October 19, 2015
What is a Hook?
A hook is an element that you include in the introductory paragraph of your essay that grabs your reader's attention and makes them want to learn more. The hook, for the most part, is located at the beginning of the introductory paragraph. However, if you choose to, you can build up to your hook. This helps if your hook is going to be in the final sentences of an anecdote. Now that the term has been properly defined, let's continue by exploring how to write a hook for an essay.
What are Some Examples of Hooks?
As mentioned above, a hook can be an anecdote or part of an anecdote. It can also be a riddle, a statistic, a quote, or simply an emotionally touching statement. If used carefully, even a bit of hyperbole can be used to 'hook' your audience. Here are some specific examples of what a hook might look like in an essay.
- There is no way of determining whether somebody struggles with hunger just by looking at them.
- I always assumed the court system operated in a fair and just manner. This all changed when I was accused of a crime that I did not commit.
- Jack was a happy go lucky teenager when he left to go camping with his friends. Two days later he was clinging to life in a hospital.
- Every Cubs fan should be admired for their ability to cling to the absolutely hopeless.
What makes these hook statements is that they are catchy and provocative. Readers want to see more of the story, they want to see you justifying or proving your claims, or they simply want to see what other outlandish and entertaining these you may say. In any case, what you have done is hook your audience.
Does Every Essay Need a Hook?
Yes, every essay should have a hook. However, that hook must be well-crafted and appropriate to the topic being addressed in the essay. Humorous remarks would obviously be inappropriate when writing about sensitive topics. In addition to this, a hook can be constructed in a way that subtly encourages the reader to think about a certain topic or to view an issue a new way. A hook doesn't need to be bold and 'in your face' it just needs to pique the interest of the reader.
What is a Hook Sentence
Learning how to write a hook sentence for an essay is actually not very challenging. It is simply a matter of putting together a sentence that clearly and concisely communicates to the reader why it is that they should care about what you are writing. If you can do this in a simple, straightforward sentence, that is great. If you can incorporate something that is even more likely to get the attention of your readers, like a joke, quote, or story, that is even better. Just remember that making your point about the importance of your topic is much more important than being entertaining. An excellent phrase to keep in mind is subject first, emotional appeal/entertainment second.
More Essay Writing Help
There are many parts to writing an essay that can cause you to struggle. The essay hook is only one of them. Selecting a topic, editing and proofreading, researching, and citing sources are other challenges one can face. Our readers should have no fear of this as long as they know that they can contact us at any point time, and say to us, 'Write me an Essay.' Once this happens, we will gladly dispatch one of our professional writers to lend a hand.