Essay Writing Guide

Hook Examples

Last updated on: Feb 8, 2023

Hook Examples: How to Start Your Essay Effectively

By: Nova A.

Reviewed By: Jacklyn H.

Published on: Feb 19, 2019

Hook Examples

Tired of getting poor grades on your high school or college essays?

Not sure how to make your writing interesting enough for the professor?

Students are always busy with essays, assignments, and projects on a regular basis. Whether they're in school or college, students are always looking for new ways to get their point across.

One way that's becoming increasingly popular is using hooks. Hooks are attention grabbing phrases that prompt the reader into further reading.

They intrigue them enough to stay interested in what you have to say next. Essay writing  is based on how well you explain your main points and engage the readers.

They can be placed anywhere in your essay. But typically they come at the beginning of sentences or paragraphs.

Check out the essay hook examples discussed in this blog to solve all your concerns.

Hook Examples

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What is an Essay Hook?

Imagine this; you are at a bookstore looking for interesting books to buy. How will you decide which one to go for?

You skim through the introduction if it catches your attention, you decide to buy it. Even if the book was well-written, if the introduction was dull, you wouldn’t want to continue reading it.

Similarly, when your professor is reading your essay, they judge it based on the introduction. If the introduction fails to impress them, they are less likely to keep reading it further. Even if they do decide to give it a quick read, they wouldn't find it too interesting.

To combat this issue, writers make use of a term called a “hook.” A hook sentence is the opening sentence of your essay. And it is written with the intention of grabbing the reader's attention.

An effective essay hook has the ability to keep the reader interested and motivate them to finish reading the entire essay.

It is better to start your essay with a hook. It provides an idea about your overall topic and the questions that are addressed.

It is important to have an interesting opening statement. And it is important for the rest of the text to be engaging as well. Here is a complete guide to describe  how to start an essay  to keep your audience engaged.

In this article, we are going to address the basics of writing a hook and the different types of hooks.

How to Write a Hook?

The opening lines of an essay is your hook, which acts as an attention grabber. Remember that the hook statement is part of your essay introduction. It isn’t written to replace the introduction itself.

An introduction consists of a hook followed by a thesis statement. A hook is written to attract the reader. The purpose of a thesis statement is to explain the main points of the essay. To learn more about it, head on to this detailed blog of writing a  thesis statement .

In order to write a good hook, you must be aware of the following aspects:

Remember, that the hook should be related to the main topic or idea of the piece of writing.

When you write essays, research papers, or other academic papers you can use different types of hooks relevant to your requirements. Some of the different attention grabbing hooks are:

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Hook Sentence Examples

To give you a better understanding of the different types of essay hooks, we will be discussing essay hook examples.

Question Hook

Starting your essay by asking a thought-provoking question can be a good way to engage the reader. Ask your reader a question that they can visualize. However, make sure to keep your questions relevant to the reader's interest. Avoid generalized, and yes or no questions.

Rhetorical questions make up good hooks.

“How are successful college students different from unsuccessful college students?”

“What is the purpose of our existence?”

“Have you ever wondered whether Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters would have been still together if he didn't die of cancer?”

Quotation Hook

A quotation from a famous person is used to open an essay to attract the reader's attention. However, the quote needs to be relevant to your topic and must come from a credible source. To remove any confusion that the reader might have it is best to explain the meaning of the quote later.

When writing about Education, you can use the quote by Nelson Mandela:

“Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.”

If your topic is related to hard work and making your own destiny, you can start by quoting Michael Jordan.

“Some people want it to happen; some wish it would happen; others make it happen.”

And further, explain how he talks about people who dream for a certain thing. But they never achieve it because they don’t put in the efforts. Simply wishing, dreaming and praying isn’t enough. It is only those dreamers who take it upon themselves to work hard to make it as a professional basketball player.

Statistic Hook

Here you use statistical data such as numbers and figures, percentages, etc. to hook the reader. This is mostly used in informative writing to provide the reader with new and interesting facts. It is important to mention the source.

Here is an argumentative essay hook example, if you're writing about gun laws. You can use the following statistics:

“Reports have shown that almost two-thirds of adults in the United States of America have lived in a place with at least one gun, at some point of their life.”

Another persuasive essay hook example about people's psychology and lying is mentioned below:

“It is noted by Allison Komet from the Psychology Today magazine that people lie in every one out of five conversations that last for at least 10 minutes.”

Anecdotal Hook

An anecdote is a short story relevant to the essay topic, illustrated to gain the reader’s attention. This story can be derived from a personal experience or your imagination. Mostly, an anecdote is humorous; it makes the reader laugh and leaves them wanting to read more.

It is mostly used when writing narrative or descriptive essays.

If you are a non-English speaker and call the support department or the helpline and hear:

“If you want instructions in English, press 1. If you don't understand English, press 2.”

“ An elderly person came to buy a TV, asked the shopkeeper if they had colored TVs. When told that they are available, he asked to purchase a purple one.” 

Personal Story

Starting with a personal story is the right way to go when writing a personal narrative or admissions essay for College.

There is no such rule that the story has to be yours. You can share your friends' story or someone you know of.

Remember that such hooks aren't suitable when writing a more formal or argumentative piece of writing.

“My father was in the Navy; I basically grew up on a cruise. As a young boy, I saw things beyond anyone's imagination. On April 15, 2001…”

In the next section we will be discussing hook examples for different kinds of essays.

Argumentative Essay Hook Examples

The opening paragraph of an argumentative essay should be similar to the opening statement of a trial. Just as a lawyer presents his point with a logical system, you must do the same in your essay.

For example, you are writing about the adverse effects of smoking, and arguing that all public places should be turned into no smoking zones. For such essays, good hook examples will be statistical such as:

“According to the World Health Organization consumption of tobacco kills about five million people every year, which makes it more than the death rate from HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria altogether.”

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Persuasive Essay Hook Examples

The main idea or aim for writing a persuasive essay is to convince and persuade the reader to do something. It is also written to change their beliefs and agree with your point of view.

Hook sentences for such essays are a shocking revelation that the reader is curious to learn more about.

“On average each year, humans release 38.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide approximately. Due to this, the level of carbon dioxide has increased significantly, more than it has been in centuries. If you think climate change is nothing to worry about then you are highly mistaken.”

Narrative Essay Hook Examples

Simply put, a narrative essay is just like a story. In other types of essays you need to pick a side, argue and prove your point with the help of evidence. A narrative essay gives you a freehand to tell your story however you may please.

It can be a story inspired by your life, something you may have experienced. If you feel like it isn’t exciting enough you can always transform it using your imagination.

Examples of a hook sentence for a narrative essay can be something like:

“I was riding the bus to school; the other kids were making fun of me thinking I couldn’t understand them. “Why are his eyes like that?” “His face is funny.” A Chinese kid in America is probably like a zoo animal.”

These were some catchy hook examples just to give you an idea. You can make use of any one of these types according to your paper and its requirements. The key to making your essay stand out from the rest is to have a strong introduction.

While it is the major part, there’s more that goes into writing a good essay. Continue reading and you can find the basics guidelines of essay writing.

If you are still unable to come up with an exciting hook, you can always ask our professional essay writer online for help. The expert essay writers at 5StarEssays.com  are just a click away. Reach out to them today and have an engaging opening for your essay.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a visual hook.

The visual hook is a scene that captures the audience's interest by encapsulating something about the movie. It usually occurs around 15 minutes into it, and can be found in marketing or reviews of movies.

