Writing an Introduction Paragraph

In an essay or similar written work, your paper will start with an introduction paragraph.

An introduction paragraph gives the reader an idea of what your essay will be about.

The introduction paragraph should include all of the 3 parts below:

1. Hook
2. Thesis/argument for your comparisons
3. Line of development of 3 comparisons from your sources

Step 1 - Writing a Hook

A hook is a line that captures your reader’s attention on the topic you’re writing about. A few
ways you can capture his/her attention is by either writing: an interesting ​fact​, a surprising
statistic​, or a rhetorical ​question​. Take a look at the examples below.

● Edgar Allan Poe is considered the grandfather of Gothic horror.

● A horrific statistic claims that people pass by sociopaths at least once in their
lifetime.
● Why is studying about horror and mystery relevant in our daily lives?

You might agree or disagree with how attention-grabbing these lines are, but a hook is merely
trying to capture attention. It does not need to be perfect, but the best way you can phrase your
hook is by thinking about what you’ve noticed really grabs your instructor’s attention. Does
he/she prefer avoiding rhetorical questions? Will mentioning a statistic mean you have to do an
extra citation?

Step 2 - Writing an Argument for your Comparisons

You may already be familiar with what a thesis or topic sentence is. It’s a statement that
captures what your entire essay will be about.

In a comparison essay, your topic sentence will cover the ​2 sources​ you are comparing and
what ​the main comparison will be​.

Example: Both Poe’s short stories, ​“The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Fall of the House
of Usher”​ have similar settings that ​amplify the meaning of horror​.
Step 3 - Writing a Line of Development

The last part of your introduction paragraph should be about what your body paragraph(s) will
be about. You’re going to show the subtopics under your main topics by listing them out in a
well-written sentence.

Example: In this essay, I will prove that these two stories take place in similarly terrifying
settings by ​l​ooking at how the narrator describes each setting​; ​how the odours of the
settings are shown​; and ​how the characters react to the setting​.
(The three underlined parts show the main ideas of the body paragraphs.)

by Maria Asuncion