This lesson is how to write an introductory paragraph for a college-level argumentative essay.

1. How to Write Effective Introductory Paragraphs

2. Why Introductions are Important
• First impressions are crucial and can leave lasting effects in your reader’s
mind, which is why the introduction is so important to your essay.
• Your introduction is an invitation to your readers to consider what you
have to say and then to follow your train of thought as you expand upon
your thesis statement.
• If your introductory paragraph is dull or disjointed, your reader probably
will not have much interest in continuing with the essay.

3. What NOT to do in an Introduction
Let’s begin with some of the hackneyed and simplistic approaches you have likely
learned in the past but should avoid in college-level writing.
1. Do NOT announce your intentions or state what you are about to do in an essay:
• In this paper, I will . . .
2. Do NOT use a dictionary or encyclopedia definition (this is college; assume your
reader is intelligent):
• According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, a widget is . . .
3. Do NOT apologize or suggest that you don't know what you're talking about:
• In my humble opinion . . .
4. Do NOT use overly broad generalizations:
• Since the beginning of time, man has . . .

4. Purposes of an Introduction
Picture your introduction as a storefront window and a sales pitch:
You have a certain amount of space to attract your customers (readers) to
your goods (subject/topic) and bring them inside your store to see more
(discussion). Once you have enticed them with something intriguing, you
then point them in a specific direction and try to make the sale (convince
them to accept your thesis).
An introduction serves the following purposes:
• Establishes your voice and tone, or your attitude, toward the subject
• Introduces the general subject or topic of the essay
• Provides a specific focus to be presented in the essay
• States the thesis that will be supported in the body paragraphs

5. Attracting Interest in Your Introductory Paragraph
Your introduction should begin with an engaging statement devised to
provoke your readers’ interest.
In the next few sentences, introduce them to your topic by stating general
facts or ideas about the subject or topic.
As you move deeper into your introduction, you gradually narrow the focus,
moving closer to your thesis.
Moving smoothly and logically from your introductory remarks to your thesis
statement can be achieved using the “Funnel Technique.”

6. The Funnel
Technique

7. Strategies for Engaging the Reader
There are a variety of techniques you can use to grab your reader’s attention
in an introduction. This is often referred to as providing a “hook” for the
reader. For example, you might do one of the following:
• Provide a startling statistic or surprising fact
• Raise a question or a series of questions
• Offer a relevant quotation
• Provide some historical or cultural context
• Include a personal anecdote
• Make an emotional appeal
• Provide a provocative viewpoint or opinion
• Offer a striking image

8. Example: Interesting Fact
• Begin with a little known or interesting fact about your topic to
get your readers interested in your topic.
Both founding fathers George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew
the hemp plant as a source of income, harvesting the fibers for rope and
fabric production. Marijuana was also a common ingredient in medicine
at the time (PBS).
• Be sure to cite your interesting fact with an in-text citation and a
Works Cited entry.
PBS. “Marijuana Timeline.” Frontline, WGBH Educational Foundation,
2014, www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/dope/etc/cron.html.

9. Example: Revealing Statistic
• Provide your reader with numbers that highlight unconventional
trends in your topic.
According to AT&T’s teen driver survey, “97 percent of teens say texting while driving is
dangerous — but 43 percent admit to doing so.”
• Just like the interesting fact, you need to cite your statistics with
a Works Cited entry and an in-text citation if necessary. The
example above does not need an in-text citation since the
author is listed in the sentence, and there is no page number.
AT&T. “Texting While Driving Facts.” ATT.com, AT&T Intellectual Property, 2014,
www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=23181

10. Example: Questions
• Opening your essay with a series of questions can be intriguing for the
reader. The questions can be genuine questions that you plan to answer in
the body paragraphs. Alternatively, they can be sarcastic ones that
introduce naysayers like the following example:
Will girls imitate the new, kickass heroines in the Japanese animé Cardcaptors? Will the
impressionable 12-year-olds exposed to trailers for MGM's Disturbing Behavior forever after
associate good teen behavior with lobotomies? Did Nine Inch Nails and the video game DOOM
inspire the Trenchcoat Mafia's bloodbath at Columbine? Thousands of studies have been done to
try to answer variants of the question: Does media violence lead to real-life violence, making
children more antisocial and aggressive?
• The previous excerpt is from Maggie Culter’s essay “Whodunit—The
Media?” The first set of questions is rhetorical and sarcastic. She has no
intention of answering them. They are posed to let the reader know her
stance on the subject. However, the last question is answered throughout
the essay and is the basis for her thesis and claim.

