A hook sparks curiosity in readers. Mastery of writing essays begins with learning how to write an essay hook. It starts off the content development on a high note, giving your audience a picture of what to expect as you continue reading. A hook creates continuity in readership that gets across information most people would have bypassed. In this blog, our expert essay writers will divulge the features and how to produce a captivating hook. We also help students with essay homework and assignments.
What is the Role of the Hook Statement and How to Write an Essay Hook
A hook is a sentence with fewer words and contains data at the start of each essay. Its main objective is to attract and hold the reader’s attention. A good hook that does not exceed two lines should be exciting and impressive so that the reader automatically wants to know more about your essay. You can use a hook in as many essays as possible and in different types of essays.
Essay hooks do not replace introductions; they only create a statement or question a reader would want to know more about. They enhance the introduction and can be used to set the pace for the thesis statement. An ideal introduction should have the following structure:
- A hook
- A short description of your topic
- The thesis
Below is an example of a hook:
Did you know that 0.3% of the energy in the Sahara, specifically solar energy, can power the whole of Europe?
A short description of a topic:
Yes, such neutral energy and the things that it can do can be quite impressive. Why don’t we exploit its potential to the fullest, and when will this happen?
Thesis: In people’s minds, the ability to take action as it sometimes happens thus seems to be the problem.
Teaching how to write a good hook takes time and thinking through your facts. You need an intriguing statement that will form the basis of your essay. It needs to be done correctly, as it might impact the readers.
Let’s take, for instance, that your essay’s topic is all about climatic change; below are two hooks you can use:
- Climatic change is affecting human lives in several ways. It threatens the clean air, nutritious food supply, safe drinking, and safe shelter.
- According to WHO (World Health Organization), between 2030 and 2050, climatic change is expected to cause at least 250,000 deaths per year, all caused by malaria, diarrhea, malnutrition, and heat alone.
A good hook will match the type of essay, fit into the writer’s style, and gently take the readers to the main topic. A bad hook will lower the readers’ expectations, making the essay not worth reading.
How to Write an Essay Hook
- Remember your essay type – this is one of the most important things you need to know about when learning how to write a good hook. An effective hook is not only about the message but also about its relevance.
- Purpose of your hook. – What effect is the hook going to impact? Do you want your readers to be intrigued? Or do you want them to be surprised? Or do you want them to be in shock? Choose a hook per the effect you want it to intrigue.
- Choose a hook after you finish writing – Though it should be the first sentence of your paper, this does not imply that you should compose your hook first. Writing an essay is a long process that requires much creativity. Thus, if you cannot develop an idea to put in a good hook initially, continue writing according to plan. At last, it will come and capture the essay’s nerve. Check if it fits the whole text. It is why we advise you to write it when you finish writing your essay.
- Make your hook short. – the shorter, the better. Make sure that the first moment a reader starts looking at your essay, they will end up reading your hook as it will be short. It should grasp their attention before the readers think if they want to read it. They will end up reading the text to discover as much as possible.
Strategies to Follow on How to Write an Essay Hook
Literary Quotes
Use the hook in the literary quotes as it can lead to service purchase. It depends on most of the quotes, what they mean, and the style. It can be one of the easiest types of hook-forming technique with a massive following. Be careful with them, put them back in your mind, and realize they are inappropriate in persuasion or explanation.
For example, you can use the line to compare and contrast the essay on William Shakespeare’s works in different periods: “a little more than kin and less than kind” (Hamlet Act 1 scene 2)
Quotes from Famous People
It is one of the most overused hook strategies. Pick a modern figure with big achievements to reference. If they influence people, the reader will be motivated to keep reading.
Example Hook: “Every day you wake up in the morning and want to live. There has to be a reason for that.”
Elon Musk’s quotes can create a great hook for persuasive essays on how to archive results in the business world and how to impact the world.
Common Misconception
Show the reader that one thing they believe in is false. Afterward, connect it with the thesis of your story. The idea of this format is to intensify disagreement within your topic. You will create a disturbance that will make the reader read further.
Example Hook: “The Buddha was not fat,” “fortune cookies are not Chinese”
Anecdotes and Joke
If the topic is not serious, this option can be taken up. Even if you use a joke at the beginning of your essay, it does not have to mean that the whole essay is supposed to be humorous. You should always put in the back of your mind that you are supposed to be brief. The joke is supposed to be short and properly aimed to achieve the best results.
Example hook: “I stopped fighting my inner demons because we are on the same side.”
This is a good way to open an essay about the bad habits in our lives, their role, and how to understand them. The essay can be explanatory.
Personal Stories
This hook type will be used in your essay if you put your whole story into 2-3 sentences. If the case is different from this, look for other options. In addition, you should tell a little of a personal story and evaluate if it will suit the style. In narrative essays, you should tell your readers these are good instances.
Statistics
When other types of hooks are inappropriate, this hook can be applied and is usually effective. Persuasive essays use statistic hooks for serious topics. Giving figures is an effective way to capture attention. You should always show exact figures rather than using words like “a lot” and “many” to impress the reader.
Example hook: in a day, there are 4.2 billion likes on Instagram posts.
How to Write an Essay Hook: Use Questions
How the brain works is an example of how this hook trick works. Once you have heard about a question, your brain starts to process that particular question. It will do so even if the question is rhetorical and still if nobody has asked you to answer it. Your readers will begin to think about the question, though they have answers. They become curious about your viewpoint on the issue. These kinds of questions have to be unusual and even unexpected. You should not ask ordinary, dull questions.
Example hook: “Have you ever thought about how much plastic waste you produce in a year?”
This question is going to make the reader interested, make the reader stop reading, and make them think about it. After that, they will gladly listen to your opinion about the plastic problem as a pollution agent. Use this kind of hook in a cause–and–effect essay or in an argumentative essay.
Fact or Definition
You may start your essay with an interesting fact or by giving a definition linked to your topic. This rule applies at this point: interesting, shocking, and unexpected.
Example hook: “The number of people in the USA is 319 million, and the number of firearms owned by the USA civilians is 371 million [provide the resource link]; there are more guns than people in the USA.
Scenes
For more people in number, remembering the process when it is visual is easier. Another thing about the human brain is that we like to transform words into images. Take, for instance, telling you not to imagine a big shaggy dog. You will do exactly the opposite.
Thesis Statement
Another trick is to refrain from using any tricks. You should start directly with the main topic statement. You will not be able to put many things into a couple of sentences, and you do not need to do so. But it would be best if you outlined what you will do.
Still Don’t Know How to Write an Essay Hook?
Hooks are very significant aspects of an essay. It is the impressions readers capture in an essay. Still don’t know how to write an essay hook? Our essay writers will help you pose a captivating hook that will wow your tutors. They also help students write their essay assignments on time.
