this document will be useful to English students who wish to improve their essay writing

1. Student teacher from
The University of Johannesburg
How to write an essay with a cohesive
introduction
© Nicholas G. Ashby 2004

2. General

The purpose of an introduction is to prepare
the reader for the body of writing that comes
after it.
You know what you are writing about and why. But unless you inform your readers
of this in an introduction, they will feel lost and judge your essay to be an unclear
piece of work!

3. A good introduction:

indicates the topic that the essay is about

describes how the body of the essay is organized

explains the point of writing the essay;
the point of writing an essay is usually to argue for a thesis, so you will
need to explain what thesis you argue for and how you argue for it – this is
called a
thesis-statement, and most essay introductions include one.

4. First example
Suppose you had to write a ten page essay
on the topic of whether body-checking
should be banned in junior ice-hockey. You
did your research and found that there are
several main arguments for and against a
ban. In the body of your essay you
described and evaluated these arguments,
and determined that arguments for a ban
are stronger than arguments against a ban.
Now you must write your introduction!

5. First example
Here is how someone new to academic
essays may write the introduction (the
topic-sentence is in red, essay structure in
blue, thesis in yellow):
This essay is about the issue of body-checking in
junior ice-hockey. First, arguments for a ban on
body-checking are examined. Second, arguments
against a ban are discussed. It is shown that proban arguments are stronger than anti-ban
arguments. Therefore, the thesis of this essay is
that body-checking in junior ice-hockey should be
banned.

6. Discussion of first example
This introduction is all right so far as it goes.
It is better to have an introduction that
includes the three important elements
(topic, structure, thesis) than to have one
that does not. Many people start out by
writing essays with introductions like this
one. It does have the virtue of being clear,
and clarity is essential. But let us review it
to see if it can be improved.

7. Discussion of first example
The structure-sentences are fine.
Notice that words such as first and second
are useful in helping to describe how the
body of an essay is organized.
However, if you can convey the structure of
your essay without using too many
organizational words, that is even better.

8. Discussion of first example
The topic-sentence could be improved.
Rather than writing: “This essay is about…”
it would be better to write a few topicsentences that convey a sense of the
current state of the topic. This not only
tells the reader what the topic is but it also
gives the impression that you are
knowledgeable about the topic and in
command of your research material.

9. Discussion of first example
The thesis-sentences could be better.
Instead of writing: “Therefore, the thesis of
this essay is…” simply give a bold, factual
sentence that expresses your position on
the issue. This conveys an air of confidence,
unlike the phrase “…the thesis of this
essay…” which is timid and non-committal.

10. Second example
The introduction on the next slide takes
these points into account. Compare it with
the previous introduction and note how
wording the three main elements differently
can improve the impact that the introduction
has on the reader.

11. Second example
Body-checking has always been a controversial
issue. However, the recent decision of Hockey Canada
to allow some hockey associations to permit
bodychecking among players as young as nine
years of
age, on an experimental basis, has aggravated the
controversy quite considerably in recent months.
Perspectives fall into three main categories:
viewpoints of fans, the official standpoint of Hockey
Canada, and positions held by the
scientific
community. Evaluation of the main arguments shows
quite clearly that Hockey Canada’s decision to allow
body-checking in some junior games, even on an
experimental basis, is a
serious mistake.

12. Discussion of second example
In this second introduction, the topicsentences give an impression of the current
state of the topic (and, so, convey the topic
of the essay to the reader) without using
the words essay or topic. The structuresentences inform the reader of the main
parts of the body of the essay and their
order of discussion (views of fans,
Hockey Canada, and scientific community)
without using many organizational words.

13. Discussion of second example
The thesis-sentences tell the reader where
you stand on the issue and how you arrived
at your position (through evaluation of the
main arguments for and against a ban),
without including words such as essay or
thesis.

14. Discussion of second example
This second introduction gives the reader the
impression that you are knowledgeable on the
topic, and that doing the research has led you
to an intelligent, informed thesis. Why didn’t
the first introduction have the same effect?

15. Discussion of second example
The reason is that within the context of an
essay introduction, words like essay,
topic and thesis make it seem as if there
is a gap between you, the writer, and the
essay. This gives the impression that the
concerns about and position on the issue
may not be your concerns and position (only
the essay’s!). Notice that the second
introduction gives the impression that there
is no gap, and that you are expressing
yourself through the essay.

