Introductions
Your introduction paragraph should grab your reader’s attention, introduce the topic of your essay, and present your thesis.
Grab the reader’s attention and introduce the topic
The very first sentence of your introduction should get your reader interested in your topic. Don’t start out too generally in your introduction paragraph. Also, don’t state all of your specific main points individually in the introduction.
Introduce the topic through background information
Focus on giving background information that your reader needs to understand the topic generally.The middle sentences of your introduction paragraph prepare your reader to understand your thesis statement.
To know what background information you should include, you need to consider your audience. You need to know who your audience is before you can start guessing what background information they already know and what background information you need to tell them for them to understand your thesis statement later.
Example: Using Specific Knowledge
Are you writing an essay analyzing the features of 18th-century romantic poetry for your college English teacher?
If you are writing for a teacher in a class, assume that you are writing for a general audience unless your professor tells you otherwise. You should assume your audience knows general knowledge like "Romanticism is a poetry movement", but doesn't know specific things like, “the beginning of Romantism comes from an opposing reaction to the logic and rationalism favored by the Enlightenment."
If you are not sure if a piece of information is general knowledge or specific knowledge, ask a friend who doesn't know about your topic to read your introduction. They can point out what information they don't understand as a general reader. Then, you can add background information about those points.
Pro Tip:
Never use the phrase "Everyone knows..." in the background knowledge section because you need to assume the general audience doesn't know most of the things about your topic.
Present your thesis
The thesis states the main idea, or focus, of the essay. The rest of the essay will give evidence and explanations that show why or how your thesis is true.
An effective thesis—
- addresses the prompt if there is one* (i.e., answers the question).
- is usually at the end of the introduction paragraph.
- controls the content of all of the body paragraphs.
- is a complete sentence.
- does not announce the topic (e.g., "I’m going to talk about public transportation.").
- should not simply be a fact (e.g., "Many people use public transportation.").
- should not be too general (e.g., "The use of public transportation is increasing.").
- should not be too specific (e.g., "Public transportation reduces greenhouse gas emissions, provides low-cost transportation options, allows for multitasking during the commute, relieves cities of overcrowded parking, and helps prevent traffic jams and gridlock.").
- may state or imply main points (e.g., "Public transportation should be free for the public and a comprehensive bus system should be put in place in all urban areas." vs. "Public transportation should be implemented in urban areas in a variety of ways.").
Thesis Statements: Concision & Grammar
Concision
- A concise thesis statement expresses the whole main idea in as few words as possible.
Why is important?
The reader will be more engaged and will prevent the thesis statement from being confusing because of the long, unnecessarily complex sentences.
Some main ideas are very complex and may take multiple sentences to say clearly, but most can be said in just one sentence.
Writing your main idea concisely is preferred in academic writing. Single-sentence thesis statements are generally more powerful than thesis statements that are multiple sentences long.
Grammar
A thesis statement sentence needs to be grammatically correct.
One of the more common errors with student essay writing is comma splice sentences in the thesis statement.
A comma splice sentence is a sentence that doesn't properly use conjunctions, connecting all the clauses with commas only.
- Other common grammar errors include: run-on sentences, incorrectly placed periods, and a lack of commas.
Thesis statements are often only a single sentence long, but due to the complex grammar and need for specific wording, they can take more time to write than other sentences.
Thesis statements may also be revised multiple times to get the grammar and the wording just right to express your idea most clearly.
Exercises
Exercise 1: Background Information
Part A: Consider the prompt and the proposed thesis statement. Then answer this question: What background information would you need as a reader to understand the topic of this essay?
Prompt: Describe either the causes or effects of a topic. The topic may be a problem (e.g., poverty) or a good thing (e.g., economic stability).
Thesis Statement: Therefore, the causes of high inflation rates, high unemployment rates, and the excess of money circulating in the market lead the Fed to enact monetary policies that are designed to help the US economy.
**Don't read part B until you are done with part A. **
Part B: Read the introduction below. Then answer the reflection questions below.
One of the most and respectful Central Banks in the world is the Fed, Federal Reserve Bank, located in the USA. This bank is recognized by having the most effective policies that have been turning the USA economy one the most powerful economies in the world. Although the US economy had one of the most financial notable crises in the history during the Great Depression (during 1929 thru 1939), the US economy has been solid and stable for many years. Due to its stability in the economy, many foreign investors allocate their capitals to the US country in order to obtain their incomes. All these become possible because of the efficient actions done by the Fed. The Fed has the responsibility to control inflation, and other indicators that contribute to its economy. Therefore, the causes of high inflation rates, high unemployment rates, and the excess of money circulating in the market lead the Fed to enact monetary policies that are designed to help the US economy.
Reflection Questions:
- Does the author answer the questions that you had?
- Do you feel confident that you would understand the essay’s thesis statement based on the background information in the introduction? Why or why not?
Exercise 2: Thesis Analysis
Using the points above, decide whether or not each of the following thesis statements is effective:
- The effects of online dating are getting very dangerous and sometimes out of control. Some of the effects include mental harm, risk of shallow relationships, and fake profiles.
- This paper will discuss the major causes of food waste that are supermarkets, restaurants and households.
- Some of the main causes of telling lies are avoiding embarrassment in public, self-protection of punishment, and being polite in your own environment.
- Not getting the right amount of sleep can lead to obesity as well as depression and anxiety, although sleep the necessary hours could prevent cancer.
Exercise 3: Complex Main Idea Thesis Practice
Below is a chart of common subordinating conjunctions or conjunctive phrases. Use this chart to help write a complex or complex compound thesis statement that answers the prompt. You will need to answer both questions from the prompt in only one sentence.
Subordinating Conjunctions:
| after, although, as | if, in order for |
| because, before | unless, until |
| even though, even if | where, whereas, while |
Prompt:
Your university has decided to spend more money on sports and athletics than the campus library. You do agree or disagree with this action? What would the short-term and long-term effects of this decision be?
Exercise 4: Thesis Grammar Practice
Revise these thesis statements to be more concise and grammatically correct. Write your best version of the thesis statements on the line.
1. The Chernobyl accident caused irreparable environmental and social damages. This gave the people an opportunity to become stronger through their unity and their courage to serve no matter the consequences.
2. Due to the fact that students need to be focused 100% at school in order to achieve their dreams. Universal education needs to be free for everyone.
3. Testing on animals should be eliminated because it does not produce the benefits it promises, it is a technique that is not ethical, and it is socially unacceptable because there are viable alternatives.
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