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As a Digital Content Strategist, Nova Allison has eight years of experience in writing both technical and scientific content. With a focus on developing online content plans that engage audiences, Nova strives to write pieces that are not only informative but captivating as well.

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Hook Examples Generator

🔗 References

🎣 do i need a hook for essays.

Students often spend a lot of time procrastinating on their work because they need help figuring out where to start. Writing an introduction to any paper is a challenge. That's why here, we bring to your attention our hook examples generator. This straightforward and easy-to-use tool not only will not only support you in getting started on your project, but will also make it even more engaging for your audience.

So, what is a hook? And what is it for? Let's find out together!

What Is a Hook?

A hook appears in the text as an opening sentence or paragraph that forms first impression and encourages readers to continue reading.

The hook aims to set the essay's tone and style, allowing you to stand out, but this part differs from the introduction.

So, after you have intrigued the reader, you can introduce the topic by giving background information and a thesis statement.

As for the size, the hook can range from 1 sentence to an entire 6-sentence paragraph . It all depends on the expected length of your paper, the hook type, and your preferences. When you choose the hook type, consider the audience and the purpose. However, you shouldn’t overload it with unnecessary details. It may have good content and lots of information, but it won't be as appealing and memorable as you could imagine.

How to Write a Good Hook

Whether you're writing a philosophy essay , a descriptive essay , or an essay about your personal story , you will find help in our advice. In the following section, we'll tell you what to pay attention to. We'll also give you some tips to make your hook writing process easier and point you in the right direction.

📌 Look deeper into the topic To figure out what to write about, you need to go over the . It's unnecessary to go into deeper detail, but you don't have to glance over it superficially either. Make a list of the subtopics you're most interested in to focus on one later. After that, note some exciting facts and persuasive arguments that fit the hook. They should be memorable and intriguing to your audience.
📌 Decide on the essay type Selecting the right hook that won't alienate the reader depends on your . If you have a , it's best to leave the statistics out. In contrast, if you have an , it would be inappropriate to start with an anecdote. For these reasons, it’s worth matching the hook to the specific topic and essay structure.
📌 Identify the target audience sets the tone for your writing. So, you shouldn't be too formal or humorous, especially if it's in a high academic setting. You want your audience to be on the same page with you to read your essay to the end. If you write a narrative essay, your readers expect a colorful and juicy descriptive hook. They're not looking for statistics or extensive definitions, so be sure to meet their expectations.
📌 Determine the volume of your hook You can rely on the size of your paper, meaning that an overly long hook is unlikely to work if you have a two-page essay. Thus, a concise beginning may be more suitable. You can even use our to cut down a longer hook into a much more manageable form! If you make your hook memorable, you'll captivate your audience by any volume. However, feel free to give it more space if you write a lengthy paper.

💡 Examples of Hooks in Writing

The truth is, almost anything can be a hook. A well-constructed statement, an interesting fact, or an appropriate quote can make excellent openings for your introduction. Nevertheless, some of them will be more effective than others, depending on the kind of work you do. Here, we'll tell you about different examples of hooks in writing.

Argumentative Essay Hooks

As this essay type aims to research, present, and explain evidence, two hooks will work for you — fact and common misconception . If you choose to go with the factual approach, you should find something captivating. We can't use a fact that we've heard many times before. If you can’t find a piece of impressive information, then use a common misconception. This will intrigue your audience and motivate them to read on to find the truth.

Bacteria are tiny but scary-looking organisms that can make one frightened even on a photograph. However, not all of them are harmful. While some bacteria spread disease, others help our bodies absorb nutrients and digest food.

Informative Essay Hooks

As a rule, an informative essay aims to educate your readers or advance in-depth on a topic. A hook with statistical data will work fine in this case. The main thing is to cite the source to avoid sounding baseless. It’d also be interesting to start with a question to stimulate reasoning from the audience. There is a good chance that a provocative question will motivate reading.

What would you do if a tarantula bit your friend?

Expository Essay Hooks

An expository essay is a revealing text with factual information for comparisons and contrasts. Consequently, it'd be ideal to use conflict as a hook. For example, you could give several opinions on the topic.

On the one hand, genetic engineering helps us to fight diseases and gene defects, but on the other hand, people find it unethical and unnatural.

Another option is to use a definition as a hook, which can be straightforward yet effective.

Success is often used to describe achieving a desired outcome. However, success means different things to different people.

Literary Analysis Hooks

A literary analysis aims to examine or evaluate a work of literature carefully. Therefore, a quotation hook is excellent because you can take a famous or relevant quote to make an essay memorable and thought-provoking.

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past” - this is how Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby ends.

The same powerful impact on reflection has a hook phrased as a metaphor . The reader may need time to understand what the paper is about or interpret it differently.

Presentation Hooks

You can present your material in many ways, depending on the topic and the tone you want to set. You can start with an exciting question for intrigue or use a striking fact . It's equally effective to give statistics , if those are relevant to your presentation. But one unusual choice would be a strong statement hook. We use it to provide an affirmative stance about a certain topic that leaves no room for discussion. In turn, your audience will definitely be intrigued to see how you can back up your position.

Vegetarianism is an example of a healthy and balanced nutrition.

Personal Statement Hooks

A personal statement is used by university applicants or job candidates . Therefore, the primary purpose of such an essay is to stand out among competitors. So, a great option is to start with an anecdote , immediately setting the readers into a positive mindset. Then, you increase your chances of being remembered with good associations. Alternatively, you can start with a story or a relevant. But remember that this is an academic type of writing, and you need to know the measure and stay formal.

The most memorable experience during my undergraduate studies was...

Also, we recommend the descriptive hook, which is brilliant for a personal narrative. You can write about a successful project you’re planning or have done.

Did our hook examples generator help you in your work? If you want to know more about it, read our FAQ section below!

❓ Hook Examples Generator – FAQ

Take the time to familiarize yourself with our hook examples generator. This free online tool will save you plenty of time and energy thinking about how to begin writing your academic paper. Don’t know which hook will be most applicable? Not a problem! Learn all about examples of hooks in writing from this page.

Write an Attention-Grabbing Opening Sentence for an Essay

You can think of the first sentence of your essay as you would a fishing hook. It grabs your reader and allows you reel the person into your essay and your train of thought. The hook for your essay can be an interesting sentence that captures a person's attention, it can be thought-provoking, or even, entertaining.

The hook for your essay often appears in the first sentence . The opening paragraph includes a thesis sentence . Some popular hook choices can include using an interesting quote, a little-known fact, famous last words, or a statistic .

A quote hook is best used when you are composing an essay based on an author, story, or book. It helps establish your authority on the topic and by using someone else's quote, you can strengthen your thesis if the quote supports it.

The following is an example of a quote hook: "A man's errors are his portals of discovery." In the next sentence or two, give a reason for this quote or current example. As for the last sentence (the thesis) : Students grow more confident and self-sufficient when parents allow them to make mistakes and experience failure.

General statement

By setting the tone in the opening sentence with a uniquely written general statement of your thesis, the beauty is that you get right to the point. Most readers appreciate that approach.

For example, you can start with the following statement: Many studies show that the biological sleep pattern for teens shifts a few hours, which means teens naturally stay up later and feel alert later in the morning. The next sentence, set up the body of your essay, perhaps by introducing the concept that school days should be adjusted so that they are more in sync with the teenager's natural sleep or wake cycle. As for the last sentence (the thesis) :  If every school day started at ten o'clock, many students would find it easier to stay focused.

