How to write an essay introduction, how to write a 6 paragraph essay.

The “hook” is the first sentence of your essay introduction. It should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of why it’s interesting.

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You have a strong introduction - now make sure the rest of your essay is just as good.

This introduction to a literary analysis essay, about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, starts by describing a simplistic popular view of the story, and then states how the author will give a more complex analysis of the text’s literary devices.

Well done!

Without a clear thesis, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay. Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement, a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale. Arguably the first science fiction novel, its plot can be read as a warning about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, and in popular culture representations of the character as a “mad scientist”, Victor Frankenstein represents the callous, arrogant ambition of modern science. However, far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to gradually transform our impression of Frankenstein, portraying him in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as.

S = Statement: This is the main point of the paragraph. What part of the film is being discussed and what did it mean to the film? What was important about an historical event and how did it affect later events? Basically, what’s the point you’re about to discuss in this paragraph.

Your teen should check that the paragraphs are written in a logical order. Simply put – does the essay make sense? Does each paragraph follows SEXI? Get them to read their essay aloud (or in their head) so they can see how it flows (or doesn’t as it may be).

Introduction: Tell ’em what you’re gonna tell ‘em. Introduce the topic and briefly outline the points you’re going to make in your essay in the order you’re going to write about them. If the essay is meant to argue a point, your teen should make it clear in the introduction what their argument/point of view is.

An essay must be broken into paragraphs to make it readable. It’s horrible reading a full page of solid text. Breaking down an essay into different sections is what allows it to flow in a logical manner.

2. Each body paragraph must have a proper structure

An essay plan can be quickly scribbled in a margin, or the first page of an exam book that isn’t marked.

If the essay is being written in an exam your teen won’t have the luxury of time. So the number one rule here is: stay until the end! While it may seem like eternity to a high school student, exams aren’t actually that long. And a few minutes of proof reading can often make the difference between one grade and another. It’s worth staying right to the end.

Each of the three ‘fingers’ coming off each paragraph make up ‘SEXI’. I haven’t done the ‘I’ part, but within each paragraph I would try and emphasize why this point was important to the setting of the film.

The best thesis statements are concise, contentious and coherent.

• It gives your writing direction and focus.
• It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

You might already have a question in your assignment, but if not, try to come up with your own. What would you like to find out or decide about your topic?

You should come up with an initial thesis, sometimes called a working thesis, early in the writing process. As soon as you’ve decided on your essay topic, you need to work out what you want to say about it—a clear thesis will give your essay direction and structure.

Step 1: Start with a question

Everything mentioned in your thesis statement must be supported and explained in the rest of your paper.

Without a clear thesis, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

Your thesis statement might mention several aspects of your topic, but they should all add up to a coherent whole, expressing one main idea.

An essay differs from other written assignments because of its freedom of self-expression. The main body of an essay is the most important part of the paper.

You have to pay attention to structure because the body paragraph outline will vary widely, depending on the different essay types, disciplines, and other aspects. Thus, it is important to write the main part following a logical path. You can conduct research and read our advice on how to write a rough draft for an essay.

If you can’t write an introduction from scratch, you can skip it and start with the main body, We will try to provide a couple of examples of a basic essay structure as well as some tips for writing an excellent one.

Quick tip: a good way to prove your ideas is to use a few arguments for every point that you make. One of them should be strong and indisputable, while the second one can be less convincing yet informative. However, do not use more than five augments. It can make your text too long and boring.

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Evidence: Evidence proves the main idea of the paragraph. You can use different evidence in each sentence. Here are some examples of what you can use as evidence:

Here is a good essay paragraph example to make it a bit clearer:

Analysis: Using analysis, you explain the provided evidence but do not forget to tie the evidence to the main idea and discuss it.

Anything you write will benefit from learning these simple parts of an essay:

Before you can start writing, you must have an idea to write about. If you haven't been assigned a topic, it's easier than you might think to come up with one of your own.

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Mastering these steps will make your words more compelling

Some people will tell you to wait until you have finished writing to choose a title. Other people find that writing a title helps them stay focused. You can always review your title when you've finished the essay to ensure that it's as effective as it can be.

In your introduction, you stated the reason for your paper. In your conclusion, you should summarize how your key points support your thesis. Here's an example:

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