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HOW DO I WRITE AN INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH?
by Kathy McLain, M.A.   An introductory paragraph should introduce the specific issue or problem that you are writing about.  Remember that your audience is intelligent but uninformed about the specific issue you may be writing about.  It is important to explain to the reader the exact issue or problem before stating your own position on that topic.  Usually the thesis of the paper is stated after you introduce the problem or issue in the introductory paragraph.

Write all of the sections of the paper in the third person unless you are relating a personal example to support some specific point in your paper.  Of course, a narration paper, which may talk about you or others you know, can be written in the first person.

Although narrative papers usually have some type of introductory paragraph, they do not usually state a thesis; instead some narrative introductions introduce the story and may explain the reason for relating the event.

Although some instructors may require an introductory paragraph with a definition paper, it is difficult to introduce a definition because the purpose of definition is to inform, not to argue.  Definition papers do not usually begin with a thesis statement in an introductory paragraph.  Instead, definition papers begin with a formal sentence definition of the term or concept to be explained or defined.

A formal sentence definition contains the term to be defined, a limited group or class that this term fits into, and then an explanation of how the term is different from all others in the group or class it was placed in.

Example:  Cystic fibrosis is a disease primarily of the lungs
             Term to be defined             Group or class

        characterized by the excessive and uncontrollable production of mucous.
                                           differentiation