Is it a good idea to start an essay with a definition?

Question

Like for example i'm writing an essay on history, should i just say that history is defined as blah blah blah blah. or should i so something else for my topic sentence?

Answer 1

No matter what you start with, teachers wont stop finding mistakes or grammatical errors..

Answer 2

Perhaps find a way to make it part of your conclusion.

After everything that you say, you put in the final paragraph what this or that type of history is and why your topic is worthy to be put into that category.

Answer 3

NO! teachers see that all the time. You want to try and show them something they don't see thirty or forty times during grading a paper. Also, don't use, in the beginning or a long time ago or something like that. Try your hand as some creative expository literature to start it of.

Answer 4

It would be ok, but better to define something about your topic. For example, if your history paper is about a famous war hero, you would say "the definition of a hero is blah blah blah. WarHeroGuy certainly lived up to that blah blah blah." You'll have to dress it up, but you get the idea.