How to Write an Introduction Paragraph (With Examples)

5 November 2026 · 6 min read

A strong introduction paragraph does three jobs in order: it opens with a hook that gives the reader a reason to keep going, narrows to the context they need to follow your argument, and ends with a thesis statement that says exactly what you will argue or explain. For most essays, that takes four to six sentences. Many writers find it easier to draft the introduction last, once they know what the essay actually says.

Below is how to write each part, with full examples for different kinds of essays.

The three parts of an introduction

1. The hook

The hook is your first sentence or two. Its job is to make the topic feel worth reading about. Good hooks are specific and relevant to your argument, not decorative.

Types of hooks that work:

• A surprising or counterintuitive claim: "The most dangerous part of a bicycle ride is often the first hundred metres."
• A concrete scene or example: "In 1854, a London doctor removed the handle of a public water pump on Broad Street."
• A tension or problem: "Every city wants more housing, and almost every neighbourhood objects to it being built nearby."
• A sharp question, used sparingly: "If a company can predict what you will buy, should it be allowed to?"

Hooks to avoid:

• Dictionary definitions: "Webster's dictionary defines freedom as..."
• Sweeping history: "Since the dawn of time, humans have..."
• Generic statements anyone would agree with: "Technology is an important part of modern life."
• Unsupported statistics, especially ones you cannot cite.

2. Context

After the hook, narrow toward your specific topic. Give only the background the reader needs: the text and author you are analysing, the debate you are entering, a key term or the situation your essay addresses. Two or three sentences are usually enough.

The common mistake here is giving too much. If your context section starts to explain evidence or make arguments, move that material into the body.

3. The thesis statement

The last sentence (or two) of the introduction is usually your thesis: the main claim of the essay. A good thesis is:

• Arguable, meaning someone could reasonably disagree
• Specific, naming exactly what you claim
• Focused enough to support in the space you have

Weak: Social media has positive and negative effects.

Stronger: Although social media helps isolated teenagers find community, its design rewards constant comparison, which does more harm to most young users' self-esteem than the benefits offset.

Some assignments also expect a brief roadmap of your main points. Others find that mechanical. Follow your instructor's preference. If you are struggling to sharpen your claim, a thesis statement generator can show you different ways to frame it, which you can then adapt to your actual argument and evidence, within your course's rules on AI use.

Example introductions

Argumentative essay

Most cities measure their parks by size. A better measure might be distance: how far the average resident must walk to reach one. In many places, large parks sit on the edge of town while dense neighbourhoods have only paved squares, leaving the people with the least private outdoor space furthest from public green space. Councils planning new parks should prioritise many small sites within a ten-minute walk of every home over a single large destination park, because access shapes how often people actually use green space.

Hook: a reframing of how parks are measured. Context: the mismatch between where parks are and where people live. Thesis: a specific, arguable recommendation with a reason.

Literary analysis

Near the end of the novel, the narrator burns the letters she spent three hundred pages trying to recover. The scene is easy to read as defeat. Yet the book has repeatedly linked the letters to her mother's control over her, from the locked desk in the opening chapter to the arguments over who owns them. Read in that light, the burning is the protagonist's first act of independence, and the novel's ending is less a tragedy than a hard-won release.

Hook: a striking moment from the text. Context: the obvious reading and the pattern that challenges it. Thesis: an interpretive claim.

Expository essay

Before a new medicine reaches a pharmacy shelf, it usually passes through several phases of human testing. Each phase answers a different question, from whether a drug is safe at all to whether it works better than existing treatments. Understanding these stages helps explain why development can take many years and why early results reported in the news often do not lead to an approved treatment. This essay outlines the main phases of a clinical trial and what each is designed to show.

Hook: a clear process framed around a familiar outcome. Context: the purpose of phases. Thesis: the scope of the explanation.

Personal or reflective essay

I learned to cook because my flatmate refused to. For the first month, I made pasta with jarred sauce four nights a week and called it independence. It was a burnt pan of rice, and the smoke alarm that followed, that made me realise I had been treating food as a chore to finish rather than a skill to learn. That shift, from getting it done to getting it right, changed more than my cooking.

Personal essays often hold back a formal thesis but still signal where the piece is going.

A step-by-step process

1. Write your thesis first, even as a rough working version.
2. Draft the body of the essay.
3. Revise the thesis so it matches what the body actually argues. Essays often drift during drafting.
4. Write the context the reader needs to understand that thesis.
5. Add a hook that leads naturally into the context.
6. Read the introduction and conclusion together. They should feel connected without repeating each other word for word.

If your introduction is correct but clunky, a paragraph rewriter can suggest smoother phrasing. Compare the suggestions with your original and keep only the changes that preserve your meaning.

Length guidelines

Follow any specific guidance in your assignment.

FAQ

How many sentences should an introduction paragraph have?

Most introduction paragraphs have four to six sentences: one or two for the hook, two or three for context and one for the thesis. Longer essays may need more.

Should the thesis always be the last sentence?

In most academic essays, yes, because it gives the reader a clear transition into the body. Some disciplines and styles allow more flexibility, so follow your instructor's guidance.

Can I start an introduction with a question?

You can, but use it carefully. A sharp, specific question can work well. A vague one, such as "Have you ever wondered about climate change?", tends to feel like filler.

Should I write the introduction first or last?

Many writers draft a rough introduction first to stay focused, then rewrite it after finishing the body. That way the thesis matches what the essay actually argues.