ng how to start an essay? Have you been procrastinating starting your essay writing process because you dread typing that first paragraph or simply do not know how or where to begin? Well, you are not alone. Many people including inexperienced writers as well as veteran writers face challenges starting an essay and end up wasting a lot of time before typing that first word in the introductory paragraph. If you want to start an essay effectively, read on for a review of the different effective approaches to beginning an essay.

The Importance of an Introductory Paragraph

In virtually everything you may want to write; the introductory paragraph will influence the reader’s motivation to read through the entire essay. In this respect, the introduction to an essay is closely similar to the beginning of a movie or narrative story. In academic essays, how well the introductory paragraph and essay introduction is written is often the difference between getting an A or a lower grade. A properly written introductory paragraph to an essay should:
• Attract and hold your readers’ attention
• Introduce your topic by giving some background information
• Give your readers some point of view
• Highlight the primary argument you make in the essay
• Identify the points you will use to justify your argument

Components of an Intro Paragraph

A good introduction paragraph should do a number of things. Most importantly, the introductory paragraph should grab the attention of the reader, provide some background to the essay, and highlight the main argument. To achieve these, the introduction paragraph should have the following components as a minimum: