Basic introductions provide information on the topics that will be covered within the essay. They answer basic questions about who or what the essay is about and why you are writing the piece. These types of introductions sometimes include brief definitions, historical information or descriptions that add to the essay. For these and other types of introductions, write a thesis statement, one or more sentences that describe the main topics you discuss within your essay. Don't go into great detail about the topics you will cover within your essay because you can give more comprehensive descriptions within the body paragraphs of your paper. These types of introductions could work in any type of essay, but they are suited for five-paragraph essays, which contain an introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs and a conclusion paragraph.
Lead paragraphs that are anecdotal contain a portion of a story about someone or something related to the topic of the essay. Choose the most engaging and relevant part of a story for an introduction. The story needs to be interesting or provocative enough to capture your audience's attention; it also needs to be specific enough that it ties into your essay. An anecdotal lead can come from your own experience or someone else's, but it should get readers to start thinking about the main theme of your essay. An anecdotal lead paragraph helps readers to relate to a large issue because they feel connected to a person, group or event. Anecdotal introductions work well in argumentative or descriptive essays because stories help in arguing for a certain side of an issue or making a point through detailed descriptions, respectively.
Questions or quotations serve as other ways to get your reader to start thinking about a broader or more specific topic, depending on the theme of your essay. Use a direct quotation or a paraphrased quote within your introduction, according to the Student Doctor Network. Only use a portion of a quotation or a short question because you also need to go into the main purpose of your paper in your introduction. Choose a powerful quote or question that helps make your topic seem more important and interesting. Only use quotes or questions in introductions when essays warrant them because you do not want to overuse them. Quotes and questions work in introductions for different types of essays, but they are suited to argumentative and comparison and contrast essays. In comparison and contrast essays, you look at the differences or similarities between two different things.
Informational lead paragraphs often contain statistical information or facts that help to advance an argument. The facts or numbers in these types of paragraphs need to be informative and interesting enough so that your readers continue with the rest of your paper. Look for facts or statistics that stand out to the readers and show them a new way to look at an issue or theme. Maintain an authoritative tone within your introduction to give credibility to the information you use. Don't overload your paper with numbers or facts; use facts that will stick out the most and help introduce your main argument. Informational lead paragraphs are suited to analysis and cause and effect essays because they can be used in papers that examine a topic in detail or look at how an action, person or event affected something or someone, respectively.