By listing a proven fact or entertaining an interesting statistic that might even sound implausible to the reader, you can excite a reader to want to know more. 

Like this hook: According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics , teens and young adults experience the highest rates of violent crime. Your next sentence can set up the argument that it's dangerous for teenagers to be on the streets at late hours. A fitting thesis statement might read: Parents are justified in implementing a strict curfew, regardless of a student's academic performance.

The Right Hook for Your Essay

The good news about finding a hook? You can find a quote, fact, or another type of hook after you determine your thesis. You can accomplish this with a simple online search about your topic after you've developed your essay .

You can nearly have the essay finished before you revisit the opening paragraph. Many writers polish up the first paragraph after the essay is completed.

Outlining the Steps for Writing Your Essay

Here's an example of the steps you can follow that help you outline your essay.

Obviously, the first step is to determine your thesis. You need to research your topic and know what you plan to write about. Develop a starting statement. Leave this as your first paragraph for now.

The next paragraphs become the supporting evidence for your thesis. This is where you include the statistics, opinions of experts, and anecdotal information.

Compose a closing paragraph that is basically a reiteration of your thesis statement with new assertions or conclusive findings you find during with your research.

Lastly, go back to your introductory hook paragraph. Can you use a quote, shocking fact, or paint a picture of the thesis statement using an anecdote? This is how you sink your hooks into a reader.

The best part is if you are not loving what you come up with at first, then you can play around with the introduction. Find several facts or quotes that might work for you. Try out a few different starting sentences and determine which of your choices makes the most interesting beginning to your essay.

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How to Write a Hook

A hook is an opening statement (which is usually the first sentence) in an essay that attempts to grab the reader’s attention so that they want to read on.

It can be done by using a few different types of hooks, which are a question, quote, statistic, or anecdote. Be mindful that the hook has to be related to the overall topic of the paper. Here are a few examples of each type of hook.

Question Hook

A question hook is when you ask the reader something that they can visualize and try to think of in their own minds. Then, the writer answers the question.

Quotation Hook

A quotation hook is when a quote is used and explained that has relevance to the topic at hand. Make sure this quote comes from a credible source. Also, talk about the quote’s meaning afterwards to ensure that the reader isn’t confused.

Statistic Hook

A statistic hook can be used for more informational pieces of writing. The writer uses a quote from a source that relates to the main idea of the paper, but the quote must have some type of statistics, such as numbers, decimals, or and/or percentages. The meaning and relationship of the quote to the paper needs to be explained afterwards just in case the reader does not quite understand

Anecdotal Hook

When a writer uses a short story to relate to the topic and gain the reader’s attention, they are using an anecdote. This story can be a short, personal story or one that is a figment of your imagination. Make sure that it relates to the main idea of the paper. Show the relevance that it has to the topic of the paper.

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List of Amazing Essay Hook Examples

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Essays are usually written to educate, persuade and entertain the audience. But in essay writing, the real challenge lies in attracting the target readers inside the essay and making them read the entire content. Currently, are you looking for effective ways to invite the readers to learn about your essay topic? If yes, then formulating an engaging introduction is the only way. The essay introduction is the opening paragraph of an essay where your readers decide whether to continue reading or not. In order to impress the audience, beginning the essay introduction with a hook sentence is the best way. The essay hook is the starting sentence in the essay introduction that gives life to your work.

Essay Hook Examples

Here, in detail, let us learn about essay hooks and their types. Also, for your better understanding, we have explained how to write a catchy essay hook and have suggested some interesting essay hook examples.

Keep on reading this blog post to know more about essay hooks.

What is an Essay Hook?

An effective essay hook is an essay introduction’s opening sentence designed to grab readers’ interest. The hook can be utilized virtually in any type of essay without restriction. However, keep in mind that the hook is neither an introduction nor a substitute for one. It is usually written as a stand-alone sentence to spice up the introduction and break up the monotony.

Never confuse an introduction with a hook. The introduction of an essay includes the topic’s background information and a thesis statement in addition to the hook. The majority of the time, it appears in the essay’s opening sentence. The information about the topic and the thesis statement can be added after you have introduced the essay with a hook in the first paragraph.

A hook generally does not have a predetermined length. Hooks for essays can also be written as sentences or short paragraphs. However, depending on the topic of the essay, the average length of an essay hook can range anywhere from three to seven sentences. When writing an essay hook, make it interesting, intriguing, or impressive to the readers. It should primarily pique readers’ interest and naturally encourage them to read the entire article.

Keep in mind that the only effective tool for making your essay introduction stand out from the crowd and engage readers is the essay hook. There are a number of different kinds of essay hooks that can be used, especially when writing an engaging introduction. Therefore, use any essay hooks that are appropriate for your type of essay. If your hook catches the interest of your readers, then it is said to be effective.

The Purpose of an Essay Hook

The reasons why the hook is included as the essay introduction’s opening sentence are as follows:

Types of Essay Hook

As said earlier, the essay hooks are of different types. Here, let us learn about some common types of essay hooks that can be used for writing academic essays and research papers with examples.

Essay Hook Examples

Question Hook

Anecdotal hook, quotation hook, fact/ statistical hook, description hook, metaphor/simile hook, statement hook, common misconception.

It is a hook type in which as a writer you can draw your reader’s attention towards your essay by asking a rhetorical question to them. The question hook is useful because to find answers to your topic question, the readers will have to read the entire essay.

Usually, when you throw a thought-provoking question at the beginning of an essay, then almost everyone will take attempt to look for answers in your essay. So, in this way, you can engage your readers and make them read your whole work.

But before preparing your question hook, search and find your reader’s interest and the topic they would love to learn about. If you use a question hook matching your reader’s interest, then you can easily grab your reader’s attention.

For a question hook, using a rhetorical question is the best way to engage the readers. Never use generalized questions or simple ‘yes or no’ questions because it won’t make your readers think about it.

Question Hook Examples

An anecdote is a short story or a product of your imagination. When writing an essay introduction, you can use an anecdote that is relevant to your essay topic as a hook to attract your target readers.

Basically, an anecdote is a funny statement. So, using the anecdotal hook in your essay would make your readers laugh and will also tempt them to read further. For writing an anecdotal hook, you can use your personal story or rely on any imaginative stories.

The anecdotal hook is predominantly used when writing descriptive essays or narrative essays.

Anecdotal Hook Examples

A quotation hook is a type of essay hook in which as a writer you can use a quote from a famous person to attract your reader’s attention. It is one of the most popular essay hooks that are widely used in many kinds of academic essays.

If you are in plan to use a quotation hook in your essay introduction, then make sure to refer to credible sources and pick a powerful quote that is relevant to your essay topic. In case, you have used a quotation hook in your work, then for a better understanding of your readers, give an explanation to the quote later in your essay.

Also, at the time you use quotation hooks in your essay introduction, remember to quote the exact words. Paraphrased quotes will not be treated as a quotation hook.

Quotation Hook Examples

For an essay introduction, you can use facts and statistics as a hook. In general, facts and statistics will provide actual and accurate information about an essay topic. Therefore, using them as an essay hook would be helpful for you to motivate your readers and make them read your essay.

Note that, if you use facts or statistical hook in your essay, then definitely your target audience will be impressed by your knowledge and the information that you have provided them. So, make sure to use this type of hook in process or informative essays and research papers. Also, try to add a statistical hook in academic essays where factual information is required.

The statistical data you present as a hook can be in the form of numbers, figures, or percentages. But when you use any statistics or facts as a hook, remember to mention the source. Avoid frequently discussed statistics that your readers are aware of. Give preference to new and unknown interesting facts relevant to the essay topic.

Fact/ Statistical Hook Examples

It is a type of essay hook in which an incident, a short story, or a personal story relevant to the essay topic can be presented. Typically, many readers love listening to exciting stories. So, beginning an essay with a story hook is one of the best tricks to hold the reader’s attention and make them read the whole essay.

Whenever you write a story hook, make sure to keep your target audience in mind because some readers will not like stories related to the essay topic.

You can use story hooks when writing a college application essay or a narrative essay. Remember, it is not necessary to share your own experience as a story hook. You can use the real stories of your relative or a friend too.

On the whole, the story hook you write should be simple, short, and interesting. Therefore, avoid elaborating on the story. Also, never use this type of hook in a formal or argumentative piece of writing.

Story Hook Examples

It is an essay hook type in which a vivid description of an event, a scene, or a character is presented to pull the reader’s attention toward an essay.

Basically, when you give a satisfactory explanation related to the topic, the readers will quickly get impressed and they will develop their interest to read the entire essay. So, based on your essay topic and essay type, you can use a catchy description hook in the introductory paragraph of any essay type. But mostly, the description hooks are used in narrative essays.

Description Hook Examples

If you want to showcase an essay topic to your readers in a different way, then you can very well use a metaphor or simile hook in your essay introduction. This hook type is appropriate for informal writing and can also be used in formal writing too.

Note that, using a metaphor or simile hook is one of the best ways to keep hold of your reader’s attention. Because, when you use a simile or metaphor hook in your essay introduction, the majority of your readers will start exploring the meaning and content of your hook and in turn will stay connected with the essay.

Metaphor/Simile Hook Examples

For opening an essay, you can create a hook in the form of a simple and strong statement. Usually, a powerful statement hook may shock the readers at first. But they will keep on reading your work to know how you have planned to back up your claims.

It is one of the best hook types that are extensively used in serious and formal writings. Even if your readers agree or disagree with your statement hook, out of curiosity they will read further to understand your point of view.

Statement Hook Examples

In general, people are more visually-oriented. So, depending on your essay type, you can draw a scene as a hook to help your readers visualize a clear picture in their minds. The scenes are widely used in descriptive as well as narrative essays.

Scenes Examples

You can start your essay introduction with a statement about a popularly accepted truth that is false. Using the misconceptions as a hook will intrigue your audience and motivate them to read your essay further.

Common Misconception Examples

How to Write an Essay Hook

How to Write an Essay Hook?

Writing an essay hook is a tedious process that is extremely challenging. Similar to essay topic selection, you need to invest more time and effort to identify a good essay topic. Most importantly, the essay hook you prepare should captivate your readers, and match your essay topic or idea.

Remember, when it comes to selecting an essay hook, you need to concentrate on more factors like essay type, target audience, etc. In general, there are many essay hook types available. So, based on your essay, research paper, or any other academic paper writing requirements, you can select and use any essay hook or attention grabbers in your introduction section.

Currently, do you want to write a thought-provoking hook for your academic essay introduction? If yes, then make sure to keep the following tips in mind.

Find the kind of literary work

First, have a clear idea about the literary work you have decided on for your paper. Mainly, here, you should describe what your essay type demands and what type of techniques you need to prove the main arguments in your essay. Finally, you should pick an essay hook depending on that.

Prepare an outline

To get an idea about how to organize the information in a better way and which points need to be highlighted, create an outline. Then, based on the prepared outline relevant to the topic, find an essay hook that has the power to grab the attention of the readers.

Identify to whom you are writing

Search and find the target audience for your essay. Once you have found out the target audience group, try to write a great essay hook matching the interest of your target audience. Remember, the essay hook statement you prepare should be according to your target audience and the essay topic. If your target audience is children, then use simple language. But when writing for professionals, take the specific language into consideration.

Know the reason for writing your essay

The hook statement you create should be relevant to the purpose of your essay. So, get to know the real reason behind writing that essay and then select a hook that fits your academic paper. You can use funny hooks for informal writing. But for a research paper or conference paper, your hook statement should be more formal.

Essay Hook Examples for Different Essay Types

Basically, academic essays are classified into different types. In particular, when writing the essay introduction, you can’t use one particular type of essay hook for all the essay types. Based on your essay type, purpose, and writing requirements, you need to choose an appropriate essay hook.

Say, for example, if your essay is scientific, then you can very well use an unknown fact as a hook to spike your reader’s interest. On the other hand, it is not a good idea to start an essay introduction with a story in professional essay types.

So, it is significant to take the essay type into account, while you are writing an essay hook.

For your better understanding, here we have explained how to use essay hooks for different types of essays with examples.

Argumentative Essay Hook

In an argumentative essay, the introductory paragraph should be similar to a trial. So, when writing the argumentative essay introduction, the hook statement should be logical. For instance, suitable to your essay topic, you can use any statement, or fact as an essay hook in the essay types that are argumentative.

Argumentative Essay Hook Examples

Narrative Essay Hook

A narrative essay is more like a story. When it comes to writing a narrative essay, you have the freedom to narrate the story on your own. But it is not the case with other essay types where you have to argue and prove your point with valid evidence.

As a narrative essay is completely creative and less formal, while writing a narrative essay introduction you can very well use a story hook, anecdotal hook, scenes, or description hook based on your essay topic.

Narrative Essay Hook Examples

Persuasive Essay Hook

The ultimate aim of a persuasive essay is to persuade the readers or convince them to accept your arguments on an essay topic. So, when writing a persuasive essay, in order to hold the reader’s attention, you should use a shocking revelation or statistics as a hook statement.

Persuasive Essay Hook Examples

Final Words

We hope you are now clear on how to write a catchy essay hook. If you have any doubts, then have a look at the essay hook examples suggested above, it would give you an idea of how to use the attention grabbers in your essay introduction.

In case, you need help writing an essay hook, then reach out to us. We have professional essay writers to prepare a hook statement for almost all kinds of essays, research papers, and academic papers.

Just send your requirements to us through the order form. We will work as per your requirements and will send you the necessary documents on time at an affordable price.

Are looking for online essay help ? Do you need assistance to write a top-notch hook statement for your academic paper introduction? Call us now! We will provide a quick fix for all kinds of academic paper writing issues you experience.

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How to Write a Good Hook for Your Essay

Last updated: July 2019

“You have to make choices even when there is nothing to choose from.” ― Péter Zilahy

And you have to find a perfect hook for your essay even when you don’t know what to write.

Strategies for writing an essay hook:

The #1 prejudice most students have on essay writing: it’s time-consuming, difficult, and bo-o-oring .

When teachers ask you to write an essay, they don’t want to ban your creativity. An essay shouldn’t be boring or too formal but make readers want to check its every word. And your task is grabbing and keeping their attention throughout your writing.

An essay hook is that particular instrument you need to meet this challenge.

hooked-cats

image: Gratisography

What is an Essay Hook?

“An essay hook is 1-2 opening sentences of your paper. They serve to capture readers’ attention and help them decide if they want to continue reading your text.

We call it a “hook” because it reminds a shiny lure that fishermen use to catch a fish. And, depending on the fish they want to catch, they will use different hooks.

