Writing an Efective Introductory Paragraph for an Argumentative Essay

An essay is a piece of writing that is several paragraphs long. It is mainly about one topic (just like a paragraph). However, since the topic of an essay is broader, the essay is divided into paragraphs, one for each major point. To tie all the parts together, an effective introductory paragraph at the beginning, as well as a concluding paragraph at the end, is necessary.

Basically, the introductory paragraph has two parts, namely :

·         The general statements, which give the reader background information about the topic of the essay. These statements get the reader interested in the topic;

·         A thesis statement, which introduces the main idea of the essay. This statement is similar to the topic sentence in a paragraph, but is is broader and gives the controlling idea for the whole essay. The topic sentence(s) of the body paragraph(s) should relate to the thesis statement. The thesis statement is usually the last sentence of the paragraph.

A thesis statement:

1.      Should be a complete sentence
 
2.      Should express an opinion, an idea, of a belief.  It should be something that people can argue about. It should not be a plain fact.
Example :
NOT a thesis statement : Bill Gates founded Microsoft Corporation in 1977.
A thesis statement : Anybody in the whole can be as successful as Bill Gates.
 
3.      Should not be a detail or an example.
Example :
NOT a thesis statement : In 2003, the Forbes listed Bill Gates as the world’s richest man.
A thesis statement : Indonesia business people cannot compete with their foreign counterparts.
 
4.      May state or list how it will support an opinion.
Example :
Indonesia is still considered the home of the world’s best badminton players for several reasons.

Source: Broukal, Milada, weaving It Together: Book 3, p.16-18, Heinle & Heinle Publishers, 1994