonder what it looked like 100 years ago?"
  - Explanation: “Technology has allowed us to send people to the moon, develop vaccines for diseases like polio, and - today - help us probe the depths of history to find immediate suggestions. for the architecture that people used in the past ”.
Add background information. Once you have defined the scope that your readers want to explore while preparing to write, you should add this information to your introduction.
- Take the above point as an example: “Because of the humiliating and immoral influence it has on African-American slaves, blacking is often used as a means of enforcing discrimination. Race rather than the element of humor in comedy ”.
- This argument should be established by an introduction to the relevant background information. The opening must give a brief explanation of the definition of the performance that the performer will have a black face, the time and place of the event, and the thoughts of some scholars about it.
Present your thesis. Usually, your thesis statement will be the last sentence of the first paragraph. Unless you are instructed to the contrary, you should adhere to this trustworthy structure.
- However, for long or complex essays, you should develop a roadmap, or create a brief outline for your argument. This doesn't mean you need to write down all the details of your essay in the opening. Just talk briefly about the main idea of the essay.
- For example, you should sketch out a few arguments in your mind when writing your essay on Italian unity, as the unity will come with many obstacles.
- This section will help readers keep track of the direction of the logic you present.
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Part 4 of 4: Stay away from common pitfalls

If necessary, you can change your introduction after completing your essay. The most common mistake students make is to write the essay first, then the essay, and not re-read it. Every once in a while, your essay's argument will develop as you write. Don't hesitate to go back and make the necessary changes!
- If you find it difficult to write, don't allow your opening to block your writing. Make sure you write a paragraph based on your outline and then work on completing the rest of your essay. Perhaps when you start working out your argument in the body, it will be easier for you to write your introduction.
Avoid redundant sentences. You should not write redundant sentences in the first part of the essay. When you do not know what you should write about, you will want to form an opening that is not really helpful for your discussion. You should not write about “big ideas”, are too vague, or don't give up a lot of information.
- Example: “People love to be loved. There are many stories and poems about love. One of those love stories is Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare ”. This preamble does not give the reader any real information, and it cannot formulate an argument.
Do not "hold chopsticks". Often times, you'll want to open up the post by saying something like "Men and women deal with conflicts differently" or "Everyone wants someone to love." These factors are often incorrect, and they are too general to help you establish your argument.
Keep it short and simple. The preamble should provide the necessary context to help the reader understand the topic, but not go into too much detail. You do not need to use quotes in your introduction. If you find your opening is getting lengthy and overly detailed, you need to move some of the elements you have written into the body.
- The basic rule of thumb is to write an essay that is no longer than 10% of the essay (eg, a 1 page introduction for a 10 page essay, 150 words for a 1500 word essay).
Avoid directly announcing the purpose of the article. This does not mean that you should formulate your argument or cover your essay clearly. But you should avoid writing statements in the form of statements such as “The purpose of this essay is to prove _____” or “In this article, I will discuss ____”. Your thesis will state the purpose of your essay, if written appropriately.
- However, there are some exceptions. Some styles of writing, such as scholarly essays, may ask you to state what you will discuss in the introduction. If you are unsure whether it is appropriate or not, you should consult with the person who will read your article (teacher, professor, magazine editor, etc.).
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Advice

Always remember to start your topic with what you want to explain and discuss. Make it easier to understand, interesting or useful. You should let the reader know what they are reading and try to find out.
Remember to check the writing style and follow the topic closely.
If you are answering a question, you need to interpret it correctly. The quality of your essay will deteriorate if it cannot provide an answer to the question.
Never write essays without knowing your point.