Do not confuse hooks with introductions ! An essay hook opens your introduction rather than substitutes it. Once you’ve hooked readers, be sure to introduce your essay topic and thesis.

essay-introduction

Essays and college papers are not alone in hooks. Fiction writers, copywriters, bloggers, screenwriters, and other men of letters use this instrument to gain our interest and influence our decisions. Did you hear about David Ogilvy and his timeless lessons to writing and standing out? He’s a true genius of hooks and persuasion!

Essay hooks can be difficult to generate, especially if you are still in the process of thesis clarification . The first step toward writing an eye-catching opening for your essay would be answers to these questions:

A PRO TIP: Write a hook and introduction after you’ve finished the whole essay. It will help to clarify a thesis and understand what type of hooks would fit your work better.

To get a better idea of what a terrific introduction looks like, watch the video tutorial from James , who defines essay hooks as grabbers.

Essay Hooks Ideas

So, what types of opening lines can you use as a good hook for an essay?

1) Literary Quotes

This type of hooks works for essays about writers , literature phenomena , books , and essay makers . Start your essay with a quote from books you review , and it will establish your authority as a writer .

essay-hooks-examples

2) Quotes From Famous People

To support your argument and create a lip-smacking hook for your essay, start it with a quote from famous people. But make sure it’s relevant to your topic and thesis.

essay-hooks-examples

That’s all well and fine but…

Some teachers consider this type of essay hooks too general and overused when you write my term paper . They discourage college papers started or finished with words of influencers, not students themselves. So, if you decide to use such a hook, find a rare yet relevant quote. Don’t copy-paste the first available saying from top quotations websites.

3) Common Misconception

You may start your introduction with a statement about a commonly accepted truth being false. That will intrigue your audience and encourage them to keep on reading.

4) Anecdotes

“An anecdote is a little story designed to illustrate a point you are trying to make.

This hook is appropriate to use if you write narrative or descriptive essays. Don’t be afraid of writing funny openings, as it doesn’t mean your essay has to be humorous too. A little humor helps to grab readers’ attention and spark their interest in the topic.

Your anecdote should be short and to the point. Make sure it relates to the main idea of your essay.

essay-hooks-example

Remember that most essay assignments don’t allow to write from the first person. Be sure to check the requirements before using “I” in your writing.

5) Personal Stories

This hook is perfect for personal narratives or college application essays, though you would hardly use it for argumentative or too formal persuasive papers. Ask your professor if you can use personal pronouns in your writing, and hook readers with a personal story which not necessarily should be yours.

You can tell the story of your friend, relative, or president. Why not, after all?

essay-hooks-examples

But please, don’t start your essay with a hook like “I was thinking about what to write for this essay and came up with this.”

Teachers hate it! Sure, this hook is better than no hook at all, but it will never distinguish your work from the crowd.

6) Statistics

Use statistical data to hook readers with new facts they might not have been known. Be sure to include the source.

Do research to find data on your topic. Refer to sources your teacher would consider reliable.

7) Questions

This type of hooks can help you create a reader’s personal interest in your essay and wish to continue reading it. But don’t make your question too general.

Let’s say you write an essay about smartphones. Asking a question a la “Do you have a smartphone?” will hardly grab readers’ attention because it doesn’t engage them in critical thinking.

So, try to avoid questions expecting simple Yes or No answers.

essay-hooks-examples

Rhetorical questions could be a good idea for essay hooks.

As well as quotes from famous people, they are easy to create and, therefore, overused too. You’ll need to wind up your brain to impress a reader and make that question catchy.

8) Fact/Definition

This hook can surprise a reader with something they might not have known. Interesting facts about what you are going to discuss in your essay will intrigue your audience and make them want to learn more.

Be careful with definitions! Your professor will hardly like your essay opening if you copy it from a dictionary. So, if you decide to start an essay with a definition related to your topic, avoid something like this:

A bold pronouncement, outrageous statement, or exaggeration will help you hook readers, too.

People are visually-oriented. Depending on the type and length of your essay, “draw” a scene in your hook to help readers “see” a clear picture in mind.

Decide on a scene that would appeal to senses and set the mood for your essay.

essay-hooks-examples

10) Thesis Statement

There is no harm in getting right to the point. Start with your argument and support your point of view throughout the essay. If you have an interesting take on a subject, readers will want to see where you came up with your idea.

So many hooks, so many essays. The logical question appears: how do you know what type of openings in the introduction would fit your paper best?

Well, you might ask our writers to help you or continue reading this post to get more tips on writing hooks for your essay.

How to Choose a Good Hook for Your Essay

With so many types of essay hooks, you wonder how to choose the right one for your particular paper. The problem is, there’s no single formula here. To know what hook to consider, keep in mind the following:

Depending on who reads your essay, one and the same message will speak in different ways to them.

It’s clear that a hook you use to attract a college girl would hardly help you spark the interest of a college admission counselor. So, the first question to answer before going on the writing road is:

Then, try to figure out what matters to your readers and what they expect to get from the essay .

Once you’ve nailed it down, you’ll know what types of hooks will work for this particular writing.

Source: Giphy

The type of hooks that would fit your paper best depends on the essay type, either.

For example, anecdotes don’t work for writing a critical précis , but they would catch readers of dialectic essays. Quotes and questions are perfect hooks for novel critiques or persuasive essays , while facts or statistics fit argumentative essays best.

Don’t start your essay with a great hook simply because it’s great. It should be relevant to your topic, thesis, and purpose of your paper.

Questions to answer before choosing an essay hook:

Depending on feelings you want to evoke, an essay hook may be some shocking statistics, a romantic personal story, a funny anecdote, a motivational quote, etc.

Depending on the purpose of your writing, make an essay hook reflect it. Common misconceptions or outrageous statements may encourage readers to learn something new, while catchy questions would engage in critical thinking or motivate.

Essays are many. Narrative, persuasive, argumentative, or descriptive – they all need hooks, aka grabbers to attract readers to your writing. These grabbers are many, either. To choose the best one for your paper, consider a type of your essay, its audience, and their needs.

And remember:

No matter how strong they are, hooks alone can’t guarantee A+ grades for your writing assignments. State a thesis, organize research on the topic, and outline your essay before choosing a grabber for it. Opening lines lead the way of your papers and make them worth reading.

Our Writing Guides

69 thoughts on “ how to write a good hook for your essay ”.

This article has helped me a lot understanding how to write an attractive HOOK ! Thanks a lot for this good methods 🙂

This helped a lot! I was sitting trying to think of a hook for 2 hours until I found this.

Yeah, me too I WAS! stuck on thinking for a hook until I found this website! Thanks for this website its is now going to be easy for me to write this down. The book Im going to make a hook on is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 🙂

I could’t see what it was then i saw and it was awsome

ya this helped me too. im just burned out since i basically write a essay every week since school started over online.

A good hook doesn’t use you. You need to stay in 3rd person instead of trying to tell a reader what to do and yes or no questions are to easy for readers. They can easy shy away from your essay. Just a few up to date tips 😉

Now that depends on the type of essay you write. I’m currently writing one and “you” and “I” are big factors and elements in this. To hook a reader, personally, I think that facts won’t do the trick. You need to show them what you think and thats what the supporting paragraphs are for.

Don’t say i think, i believe, or anything that basically begins with i. saying that makes you sound not decided on your topic.

I think your website is ok but you didn’t really explain how to create a good hook step by step.

