The first sentence of your introduction needs to get the attention of the reader. “Babe Ruth was one of the best baseball players of all time” is boring. Instead, start with a startling statistic, a memorable anecdote, a quote from an important figure or a rhetorical question. This opening sentence should pique the reader’s curiosity and make him yearn to find out more.
Near the end of your introduction is your thesis statement, which says what your paper is arguing. Students often lose points because their paper doesn’t have a thesis statement or the thesis statement is vague and doesn’t answer the “why” question. “Babe Ruth is the greatest baseball player of all time” is a weak thesis statement because it’s vague and doesn’t tell why Babe Ruth is the greatest baseball player of all time. “Babe Ruth’s 714 career home runs, 2,213 RBI, and .342 career batting average make him one of the best baseball hitters of all time.”
Transitions do just that: they help transition from one sentence to the next. Transitions help sentences flow smoothly. “Gambling can be a fun way to spend a night. It can lead to addiction” is confusing, because the two sentences contradict each other. Placing a transition between these two sentences fixes the problem, and these sentences could be rewritten as: “Gambling can be a fun way to spend a night. However, it can lead to addiction.” “However” is a transitional word. Other words that work include “But” and “On the other hand.” When reading over your introduction, make sure proper transitions are used to keep the writing smooth.
Clichés hurt any writing, but especially an introduction or thesis. Avoid statements like “Since the beginning of man” or giving a dictionary definition – “Webster’s dictionary defines…” – for a common word. Other clichés include “Sweeping the nation” or “Taking the nation by storm.” Instead, try to craft original statements.
Though the introduction is the first part to your paper, you don’t have to write it first. Instead, if it’s easier, write it after you’ve written the rest of the paper. You’ll have a better idea what your paper discusses and what findings you made along the way. Likewise, don’t forget to revise your introduction and thesis after you’ve written the paper. Make sure your thesis is still accurate and is still what you argued for in your paper. Many students make the mistake of writing their thesis and then while writing the paper forget to discuss one of the main points of the thesis or argue something else entirely.