Hook Me Up (with essay hooks)

Your essay should grab your reader right from the get-go: snatch their attention, pique their interest...hook 'em.  So how do you do that?

A "hook" is a catchy sentence (or two) at the beginning of your essay that grabs the attention of the reader. You can also use hooks at the beginning of individual paragraphs.  Hooks can be interesting, mysterious, thought-provoking, or even funny.  Here are several different kinds of hooks you can try:

1.  Introduce an interesting fact

Start with something interesting about your topic that the reader likely doesn't know yet.

• With several shopping establishments charging extra for plastic bags, and many others banning them entirely, reusable shopping bags are sweeping the nation.   

2.  Use a quote

If you're writing about a book, it can be a good idea to start your essay with an important quote from that book, one that touches on the theme(s) you're going to discuss. 

• "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb into his skin and walk around in it" (Lee, 39).  (From To Kill A Mockingbird)

If you're writing about a topic, it's often effective to find a quote about that topic from someone you find credible.  

• Dr. Shinichi Suzuki once said, "Knowledge is not skill. Knowledge plus ten thousand times is skill." 

3. Tell a story

Stories from history, personal stories, parables, and fables can all make for interesting hooks.  

• Walt Disney was told that no one would come to see a full-length animated cartoon.  Everyone told him he was crazy, but he followed his dream, pushing through uncertainty and doubt.  Because of his persistence, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs went on to be one of the most successful films of all time. 

4. Describe a scene

Give a tangible description of something or someone to help us visualize what you're going to be talking about.

• Factories in the late 19th century smelt like sweat.  Men, women, and children spent their days doubled over machinery for hours, everyone and everything covered in grime. 

5.  Tell a joke 

Humor can be a fun way to start off an essay.  A joke about a particular issue can be a good way to transition into talking about it, but humor doesn't work well with every topic (such as human trafficking, or drug addiction) so be careful with this one.

• Diapers are like politicians: they should both be changed frequently. 

6.  Post statistics 

Facts and numbers show us you are prepared and have drawn from credible sources. They are also down-right interesting. 

• "29% of California's air pollution is from China."  Source here.

7.  Ask a rhetorical question

This is my least favorite kind because it's overused,  but it can still work well.  Rhetorical questions are questions that have obvious answers, and this can be a fun way to start an essay.  The audience wonders how you're going to address the topic and what new information you're going to offer. 

• Where do children learn racial prejudice? 
• Are teenagers addicted to cellphones? 

Any of these 7 methods can be wonderfully effective to hook a reader.  Once you've got em' hooked, lay out a brilliant thesis, and then you're on your way to an amazing essay.

Check out this great website for even more ideas on hooks: https://pro-essay-writer.com/blog/essay-hooks

Until next time, I remain your humble Online Writing Tutor,

Mrs. B