You are wrong

It is perfect.

helped a lot espaicially for descibtive essays as the example of facts or deffiniton

I don’t start my essays with a question because some teachers think it is a childish way of beginning an essay, but definitions often make a great hook. Just make sure to cite where you got the definition.

This was extremely helpful, not only for my current essay but also for future references

Thanks this helps me a lot for my English final!

This was actually really helpful for my essay at school.

So I found this as good information but I am going in to Honors 9 English this following year and I have certain requirements for this essay. I am not allowed to use a question or quote for my introduction. I think that maybe you could go more in depth with the steps. I think that these were some really good ideas and techniques. Thank you for the information.

IT IS VERY USEFUL TO ALL THE STUDENTS who are going to sit for sp or tp3 exams ..Tq …

Part of the question hook was wrong. You can not ask the reader a question directly, for they can not answer it. This weakens an otherwise strong hook. For example, if you state “have you ever wondered, whether Anna Karenina still loved Alexei if she hadn’t decided to commit a suicide” you should say “would Anna Karenina still love Alexei if she hadn’t decided to commit a suicide” instead.

?s like that are rhetorical

I disagree with the Grammar Soldier that one cannot ask the reader a direct question in a hook. A rhetorical question is one way to get the reader’s attention if it is posed well. It works because it draws the reader into becoming an interactive participant. Rhetorical questions are recognized as being useful, especially in the art of persuasive speaking and writing.

My teacher told me to write a hook with an anecdote but I have no idea on what to write. The topic is What makes an individual powerful?

Well summarised article on hooks, but cheated by using a drawing as a hook. Just felt the need to put it out there. No offence intended

This is a fantastic article! Even though I do not agree with some of the ways to start an essay, this made me think of some great hooks!

You didn’t really explain how to write a hook step by step, you only gave examples. But it’s still helped me a lot, so it’s ok.

This has been a great help! I was stuck on what were writing hooks because our teachers never really mentioned it yet until now! I could have made better essays if i had known earlier. 😉

this really helped to write a good hook for my essay thank you for the examples

This Helped A Lot, Thanks!

it would be super helpful if you made a post similar to this for CONCLUSIONS! I’m always stuck on conclusion hooks since in our essays we aren’t allowed to use 1st person

This will help a lot for my scholarship application.!!!!!!!!!

Hey there! Would you mind if I share your blog with my facebook group? There’s a lot of people that I think would really appreciate your content. Please let me know. Many thanks

Ɗo you mind if I quote a couple of your articles as ⅼong as I provide credit and sоurces back to your webpɑge? My blog site is in the exact same niche as yours and my νisitors would truly benefit from a lot of the information you proᴠide here. Please let me know іf this alright with you.

Appreciate it!

I have also stuck in this kind of situation but thanks to your service it became much easier!

Thank you so much! It really helped for my essay!

Thank you so much!!! I sat on my couch for 3 days trying to think of a hook.

THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!!!! I was so stuck thanks to this website… I had best essay in class, and I don’t know what I would of done without this website.

It was helpful…thanks for what you wrote.

This helped a lot I was thinking of a hook for 2 hours

I have to write about two pages for creative writing. Do you have any ideas that I could use, or a topic for by paper? Thank you!.

It’s really important to grab attention of the reader and it can be achieved only first few sentences. If first sentences didn’t interest the reader, he won’t read the essay till the end.

What if I’m writing about medicine, IT or engineering paper? Will these essay tricks also apply?

This really answered my problem, thank you!

Hello, I read your blog on a regular basis. Your story-telling style is witty, keep doing what you’re doing!

First of all I would like to say terrific blog!I had a quick question which I’d like to ask if you don’t mind. I was interested to know how you center yourself and clear your head prior to writing.

I have had difficulty clearing my thoughts in getting my thoughts ouut there. I truly do enjoy writing but it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are usually lost just trying to figure out how to begin. Any recommendations or hints? Many thanks!

Thanks for publishing this awesome article. I’m a long time reader but I’ve never been compelled to leave a comment. I subscribed to your blog and shared this on my Facebook. Thanks again for a great article!

This helped a lot, I spent a very long time thinking on how to start my essay before I saw this! Like some others, my teachers do not approve of using a question to start writing pieces because it seems too childish. Other than that, I think this article was great!

I am not sure where you are getting your info, but great topic.

I needs to spend some time learning more or understanding more. Thanks for fantastic info I was looking for.

You actually make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this topic to be really something that I think I would never understand. It seems too complicated and very broad for me. I’m looking forward for your next post, I’ll try to get the hang of it!

This site was… how do you say it? Relevant!! Finally I’ve found something which helped me. Kudos!

When someone writes an article he/she maintains the thought of a user in his/her brain that how a user can understand it. Thus that’s why this piece of writing is amazing. Thanks!

thanks for sharing this information..have shared this link with others keep posting!

Does a hook have to be one or two sentences or can it be like three or four.

I’d recommend keeping it short. Three or four sentences – it’s a kinda half of your essay introduction already 🙂

Thank you so much for sharing a great information. I appreciate your time and effort in your work. Keep posting.

I just like the helpful information you provide for your articles. I will bookmark your blog and check once more here frequently. I’m somewhat certain I will be informed many new stuff proper here! Good luck for the following!

Hey! I’m at work browsing your blog!Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward to all your posts! Carry on the fantastic work!

Is it right for a writer to use second person in a hook?

I was told by my high school teacher that I was wrong because I used a hook in my essay that had “you” and “your”. I am skeptical of this because I had previously learned otherwise.

Hi Cat, and thanks for the question!

So many teachers, so many rules 🙂 Seriously though, there are some guidelines on the web saying you can’t use ‘you’ and ‘your’ in essays, because it’s not okay to address a reader in formal writing to avoid confusion. However, it all depends on what type of essay you write:

– a personal essay: sure, you can you ‘you’ and ‘I’ – persuasive or narrative essay: ‘you’ is still okay, though you can try to avoid it, if necessary – reviews, research, precis, and other TOO FORMAL academic writings: you better don’t use the second person.

How to omit ‘you’? Just don’t write it or use ‘one’ instead. Examples:

– “Don’t text while you drive,” vs. “Don’t text and drive.” – “You shouldn’t disrespect the rules,” vs. “One shouldn’t disrespect the rules.”

thank you for the information it was a huge help

I really think this was some good hook ideas, but you didn’t go in-depth on how to think of one. I believe if you included some advice on how to start one, it would’ve increased the article’s ‘ego’ drastically. Thank you for the info anyway!

This article really helped me to better understand the purpose of a hook and what to do when in distress. I sat for an entire class period trying to find my hook. Thanks so much!

I like this a lot! It helps me as a student. I do suggest this to others!

I’ve searched so many sites to find how to write a hook, and non of them gave real legit examples. Thank you!

Thank you for this! I can use these tips to my blog content. Great stuff!

Good post, Thanks for sharing the information with us.

Thanks for such an interesting blog! The content is extremely good and useful for me. Please keep posting, I’ll definitely share with my friends. 🙂

Any plans to update this with new examples or any additional hooks? The post is super but I’d like to see more recent examples

Thanks for your comment! We’re working on the guide to writing hooks for informative essays right now. There will be tons of examples and practical tips. It will go live this month.

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How to Write an Essay Hook? Learn with Essay Hook Examples

Table of Contents

An essay is a written piece often created to present an idea and propose an argument. Its main purpose is to inform, convince and amuse the readers about any specific essay topic. As the readers play a key role, when writing essays, you should make attempts to invite them inside the essay and motivate them to read the entire content. Right now, are you wondering how to grab the readers’ attention? Don’t worry! Creating an engaging introduction is one of the constructive ways to make your readers stay within the essay.

