The Introductory Paragraph
The paragraph that begins an essay causes students the most trouble,
yet carries the most importance. Although its precise construction varies
from genre to genre (and from essay to essay), good introductory paragraphs
generally accomplish the same tasks and follow a few basic patterns. I
have listed some of them below, but keep in mind that what follows are
guidelines, not immutable templates.
Tasks: The introductory paragraph to a short essay usually attempts
to do three things:
-
Introduce the topic with some indication of its inherent interest
or importance, and a clear definition of the boundaries of the subject
area
-
Indicate the structure and/or methodology of the essay, often with
the major sections of the essay or its structural principle clearly stated
-
State the thesis of the essay, preferably in a single, arguable
statement with a clear main clause
Not every essay does all three in the first paragraph, and the degree to
which an essay declares its structure or methodology may vary widely, depending
on how necessary that information will be to the readers. Sometimes, the
entire first paragraph will serve no other purpose than to generate interest
in the subject or raise a question, leaving the other tasks for the second
paragraph. However, this kind of opening requires a lot of skill, and you
can lose your readers in the second and third paragraphs if do not make
your purpose clear.
Patterns: The standard pattern for an introductory paragraph
follows the order of the tasks outlined above. Below is an outline of that
pattern, written as if it were the first section of a formal outline of
the entire essay:
I: Introduction
-
The topic
-
Its boundaries
-
Why it is interesting
-
Structure and/or Methodology
-
The essay’s main sections (structure)
-
Why they come in that order (structural principle)
-
How the author plans to draw the necessary conclusions from the information
available (methodology)
-
The Thesis Statement (usually a single sentence)
-
Its premise (the general claim about the information available)
-
Its conclusion (the consequences of the first claim)
Not every essay contains every element in precisely this order, but most
good essays cover all of them, either explicitly or implicitly. In longer
and more scholarly essays, the structure/methodology section should be
longer, or can even be its own paragraph. It should also include some mention
of the essay’s position within the field as a whole.