How to start an essay? Writing an essay is a time consuming and often times difficult task which requires a lot of attention. Getting off to a good start on your essay can give a good first impression to the reader as well as set the tone for the entire piece of writing. But how do you start an essay in the correct way? In this article, we are going to be looking at some tips on how to start an essay which will give you the confidence to get off on the right foot.
Learn more with simple tips to write a great essay quickly.
How to Start an Essay
Of course, the most important thing when beginning your essay is to select a good topic. You will likely have been given an essay prompt or an essay question but then choosing the topic and theme is completely up to your imagination. It is important to choose something that you have a passion about and can easily write about. Once you have done this and made the necessary preparations, you can begin writing. But where do we start?
Preparation
No essay can be started without good planning and therefore it is important that once you have chosen your topic, you spend a good deal of time outlining your ideas and coming up with a detailed plan of what you are going to write. You should also perform any research at this point and record any relevant data or statistics which you wish to include in your writing.
Essay Introduction
The start of your essay should immediately grab the attention of the reader and cause them to want to continue reading. There are various ways in which you can do this and we are going to take a look at these in a little more detail now.
Include A Thesis Statement
The first few lines of your essay should detail the thesis statement. This should briefly outline the question posed and a summarised answer of your take on it. It does not need to be detailed at all but should engage the reader and give them a good idea of what the essay is going to be about. An example of a good thesis statement can be seen below:
“Homeschooling can be of much more benefit to children because they are able to spend time in a familiar environment which is much more conducive to learning and will help them to more easily retain learned information.”
You can see that the above thesis statement clearly outlines the topic of the essay as well as the author’s point of view, giving you an understanding of what will be discussed.
Ask A Question
A good way to engage the reader is to ask a question within your introduction. This might be a question which is left unanswered or it may be one which you go on to explain. Following on from the thesis statement that we have just read, here is an example of a question and answer which could come next.
“Why would a parent choose to stay home and teach their child over sending them to school? The simple answer is that the parent has more control over what the child is learning and how that information is delivered. Not only this but the parent has the opportunity to spend more one on one time with the child which would be greatly lacking if the child were to attend a traditional school setting.”
Include Some Interesting Facts Or Data
If you want to get the reader onside, it is important to show them from the get go that your writing is made up from reliable sources and with credible data. A great way to do this, as well as to get the reader’s attention is to state some facts or statistics about the subject you are writing on. Let’s take a look at an example of what you might write.
“In the United States, 3.3% of children are taught at home. This may come as a surprise, but what is even more surprising is that the majority of these children come from poorer families. But what is the reason for this? Could it be that parents who are unemployed are keeping their children at home as a way to give themselves a purpose?”
You might notice that within this paragraph, we have also included a question, giving the reader something else to consider and perhaps encourage them to look further into the subject for themselves.
Talk About A Personal Experience
If you are looking for a way to engage the reader on a more personal level, you might consider beginning your essay with an anecdote, a story or an observation you have made. This will not only make the piece of writing more personal to you but will also add some of your own personality into it. We are now going to take a look at an example of what you might write.
“My younger cousin was homeschooled from the age of 7. I remember a great feeling of envy as a child that he could take field trips in his own back yard or spend time with his father at the same time as learning the history of America. As a child, the idea of being taught at home was highly appealing and I still believe that I would have benefited from it more than I did attending school.”
How To Start An Essay Quick Tips
If you are looking for some quick advice on starting your essay, these quick tips will give you a good footing.
- Ensure that your introduction is interesting, engaging and catches the attention of the reader from the start.
- Clearly outline the topic and your opinions on the subject without going into too much detail-you can delve in deeper in the body of the text.
- Make sure to give some background on the subject, you should presume that the reader has no previous knowledge.
Conclusion
When you begin to write an essay there are a few key points to remember. The main point is that the start of your essay should be appealing and clearly detail what is going to be discussed.
How to Start an Essay Infographic
How to Start an Essay
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