In order for the first paragraph of an essay to actually be a proper introduction (in other words, for it to fulfill the requirements of a proper introduction), it must do two things. 1) Include a thesis statement. 2) Provide a preview or essay plan for the essay. So what do these two things mean? 1) A thesis statement is the sentence (or sometimes sentences) that tells the reader what the position of the author is. When [[https://www.openstreetmap.org/user/Waddell%20Kofod|GRE Argument Essay Sample - Learn How To Write Like A Pro]] are given an essay question, the thesis statement is your clear and concise answer to the question. For example, if an essay question was 'What were the causes of the Holocaust in World War II? A 'thesis' is an 'argument', so the thesis statement indicates what the argument of the essay is, or what argument (or point of view) the author of the essay will be putting across to readers. 2) An introduction must introduce all the main points that the essay will discuss. [[https://www.ted.com/profiles/19303417|Argumentative Essay Sample Prompt]] must provide evidence in order to back up or support the thesis statement. This means you have to provide proof to back up your answer to the essay question. This has been created with the help of [[https://www.gsa-online.de/product/content_generator/|GSA Content Generator DEMO]] !

So if your essay is on the causes of the Holocaust, and your essay is going to discuss six main causes (two paragraphs on each), then your introduction must list (or introduce) each of these six main causes. So an essay map or preview is just a list of topics that your essay will discuss. Usually this list is linked to your thesis statement, or comes straight after it. When writing an essay, you must use 'topic sentences'. These are sentences that go at the beginning of each paragraph in which you are about to discuss a new topic. So in the example we have been looking at of the Holocaust essay, I mentioned that the essay will discuss six reasons for the Holocaust and each reason will have two paragraphs. So that means that every second paragraph would use a 'topic sentence' since it would be moving on to discuss another reason for the Holocaust. These sentences let the reader know what the paragraph will discuss (what the next point to be discussed in the essay is) and also relate the paragraph back to the introduction. This gives the essay a nice flow, and shows that it has been well organised.

That will make it easier to research and to write. Look for material (books, articles, blogs, documentaries) by credible sources and experts. Read broadly and take note of the most common issues argued over this topic. When writing your essay, it’s important to cover the most important and pressing issues, however, look for unique angles that may not have been thoroughly explored yet. Teachers will like that you took the initiative to include something original. A good outline will help you heaps when it comes to the writing process. If [[https://www.gaiaonline.com/profiles/macleodringgaard85/44486211/|Examples Of Persuasive And Argumentative Essays - 11trees Guide]] take time to write a well-crafted one, all you’ll have to do is fill it in. Introduction - Give some background on your topic so the reader knows what you’re going to talk about. Try to address some of these questions in your introduction: why is this topic important? How does it affect me? What can be done about it? For example, if the topic is gun control you could cite a statistic about the number of deaths by firearms in the US per year or a quote from a parent who lost a child in a school shooting.

The introduction should also include your thesis statement where you take a side on the issue. For example, your thesis statement could be: The best way to reverse this trend is to implement stricter gun control legislation. Supporting Paragraph 1 - Present a main argument that supports your thesis. For example, Stricter gun laws will reduce access to firearms. You could cite cases where people with criminal records or mental illnesses were sold firearms and went on to use them. Supporting Paragraph 2 - Present a second argument to support your thesis. For example, In X study, stricter gun laws reduced homicide by firearms by x %. Counterargument - Present the counterargument. In this case it could be that limiting gun access could strip innocent people of their right to defend themselves against violent criminals who could still obtain guns through illegal ways. You should also refute the counterargument: By introducing stricter laws that specifically limit the sale of guns to criminals and those with mental illness, the number of gun-related homicides would be reduced.