16. Practice!
Practice writing introductions without using
phrases such as “the topic of this essay…”
or “the thesis argued for is…” Expressing
the topic without using words like topic or
subject may be particularly challenging
because it is easy to include too much detail
and end up with an unintended bodyparagraph. But with practice, you will be
able to write more effective introductions.

17. Frequently asked questions
1. How long should my introduction be?
One common mistake is to write an
introduction that is too long; the introduction
is so detailed that it is indistinguishable from
the body of the essay! As a rule, an
introduction should not be longer than about
8% of the length of the essay. For example,
the introduction of a ten, fifteen, and twentypage essay should be a maximum of about a
page, a page and a quarter, and one and a
half pages respectively.

18. Frequently asked questions
2. How detailed should the introduction
be?
Another common mistake is that the
introduction is so detailed that it fails to
indicate the topic of the essay in a clear
way! The introduction only needs to state
the topic, general structure, and thesis of the
essay. The longer the essay is supposed to
be, the more detailed your topic, structure
and thesis-sentences can be.

19. Frequently asked questions
3. Why am I finding it hard to write the
introduction?
The introduction must indicate the topic,
structure and thesis of the essay. If you are
not completely sure about any of these
things, you will find it hard or even
impossible to write an introduction. Writer’s
block can happen when you try to write the
introduction before you have done sufficient
reading and research on the topic.

20. Frequently asked questions
3. Why am I finding it hard to write the
introduction (continued)?
How can you know what the structure of
your essay will be until you have written at
least a draft of the body? How can you
know what your thesis will be until you have
done the reading and research?! To save
time, always write the introduction last.

21. Frequently asked questions
4. What is an introduction for? Is it a
summary?
An introduction is not a summary. A
summary repeats the main ideas of an
essay. An introduction introduces the reader
to the topic of the essay, describes the
organizational structure of the essay, and
explains the point of the essay (the thesis
argued for).

22. Frequently asked questions
5. What should I put in my introduction?
Do not try to pack everything into the
introduction. It would then not be an
introduction at all! An essay introduction
does not need to do more than tell the
reader the topic of the essay, describe how
the body of the essay is organized, and
explain the thesis that you argue for in the
essay.

23. Frequently asked questions
6. How many paragraphs should I use
for the introduction?
The introduction needs to indicate the topic,
structure, and thesis of the essay for the
reader. In a short ten page essay, all of
these things should be easy to include in one
or two paragraphs. In longer essays, your
topic, structure, and thesis-sentences will be
more detailed, and so more paragraphs may
be required to complete the introduction.

24. Other sources and resources

Make an appointment for the Bethune Writing Centre
(go to Master’s office at 205 Bethune to book a slot,
or call 416 736 2100 ext. 22035)

Visit York Centre for Academic Writing online resources
at: http://www.arts.yorku.ca/caw/resources.html
The following books may be useful:
Hacker, D. (2003). A Canadian writer’s reference
(2nd ed.). Scarborough, Ont.: Nelson Thomson
Learning. Call number: PE 1408 H293

Finbogason, J., & Valleau, Al (2002). A Canadian
writer’s pocket guide (2nd ed.). Scarborough, Ont.:
Thomson/Nelson. Call number: PE 1408 F45

25. Other sources and resources
Troyka, Lynn Quitman (2002). Simon & Schuster handbook
for writers (3rd ed.). Scarborough, Ont.: Prentice-Hall.
Call number: PE 1408 T697

For science students writing a scientific report, the
requirements of the introduction are slightly different
from those stated here. The following book will be
particularly useful:
Day, Robert A. (1998). How to write & publish a scientific
paper (5th ed.). Phoenix, Arizona: The Oryx Press.
Call number: T11 D33

26. ESSAY
An essay is a short non-fiction, non-imaginary work about a subject.
It may be classified by tone and style as formal or informal.
It has many purposes depending on what the writer wants to write
about and how he/she wants to affect the readers.

27. Three Main Parts
Introduction
It is the opening part of the write-up that shows the topic
sentence of the essay or the thesis statement. It prepares the
readers on the essay. Therefore, it should be effective so that
the readers are encourage/ motivate to continue reading.

