THE INTRODUCTION TO THE ESSAY

Like all first impressions, the introductory paragraph of your essay will leave a lasting imprint. Therefore, it is extremely important that it be well written. To favorably impress your readers, your introduction should contain the following:

Hook

How is a hook used in fishing? It dangles in front of its target (the fish) and tries to lure or captivate it. In much the same way, the "hook" in an essay is used to catch the attention of your audience. To (accomplish this, begin your essay with an interesting, thought-provoking idea about the topic you have been assigned.
Avoid asserting the obvious; that is, merely stating a fact that everyone knows is true. For example, "Learning a new language is difficult" is a fact known to be true by almost everyone, and, therefore, serves no useful purpose.

Sometimes a quotation (or proverb) works well as a hook if it is particularly relevant to the thesis.