Go back

How to Start an Essay? 8 Essential Tips you must follow

Want to know how to write a great essay? Start here! Check out our easy-to-follow guide and learn how you can craft the perfect introduction, continue with your body paragraphs, and end it strong. Your teacher will be impressed!


2021-11-15

seeking homework help service

How to start an essay - arguably one of the most difficult and daunting tasks a student might face. It's not surprising that many people struggle with this, after all, it can be hard enough just knowing what to write about in the first place! But don't worry, we've put together 8 essential tips for how to start an essay so you'll never have to wonder again.

How do you start a good introduction for an essay?

Introduce the topic and provide a brief overview of what you will write about.

Give your reader some background information on the topic so they understand why it is important and why they should care to read more. This can be as simple as giving a definition or explaining something in layman's terms if needed.

Show, rather than tell: use examples and analogies to illustrate your point.

Why should the reader read on? What will they learn by doing so? How does it relate to them personally or what you are discussing in the essay? This is where you can include an argument if needed and ask a question for thought, introduction example: "What was once considered unimportant has now become highly sought-after."

Once you have your reader interested and engaged, it's time to tell them how the topic will be discussed. Will this include analysis of an argument or some other approach? What exactly are you going to cover in detail? How does each point relate back to the main idea of why they should read on? Your essay may work better by approaching the topic from a different angle or by using an argument to support your points.

What are the 3 ways of starting your essay?

There are 3 ways to start an essay:

1. State the main idea of what you will write about and why it is important.

2. Provide a brief overview of what you will write about and why it's important to the reader so they'll want to read on.

3. Pose a question to your reader and pose a brief introduction for it with an argument, for example: "What was once considered unimportant has now become highly sought-after."


What are some examples of how to start an essay?

- "There is no denying that the world we live in is changing. With this, comes new challenges and opportunities."

- "This might come as a surprise but..."

- "The question I want to pose today: what was once considered unimportant has now become highly sought-after?"

How can you start an essay by asking a question?

You can pose a question to your reader and then launch into the main introduction for it, for example: "What was once considered unimportant has now become highly sought-after."

Why is it important to present evidence when writing about something?

Presenting evidence when writing about something is important because it gives your reader confidence that you're knowledgeable on the topic and know what you are talking about. If they aren't sure whether or not to believe what you write, then there's no point in them reading the rest of it!

What makes a good introduction?

A good introduction should draw in the reader and make them want to read on. This can be done by providing a brief overview of what you will write about, giving background information, and/or posing a question for thought that your essay will answer or discuss further.

Why is it important to tell someone how you plan to start an essay?

It's important because this helps your reader understand what they should expect to learn and why it's important. It also gives them some background information on the topic so that they can better appreciate what you are saying.

8 essential tips you must follow to start an essay

When you start writing an essay, you need to know what it is that you're writing about and why. Without a clear idea of the topic at hand, there's no way for your audience to understand or appreciate your point. For this reason, here are eight essential guidelines:

  1. Introduce the topic and provide a brief overview of what you will write about.
  2. Give your reader some background information on the topic so they understand why it is important and why they should care to read more. This can be as simple as giving a definition or explaining something in layman's terms if needed.
  3. Show, rather than tell: use examples and analogies to illustrate your point.
  4. Why should the reader read on? What will they learn by doing so? How does it relate to them personally or what you are discussing in the essay?
  5. Your reader picks up your essay with a certain mindset. If you're writing about something difficult, it can be helpful to ease them in by talking generally and positively at first before going into the details. This is also useful if they are coming from an opposing point of view or have little background knowledge on the topic so that you don't lose them with too much detail.
  6. Make it easy for your reader to relate to what you are saying by using examples and analogies that they can understand. If the essay is difficult, try breaking down complicated terms into something simpler or explaining them in layman's terms if possible then gradually bring up more complex ideas later on.
  7. You should show rather than tell your reader why they should read on. For example, if you're writing about a challenging topic like depression then it might be useful to open with something positive and uplifting rather than diving straight into the details of what causes it. If people are coming from an opposing point of view or have little background knowledge then you can ease them in by talking generally and positively at first. If the essay is difficult then break down complicated terms into something simpler or explain them in layman's terms.
  8. Finish off your sentence with another tip that you would like to include for the reader. This should be different from any of the other sentences so far written. For example, if all of your previous tips have been about breaking down complicated terms then this tip could be about easing the reader in with something positive and uplifting rather than diving straight into the details.

We hope you found these essay writing tips helpful! It's a great idea to bookmark this blog post and come back later when you need some help. Do your best not to forget about us, we regularly provide new content on how to write essays like the one in today’s article for our readers' convenience. Stay connected by subscribing to our RSS feed or following ZzzEssay on social media (Facebook, Twitter).