28. Effective introduction should
•
Catch the reader’s attention, which can be done, for example, by
using a direct announcement, a quotation, a question, a
definition, an unusual comparison, or a controversial
position/opinion;
• Introduce the topic of the essay, (in other words, inform the
reader of and provide a context for the topic being discussed);
• Introduce the main idea (otherwise known as the thesis or claim)
of the essay;
• Introduce the purpose of the essay (will it inform, argue,
persuade, describe, narrate, classify, etc.?).

29. An effective body paragraphs
should

Explain, illustrate, discuss, or provide evidence to support the
main idea (thesis or claim) of the essay;

Discuss only one aspect of the main idea (whenever you move on
to a new supporting point, start a new body paragraph);

30. Body
An essay includes body paragraphs, which develop the main idea
(thesis or claim) of the essay.

Work together with the other body paragraphs to support your
essay’s main idea;

Work together with the other body paragraphs to create a clear,
cohesive paper (clarity and coherence can be achieved through
the use of transitions)

31. Conclusion
An essay ends with a brief conclusion, which brings the essay to a
logical end. An effective conclusion should:

Remind readers of the primary focus of the essay, which can be
done by restating the main idea in different words;

Avoid introducing new ideas;
•
Avoid apologies.

33. TYPES OF AN ESSAY

34. FORMAL ESSAY
This is known as impersonal
essay. The content is
informative and scientific in
nature. The writer uses the
“aesthetic” approach in
language and style.

35. INFORMAL ESSAY
It is called familiar or personal
essay. It expresses personal
experiences or observation on
human nature. Its purpose is to
entertain rather than to inform.

36. FORMS OF ESSAY

37. 
DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY
It is an essay that illustrates by using sensory words in order to
bring to the reader’s imagination what is being talked about.

EXPOSITORY ESSAY
It is an essay that explains something so that reader can
understand.

PERSUASIVE ESSAY
It is an essay that convinces the reader to think in a certain way.

NARRATIVE ESSAY
It is an essay that tells a story of the writer or other’s story. It is
usually found in the feature writing sections of newspaper or
magazine

38. Elements of an Essay

Audience- It refers to whom the essay is intended for.

Purpose- It refers to the intention or goal in writing the essay.

Subject- It is the topic discussed in the essay.

Point of view- It is the how the ideas are told to the reader

Theme- It refers to the lesson or message of the essay.

Mood- It refers to the feeling which the writer would like the
reader to experience or get from the literary work.

Tone- It is the attitude of the writer towards his/her subject

Style- This is the special way in which the ideas of the essay are
developed.

39. FROM PA
UNIT-1RAGRAPH TO
ESSAY

40. WHAT IS AN ESSAY?
•
An essay consists of minimum five paragraphs: an introduction, a body and
a conclusion. However, we should ask ourselves the questions: What is an
essay? What do we try to do in an essay? In Prep School you are given a
topic by your teacher to write about; in academic writing your teachers
ask you to prove a point, collect sufficient data to prove a point, or
demonstrate that you have comprehended a text they have assigned. In all
cases, the writing process is the same: the amount of evidence that goes
into your paper or the length of the paper may change, but the stages you
follow in the writing process are more or less the same. You have to have
a thesis to prove, you have to have sufficient evidence and you have to
make a conclusion.

41. 
An essay can have many purposes, but the basic
structure is the same no matter what. You may be
writing an essay to argue for a particular point of view
or to explain the steps necessary to complete a task.
Either way, your essay will have the same basic format.
If you follow a few simple steps, you will find that the
essay almost writes itself.

42. ESSAY FORMAT
These simple steps will guide you through the essay writing process:

Decide on your topic.

Prepare an outline or diagram of your ideas.

Write your thesis statement.

Write the body.

Write the main points.

Write the subpoints.

Elaborate on the subpoints.

Write the introduction.

Write the conclusion.

Add the finishing touches.

43. ORGANIZING YOUR IDEAS

The purpose of an outline is to put your ideas about
the topic on paper, in a moderately organized format.
The structure you create here may still change before
the essay is complete. If you start one or the other
and decide it isn't working for you, you can always
switch later.

44. A VERY IMPORTANT TIP FOR
YOU ;)

Writing Essay is a repeating pattern…

The only change is the topic. Once you learn the
structure, the rest comes easily.

