Introduction paragraph in your article

Swati Rai

Well begun is half done, all of you have surely heard this. And this saying is all the more relevant when it comes to writing an article, essay or a paragraph. If your first few lines are gripping and impressive then you have got the reader hooked on to your piece. In most cases the skill of writing an effective introduction is the difference between a good writer and a forgettable one.

The introduction sets the tone for the rest of the content to follow. Now the question is, how best to begin impressively.

Here are some tips for you to keep in mind while writing the introduction:

• Fully understand the topic. Make rough notes of what you understand and points that you wish to include in the essay.
• Write a catchy sentence, or a hook statement in the beginning, so as to get the reader’s attention. You could use a quote, a hypothetical situation, a rhetorical question, or even a witty/humorous statement to grasp the attention. This would depend on the nature of the essay also.
• You then move on to what is your view on the topic.
• The last part of the introduction would be to outline some of the key points that you mention in the body of the essay.

A lot depends on the nature of the topic, your background research and adaptation of the introduction according to the nature of the essay. You may choose to skip one part of the introduction sometimes, too.

For example: Topic — Does Your Name Matter?

Introduction: Hook Sentence: Shakespeare has famously said, ‘What’s in a Name?’

Your View: I hold a different opinion on this matter, to that of Shakespeare.

Outline: That the name matters the most, will be talked about in my essay by mentioning famous people’s views and examples, the psychology behind influence of a name on a person and views of experts on the matter.