Whenever you prepare an essay outline, in the introduction section, make sure to add a catchy hook related to your essay topic. According to the standard essay format , the introduction is the opening section of the essay. Mostly, your readers will take a decision whether to continue reading your essay or not based on how well you have crafted your introductory paragraph. So, in order to grab the readers’ attention, starting the essay introduction with a hook sentence is the best way. The essay hook is the beginning sentence in the essay introduction that adds value to your work.

For your better understanding, in this blog post, we have given a brief overview of essay hooks and their types. Also, we have explained how to write a catchy essay hook with amazing essay hook examples.

Continue reading this blog post to know more about essay hook writing, and interesting essay hook examples.

What is an Essay Hook?

An essay hook is the powerful opening sentence of an essay introduction that is aimed to seize the reader’s attention. Without any limitations, you can very well use hooks in any type of essay. But note that, the hook is not an introduction or substitute for an introduction. Basically, the hook is a standalone sentence written to strengthen the introductory paragraph and remove the boredom of readers.

Essay Hook Examples

Avoid confusing hooks with an introduction. In general, the hook is a part of the essay introduction. Usually, it appears in the first sentence of the essay introduction. Once you have added a catchy hook at the beginning of the essay introduction, followed by that you can include a topic’s background information and a thesis statement.

For writing a hook, there is no fixed length. But depending upon the essay topic, the average length of an essay hook typically ranges from 3 to 7 sentences. You can craft essay hooks in a short paragraph format or as a concise sentence.

The essay hook you write is said to be good only if is curious for your readers. So, while writing essays hooks, make sure to craft them in a way that is attractive, interesting, and engaging to the readers. Most importantly, the essay hook you create should have the power to naturally pull the readers inside the essay and make them read the whole content.

Using the essay hook is the only effective way to make your essay introduction stand unique in the crowd. For writing catchy introductory sentences, there are several essay hook types available. Therefore, you can rely on any essay hooks depending on the essay types you choose to write.

What is the Need for Essay Hooks?

The ultimate purpose of using strong hooks in the opening sentence of the essay introduction is listed below.

List of Essay Hook

Learn the Different Types of Essay Hooks with Examples

In general, essay hooks are of several types. Here, in detail, let us have a look at some popular types of essay hooks with some simple easy hook examples.

Most importantly, when writing an essay, research paper, or dissertation, you can use any of the below-mentioned essay hook types appropriate to the college essay topics or research paper topics you have selected.

Question Hook

Quotation Hook

Anecdotal hook, description hook, statement hook, metaphor/simile hook, common misconception.

It is the most common essay hook type in which you can ask a rhetorical question to your readers and try to draw their attention to your essay. When you raise a question at the beginning of the essay, mostly to find the answers to that question, the majority of your readers will take attempt to read the whole essay. So, in this way, you can develop the curiosity of your readers and make them stay within your essay till the end.

If you have decided to use a question hook in your essay, then before writing it, search and find the interest of your target readers and what topic they love to read about. Once of have identified your reader’s favorites, choose a question hook based on that. Because using a question hook matching your reader’s interest will definitely drive them inside your essay.

When you prefer to use a question hook in the introduction section, give importance to rhetorical questions suitable to your essay topic. Avoid picking generalized questions or simple ‘yes or no’ questions as a hook. Such basic questions will not allow your readers to think about the topic.

Question Hook Examples

Facts/ Statistical Hook

Basically, facts and statistics will give actual and accurate information on a topic. So, using them as a hook in your essay introduction will encourage your readers to go through the entire essay.

If you include valid facts or statistical hooks in your academic essay, then obviously your readers will get impressed by your knowledge of the essay topic. Also, they will get a chance to gain new information on a particular topic. Therefore, you can very well add the facts/statistical hook in the essays that require more factual information. This hook type will be useful when you write process or informative essays and research papers.

For hooks, you can use statistics in the form of figures, numbers, or percentages. But when using facts or statistical hooks, make sure to mention the source. Never start your essay with statistics that your readers already know. Give more preference to unknown and new interesting facts suitable to your essay topic.

Facts/Statistical Hook Examples

Quotation hooks are popular hook types in which you can use quotes from famous personalities at the start of the essay to grab your reader’s attention. It is one of the common essay hook types that are widely used in academic essays.

If you desire to use a quotation hook in the essay introduction, then remember to pick the best quote suitable to your essay topic from a credible source. Also, when you use a quotation hook in your work, provide a brief explanation of the quote later in your essay, for a better understanding of your readers.

While using a quotation hook, make sure to quote the exact words. Paraphrased quotes will not be considered as a quotation hook.

Quotation Hook Examples

A short story or an outcome of your imagination is identified as an anecdote. In order to catch the attention of your target readers, you can likely use an anecdote that is appropriate to your essay topic as a hook.

Usually, an anecdote acts as a funny statement. So, if you use the anecdotal hook in your essay introduction, you can tempt your readers to continue reading and also make them laugh. Your anecdotal hook can be your personal story or imaginative story.

When writing descriptive essays or narrative essays, you can naturally use an anecdotal hook in the essay introduction.

Anecdotal Hook Examples

It is a hook type in which you can use a vivid description of an event, a scene, or a character as an opening sentence of an essay introduction to snatch the reader’s attention.

Basically, giving a satisfactory explanation for a topic would impress the readers quickly and make them read the whole essay. So, in the introductory paragraph, use a strong description hook appropriate to your essay topic and essay type. Majorly, the description hooks are used in the introduction paragraph of narrative essays.

Description Hook Examples

In the essay introduction, you can use an incident, a short story, or a personal story suitable to the essay topic as a hook. Usually, many readers love reading exciting stories. So, in the introductory paragraph, you can confidently use the story hook to grab your reader’s attention.

Every time when you write a story hook, consider your target audience because some readers will not love reading stories related to the essay topic.

You can employ story hooks as the opening of your essay especially when you work on college essay topics or narrative essay topics. The story hooks also work well on college application essays.

When you use a story hook, it is not necessary to share your own experience instead you can prefer the real-life stories of your relatives or friends. But when writing, make your story hook to be short, simple, and interesting. Never elaborate on your story hook. Also, make sure not to apply story hooks in argumentative or formal essays.

Story Hook Examples

For an essay introduction, you can develop a hook in the form of a simple and strong statement. Using an influential statement hook may surprise your readers at first. But they will continue reading to understand how you have backed up your claims.

The statement hook is one of the excellent hook types you can use in serious and formal writing. No matter whether your readers agree or disagree with your statement hook, in order to understand your viewpoints, they will read out of curiosity.

Statement Hook Examples

In your essay introduction, you can apply a metaphor or simile hook to portray your essay topic to your readers from a different angle. This essay hook type looks best for both informal and formal writing.

It is considered one of the effective essay hook types because when you use a simile or metaphor as a hook in your essay introduction, in order to explore the meaning and content of your hook, your readers will read your essay and stay connected with your work.

Metaphor/Simile Hook Examples

Basically, people are more visually-oriented. Therefore, based on your essay type, you can create a scene as a hook and make your readers visualize an understandable picture in their minds. You can apply the scenes as a hook in both descriptive and narrative essays.