45. WRITING YOUR OUTLINE






Begin your outline by writing your topic at the top of the page.
Next, write the Roman numerals I, II, and III.
Next to each Roman numeral, write the main ideas that you have
about your topic, or the main points that you want to make.
 If you are trying to persuade, you want to write your best
arguments.
 If you are trying to explain a process, you want to write the
steps that should be followed. You will probably need to group
these into categories. If you have trouble grouping the steps
into categories, try using Beginning, Middle, and End.
 If you are trying to inform, you want to write the major
categories into which your information can be divided.
Under each Roman numeral, write A, B, and C down the left side of
the page.
Next to each letter, write the facts or information that support that
main idea.
When you have finished, you have the basic structure for your essay
and are ready to continue.

46. BASIC DESIGN FOR AN ESSAY

INTRODUCTION

1 ST BODY PARAGRAPH- EXAMPLES (MINOR DETAILS)

2 ND BODY PARAGRAPH- EXAMPLES
(MINOR DETAILS)

3 RD BODY PARAGRAPH- EXAMPLES
(MINOR DETAILS)

CONCLUSION

47. IF YOU HAVE AN OUTLINE,
THEN YOU ARE OGANIZED.
IF YOU ARE ORGANIZED,
THEN YOU FEEL CONFIDENT.
IF YOU ARE CONFIDENT,
THEN YOU SOUND PROFESSIONAL

48. 1. INTRODUCTION

Why is the introduction important?

Your introduction is the part that invites your reader to
read your essay:

it tells your reader what it is about,

it sets the tone for your essay. In other words, it tells
the reader whether your essay will be light, humorous,
serious, controversial, etc.

49. 
it shows your reader how your essay will develop. That
is to say, there must not be big surprises in the
development of your essay

it helps the reader to make a transition from the
conditions he is in to the content of your essay

50. 
it is where the reader decides whether to read your essay or not. In other
words, they may put your essay down if they feel that it is going to be
extremely boring (your instructors excluded because they have to read
your essays whether they are extremely boring or not, they have to
correct and evaluate your essays anyway )

51. Some tips for writing good
introductions

Think about the question: most of the time you are
assigned a topic to write about. Think about the
question: your answer to the question will be your
thesis. How you prove it will be your development. Your
thesis should be stated in the introduction paragraph.

52. •
You may find it difficult to write an introduction at the beginning.
Sometimes you may only write a tentative introduction, continue with the
development, then come back and write the introduction last.
•
Pay attention to your first sentence. This is the sentence your reader
(your instructor and the exam marker too) reads first. You should make a
good impression, and should be careful not to make too many mistakes. If
you start your essay with a sentence full of grammar, spelling or
vocabulary mistakes, you cannot expect to make a good first impression.

53. 
Avoid making announcements: Do not start with opening sentences such as
"In this essay I will discuss ..."

Avoid using clichés. Clichés mean that you do not have anything new to
say.

Avoid filler introductions: When you do not have much to say about a
topic, you list a couple of sentences one after the other, just to fill the
introductory space. If the writer had something effective to say, he would
have said it. However, in this example, he is just filling space.

54. Strategies for writing good
introductions
taken from http://www.buowl.boun.edu.tr/students/the%20essay.htm#introductions
1- Asking questions
•
Using questions to attract the attention of your readers is
another useful strategy. Then, your essay proceeds to
answer the questions you have posed in the introduction.
•
Example paragraph 1:
•
"Turkish governments have been trying to join the
European Union for years. Despite all the difficult tasks
that have to be achieved in order to join the EU, Turkish
governments are persistent. Turkish citizens seem to agree
with their governments, too. Why are we insisting on
becoming a member of the union then? It is probably
because of the differences between the happiness levels of
Turkish and EU citizens." (Gokhan Remzi Yavuz, Adv 2003)

55. •
Example paragraph 2:
•
"Who can imagine a world without music? Just as we –the humansappeared, music emerged as one of our important needs too. It is obvious
that music has filled our lives very effectively in that now it is impossible
to eradicate it out of our lives. Who can claim the opposite? When we
are born, the first thing we hear is the lullabies of our mothers. Then, as
time passes, we continue to listen to music much more. Of course, we
don't listen to lullabies any more, but we choose a particular type of
music that influences us. Why we listen to music and like the type of the
music we like is not a simple phenomenon, on the contrary, the reasons
are much more complex." (Beste Kalender, Adv 2003)