11. Example: Famous Quote
• Using the words of a famous person or celebrity can also be a
way to draw in the reader’s attention. However, be careful when
using a famous quote. Make sure that it relates directly to your
subject matter and has a purpose in your essay.
Albert Einstein argued that “Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of
compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.”
• If your author and quote are well known, you do not need to
include a Works Cited entry as long as you identify the author in
the sentence like the example above.

12. Example: Personal Example
• Relating to your readers on a personal level can help the readers feel more
comfortable with you, bridging a more intimate connection between
author and reader. Your personal narrative should only be a small part of
your essay, though—never longer than a half a page (and you need to be
sure a first-person account is appropriate). Use transitions between your
narrative and your argument, so it is clear how your anecdote relates to
your subject.
I remember growing up poor. Material things were not an option in my house. We didn’t own a
TV. As a single parent working two jobs, my mother only provided the bare necessities. Bills came
first, then food. Lunch was never guaranteed. I do not ever recall feeling full. The dull ache of an
empty stomach was ever-present throughout my childhood. Unfortunately, the images and lived
experiences of poverty have not changed in the modern age, even with the advances in science
and technology.
• Since you are the writer of the essay and the personal anecdote, you do
not need to include a Works Cited entry. Using first person alerts the
reader that the narrative is your experience, and that is citation enough.

13. Remember
• When you are constructing an introduction, you are
constructing a platform on which the rest of your essay will sit.
The introduction should provide adequate background
information on the topic, possibly showing a different
perspective on the issue, and should always lead towards the
thesis and body paragraphs. Read your introduction and ask
yourself if you would be interested in reading the paper. Ask
yourself if it gives a fellow student enough information before
the argument begins.

14. Parts of the Introduction
Be sure your introduction has all the necessary parts:
• A hook (cite it if you learned it in the research process)
• Connect your hook to the topic
• Introduce the opposition
• However, some people argue that…
• Transition to why that view is wrong, illogical, missing information, or
something else
• In reality, the truth is that…
• List your reasons with transitions
• Furthermore, In addition, Moreover
• End with your thesis (you might need a transition)
• Ultimately, Therefore, In the end

15. Examine the Following Example
• On the next slide, there is a good example of a full introduction
with a hook, background information, the opposing viewpoint,
the writer's reasons, and a solid thesis. As you read the
introduction, look closely at how the writer includes transitions
to help guide the reader from the hook to the opposing
viewpoint and then back to the reasons and thesis.

16. Full Introduction Example
Both founding fathers George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew the hemp plant as a source of
income, harvesting the fibers for rope and fabric production (PBS). Hemp is the plant that marijuana
comes from. Marijuana was also a common ingredient in medicine at the time (PBS). Smoking the
flowers from the hemp plant is what gives users a high. While some people believe that smoking
marijuana causes people to eventually use harder drugs, studies show that using marijuana can
actually relieve pain caused by cancer and other illnesses and lesson symptoms of PTSD. Even further,
after the election in 2020, a total of eleven states fully legalized marijuana for recreational use and
thirty-four for medicinal use with Oregon decriminalizing all drugs (DISA). The mood over legalizing
marijuana is changing in the US and making marijuana legal can reduce crime and keep people out of
jail, reducing overcrowding. Rather than criminalizing people for smoking marijuana, the US
government should legalize recreational marijuana on the federal level with the same restrictions as
alcohol.
Works Cited
DISA Global Solutions. "Map of Marijuana Legality by State." DISA, 2020, disa.com/map-of-marijuana-
legality-by-state.
PBS. “Marijuana Timeline.” Frontline, WGBH Educational Foundation, 2014,
www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/dope/etc/cron.html.