by Lucy E. Zahnle

Created on: February 16, 2010

When writing an essay, many writers scrupulously polish their thesis statements, work tirelessly to find solid supporting evidence, and carefully organize their thoughts. However, when they start writing, they leap into the body of their essay and present their work without giving readers a proper grounding in their topic and point of view and without providing an opening paragraph.

The opening paragraph is the most important part of any essay. It introduces the topic to the readers, presents the author’s stance on the topic, and creates the interest and inclination in readers that cause them to keep reading. The opening paragraph is what grabs the readers and draws them in. It should pique their curiosity from the very first sentence. If the introduction paragraph does not catch the readers’ interest, the greatest, most well-researched supporting information in the world will be of little value because no one will read it.

An essay’s opening paragraph should make the topic clear to the readers. The thesis statement, the writer’s position on the topic, is usually included in the introduction paragraph. Although sometimes a thesis statement is more effective in the conclusion paragraph, in most cases, the thesis statement works better in the opening paragraph because it gives readers an understanding of the main idea and the supporting points the essay will cover. If readers have some idea of the information the work contains, it helps them to decide whether they want to continue reading or not.

For those who are posting their essays on-line, both the title and opening paragraph are extremely important because of the need for search engine optimization. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the careful use of words in a text’s title and the opening paragraph that online searchers are likely to type into a search engine. Peppering the title and opening paragraph of an essay with clear, straightforward words for which people are likely to search will make an essay easier to find on the Internet. If the essay is posted on an earn-per-view content aggregator website, this translates into higher earnings for the writer. An author’s choice to use or ignore SEO will decide where the essay falls in search engine rankings. This, in turn, will determine the essay’s visibility to readers who are looking for information. Search engine rankings can make the difference between the essay being read or not being read. 

The opening paragraph of an essay or, indeed, any written work is an important part of the overall piece. A well-written, cohesive essay should contain a smooth opening paragraph that introduces the topic and thesis, then transitions to an effectively presented body of supporting evidence, which moves easily to a satisfying conclusion paragraph.  The overall sense the readers should take from the work is that it is comprehensive and global in its organization of text.  Leaving out the opening paragraph or presenting an overly brief, disjointed, or rambling opening paragraph jeopardizes that global organization from the start, making the essay harder to understand or follow and less satisfying for readers.

A solid introduction paragraph should draw the readers’ interest from the opening sentence and make them want to know more. It should clearly present the author’s topic and point of view. It should lead readers smoothly into the rest of the essay. If the essay is to be posted on-line, it should also be configured for SEO. A writer who incorporates all of these qualities into an essay’s opening paragraph is well on his or her way to composing a quality piece of writing.

Learn more about this author, Lucy E. Zahnle.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.