56. 2- Using an anecdote
•
Using a short anecdote is another way to start your essay. If you have a
relevant anecdote ready, using it in the introduction will make your essay
more interesting and attract the attention of your reader.
•
Example paragraph:
•
"In a myth it is told that once humans did not have gender. They were
neither male nor female. One day they made one of the gods angry and
he punished them. He separated them into two parts: male and female.
Also he put them away from each other to make them look for their
partners all over the world. For centuries and centuries it went on like
that, people searching for the missing part of the puzzle, their missing
half ." (Ozge Uraz, Adv 2003)

57. 3- Using quotations

Using quotations in the introduction is another effective way to start your
essay. If you have the right quotation that matches your thesis or
summarizes what you want to say, it adds flavor to your essay. In the
essay below, the author has found a quotation that expresses the exact
idea she wants to discuss, and she builds the whole paragraph around the
quotation.

58. •
Example paragraph 1:
•
"Music is maybe the first invention of humankind in which he was firstly
inspired by the nature and then completed with his own emotions and
senses. By then, music became the most indispensable friend of human
kind, but why is it so fundamental?
•
“Music was invented to confirm human loneliness”, says Lawrence
Durrell. Although they live in a society and are labeled “social animal” by
some philosophers, humans are in fact alone. They have an inner world
which they could hardly express to others or they could even hardly
identify themselves. Music helps people understand themselves, melodies
make them wander in their own world and discover the lonely parts of
their souls. People who can understand or identify themselves are no
more alone in the world. They find a friend which will never let them
down, and never will leave them, or a friend from their “inner” world.
(Sinem Kavak, Adv 2003)

59. 4- Defining a word or phrase
•
Sometimes defining a term or a phrase that will be used throughout the
essay is a good strategy. However, it should not be a dictionary definition
since anyone can consult a dictionary. The definition you offer should
match your thesis, or the claims you will be making in the essay.
•
Example paragraph :
•
"The term “violence in the family” refers to male violence against
females. It means that men are generally rude to women both
physically and psychologically. Concerning this issue, a study has been
conducted by Family Research Institute in five different geographic
regions of Turkey on married women about husband violence against
wives. The results of this survey indicate that two independent variables
seem to be related to approval of violence." (Derya Aslan, Adv 2004)

60. WRITING THESIS STATEMENTS

A thesis statement is the sentence that

tells your reader the subject of your paper

states the controlling idea of your paper, i.e. it makes
an assertion about the subject

predicts the logical order of discussion you will follow in
your paper

In other words, the thesis statement is the anchor of
your essay: with a good thesis statement your reader
does not have to wait until he finishes reading all of
your essay to learn what kind of a claim you are making,
what your stance is, or how you are going to prove your
viewpoint.

61. 
1. An effective thesis should be a declarative sentence,
never an open ended question. If you just ask a question, the
reader will have no idea what you are trying to illustrate.

Not a thesis statement: What are the disadvantages of living
in a big city?

2. A good thesis should be restricted and focused. It should
not be too general or too comprehensive. If it is too
comprehensive, you may not be able to prove it all in one
essay.

Too general: Computers have advantages and disadvantages.

This thesis is too general. How are you going to discuss the
advantages and disadvantages of computers in one essay?
There are technical and economic issues, social effects, time
and financial considerations, etc.

62. 
3. A thesis statement should not make an announcement. It should make a
claim.

Announcement: In this essay I will discuss the advantages and
disadvantages of living on your own.

Revised thesis statement: When considered generally, living on your own
is much better than living with your family.

4. A thesis statement should not make a claim that cannot be proved by
logical analysis.

Moral judgment of the writer: Only evil and wicked young people choose
to live on their own.

Such a statement expresses the moral judgment of the writer and cannot
be proved in any factual or logical way.

63. 2. THE BODY
•
The body of your essay is minimum three paragraphs long, and supports
/illustrates / explains the thesis with the help of evidence, details, facts
and examples. How you organize your thoughts in a logical order may
depend on your topic and thesis. There are various ways of treating a
topic: the essay may be organized in order of importance, in chronological
order, or spatial order. It can also be a description, narration, comparison
and contrast, cause and /or effect, definition, process, classification or
argumentation essay. An essay can be written in one of those methods, or
it can be a combination of two or more types. It all depends on the
purpose of the essay.

64. 
In the body of the essay, all the preparation up to this
point comes to fruition. The topic you have chosen
must now be explained, described, or argued. Each
main idea that you wrote down in your outline will
become one of the body paragraphs. If you had three or
four main ideas, you will have three or four body
paragraphs. Each body paragraph will have the same
basic structure.
 Start
by writing down one of your main ideas, in
sentence form. Next, write down each of your
supporting points for that main idea, but leave four
or five lines in between each point.
 In the space under each point, write down some
elaboration for that point. Elaboration can be
further description or explanation or discussion.

65. 3. CONCLUSION

If you have written an effective introduction, and
logically developed your essay, the flow of ideas
naturally leads to your conclusion. A good conclusion
should round up your arguments and reach a final
conclusion. There are a number of ways you can
conclude your essay.

66. •
1. Review its major ideas
•
This is the simplest way to finish an essay. You go over your essay, restate
the main idea in the conclusion.
•
"Music is a great way to relax and be happy in daily life. It is also very
useful for musicians and composers to express their feelings. This is one
of the reasons which make music universal; it has nothing to do with age,
race or religion. Anyone who wants to listen to music, listens to music and
anyone who wants to do music does music." (Aysegul Dogan, Adv 2003)
•
"As you can see, music makes our lives better. It increases the things we
share both with ourselves and with others. It helps our loneliness to get
smaller and smaller because sharing is the only way to get rid of our
loneliness. That is why music is so important in our lives." (Sinem Kavak,
Adv 2004)

67. 
2. Restate the thesis

Sometimes, conclusions can restate the thesis of the essay. This is
done using different words to avoid monotony. In the essay below,
the author restates the thesis idea in the conclusion paragraph.

Introduction:

"For a long time there has been a controversy between animal
rights supporters and scientists about whether it is right to use
animals in experimental research. Also, it is very debatable
whether using animals for such research results in finding a cure
for diseases. From my point of view, if there are no other
alternatives, and if it is possible that this will contribute to
science, animals may be used for experimental research."

Conclusion:

"All in all, it can be said that using animals for medical research
is ethical as long as it contributes to scientific development and
helps scientists find ways to improve human health. And this
practice is only acceptable on the condition that necessary
pains are taken and animals are treated humanely." (Ayse Ipek,
Adv 2004)

68. 3. Use questions and quotations
•
Using questions and quotations in the conclusion can be a good way to
bring your essay to a close. If you can find a quotation that fits your
position, the conclusion will sound interesting.
•
There are other ways of ending an essay, of course. Whichever method
you use, make sure that you reach a conclusion at the end of your essay.
•
Never bring up new ideas or start new discussions in the conclusion.
•
Do not let your essay finish weakly with a weak conclusion section. A good
essay deserves a good conclusion.
•
Make sure that your conclusion is consistent with the arguments in your
essay. Sometimes you may get carried away and end up concluding the
opposite of your thesis, especially if you do not plan well. Do not let such
inconsistency happen.
•
Written by Zeliha Gulcat, Sept 2004

69. Add the Finishing Touches

You have now completed all of the paragraphs of your
essay. Before you can consider this a finished product,
however, you must give some thought to the formatting
of your paper.

Check the order of your paragraphs.

Check the instructions for the assignment.

Check your writing.

70. LET’S SUMMARIZE THE MAIN SKELETON
OF THE ESSAY AS STEPS

71. Five-Paragraph Essay
Organizer
Example 2
Name _____________________
Example 1
Main Example 2
Main Idea
Example 1
Example 2
Main Example 1
Example 3
Example 3
Example 1
Example 2
Main Example 2
Example 3

72. References
This presentation is a mix of three different sources. They are:
Omar, N.(2013) How to write an introduction,
http://www.slideshare.net/izhamaqil/how-to-write-an-introduction-23732305
,accessed 7 March2014.
Manago, C.(2014) An Introduction to Essay: Its parts and
kinds,
http://www.slideshare.net/ceciliamanago/an-introduction-to-essay
,accessed 7 March 2014.
Ekincer, G.(2011) From paragraph to essay,
http://www.slideshare.net/gulerek/from-paragraph-to-essay
,accessed 7 March 2014