Scenes Examples

When writing an essay introduction, you can start it with a statement about a popularly accepted truth that is false. If you employ misconceptions as a hook in your essay introduction, then you can easily intrigue your audience and encourage them to read your work further. So, in your essays, you can very well include common misconceptions as the opening hook sentence.

Common Misconception Examples

Essay Hook Examples

How to Write an Essay Hook?

Till now we saw about essay hooks and their types. Next, let us have a look at the steps for writing an essay hook.

Like essay topic selection, writing an essay hook is also a challenging task that requires more time and effort. The ultimate aim of the essay hook is to captivate the readers using an attractive statement relevant to the essay topic.

Especially while choosing an essay hook statement, you should consider the essay type, target audience, etc. For writing an essay introduction according to the standard essay format, there are plenty of essay hook types available. Out of them all, you can pick any essay hook type or attention grabber based on your academic paper writing requirements and write a strong introduction.

Currently, would you have to craft a thought-provoking essay hook for your introductory paragraph? Simply take into account the following tips.

Discover the type of literary work

First, get to know about the literary work you have determined for your paper. Here, you should mainly discuss what your essay type wants and what techniques you need to substantiate your main arguments. Finally, depending on that you should choose a powerful essay hook.

Compose an outline

Draft an essay outline to get an idea of how to organize the information and what points to highlight in the paper. Next, based on the outline composed, identify an essay hook relevant to your essay topic. The hook you have chosen should have the ability to draw the attention of the readers.

Find out to whom you are writing

Discover the target audience of your essay. After you have found out your target audience, try to pick an essay hook that falls into the category of their interests. Note that, the essay hook statement you create should be suitable to your target audience and the essay topic. Use simple language, if your target audience is children. But when addressing the professionals, choose a specific language according to them.

Research the reason for writing the essay

The essay hook you prepare for the opening of the introduction should be based on the purpose of your essay. So, initially, understand the real reason behind writing that essay and then find a hook relevant to your academic paper. For informal writing, you can apply funny hooks. But for a conference paper or research paper, choose only the essays hooks that are too formal.

Essay Hook Examples

Essay Hook Examples for Different Types of Essays

Academic essays are commonly classified into different types. When writing the essay introduction, it is not a smarter idea to use the same essay hook type for all kinds of essays. According to your essay type, purpose, and writing requirements, you should use an essay hook type appropriately.

Say, for instance, when writing a scientific essay, to spike your reader’s interest you can employ an unknown fact as a hook sentence in your introductory paragraph. Also, it is not a good idea to use story hooks in the introduction of formal academic essay types. So, every time when you write an essay hook, make sure to take the essay type into consideration.

For your clear understanding, here we have discussed how to write essay hooks for some common essay types with amazing essay hook examples.

Persuasive Essay Hook

The main aim of a persuasive essay is to convince the readers to accept your main arguments or opinions on the essay topic. So, at the time of writing an essay on persuasive essay topics, mainly to grasp your reader’s attention, you should employ a shocking revelation or statistics as a hook statement.

Persuasive Essay Hook Examples

Find here, a few persuasive essay hook examples.

Argumentative Essay Hook

The introduction of an argumentative essay should be similar to a trial. So, every time when you prepare your work on argumentative essay topics , the hook statement you create should be logical. Mainly, for argumentative essays, relevant to the topic you have selected, you can apply any statement, or fact as an essay hook.

Argumentative Essay Hook Examples

The following are a few argumentative essay hook examples.

Narrative Essay Hook

A narrative essay is an essay type that involves a story. For writing a narrative essay, you can take the liberty to narrate the story on your own. But this is not possible with other types of essays. Usually, many academic essays will expect you to argue and prove your major points with valid evidence.

A narrative essay is creative writing that is less formal. So, when writing narrative essays, for the opening of the essay introduction, you can more likely use a story hook, scenes, anecdotal hook, or description hook depending upon your essay topic.

Narrative Essay Hook Examples

Listed below are a few narrative essay hook examples.

Wrapping Up

With the help of the essay hook writing steps and the essay hook examples suggested above, create a catchy essay hook for the introduction section of your essay. In case, you are not sure what attention grabbers to choose or need essay hook writing help, reach out to us immediately. At greatassignmenthelp.com, we have several talented essay writers to offer you affordable essay writing help online for all kinds of academic essays. Besides all types of essays, our experts will also assist you in preparing a strong hook statement for research papers and dissertations as well.

Instead of pressurizing yourself too much, simply utilize our assignment writing service online. Our scholarly writers will offer you speedy solutions for all kinds of academic paper writing problems you suffer from.

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  1. Hook Examples | How to Start an Essay - 5StarEssays">Interesting Hook Examples | How to Start an Essay - 5StarEssays

    Examples of a hook sentence for a narrative essay can be something like: “I was riding the bus to school; the other kids were making fun of me thinking I couldn’t understand them. “Why are his eyes like that?” “His face is funny.” A Chinese kid in America is probably like a zoo animal.” These were some catchy hook examples just to give you an idea.

  2. Hook Examples Generator for Essays and Presentations - IvyPanda">Hook Examples Generator for Essays and Presentations - IvyPanda

    💡 Examples of Hooks in Writing We will write a custom essay specifically for you for only 11.00 9.35/page Learn More The truth is, almost anything can be a hook. A well-constructed statement, an interesting fact, or an appropriate quote can make excellent openings for your introduction.

  3. Hook of an Essay - ThoughtCo">How to Write the Hook of an Essay - ThoughtCo

    The following is an example of a quote hook: "A man's errors are his portals of discovery." In the next sentence or two, give a reason for this quote or current example. As for the last sentence (the thesis) : Students grow more confident and self-sufficient when parents allow them to make mistakes and experience failure.

  4. Hook | Writing Studio | East Stroudsburg University">How to Write a Hook | Writing Studio | East Stroudsburg...

    Example: “Just 0.00545 percent of the 550,000 boys playing high school basketball each year in the United States become a first-round draft pick — 1 in 18,333” stated Jeff Rabjohns, a writer for The Indianapolis Star, in an article titled “Prep players face long odds of making it to NBA.”

  5. Essay Hook Examples - Assignment Help Services">List of Amazing Essay Hook Examples - Assignment Help Services

    Argumentative Essay Hook Examples “According to the World Health Organization, tobacco consumption kills more than 5 million people yearly. This makes the death rate more than would be from Malaria, HIV/AIDS, and TB combined.” There are thousands of dams around the world.

  6. Hook for Your Essay - Bid4Papers">How to Write a Good Hook for Your Essay - Bid4Papers

    Examples: “Most Americans mistakenly believe that all rice is essentially the same.” “Most coffee addicts would tell you their favorite drink comes from a bean, but they are wrong. Coffee is made from a seed called a bean.” 4) Anecdotes “An anecdote is a little story designed to illustrate a point you are trying to make.

  7. Hook in Essay Writing ⇒ Attention-Grabber Types and Examples">Hook in Essay Writing ⇒ Attention-Grabber Types and Examples

    Essay Hook Types and Examples. We excluded mid-text hooks—such as a cliffhanger—used in long texts and various visual methods, as they are irrelevant to academic essays. We want to talk about ten common types of hooks that can be potentially used in academic writing: Anecdote. Analogy.

  8. Good Hook for an Essay - Tutlance">How to Write a Good Hook for an Essay - Tutlance

    A hook is a sentence or two that captures the reader’s attention and makes them want to continue reading. In this blog post, we will discuss how to write a good hook for an essay. We will provide some tips and examples of good hooks for essays, so you can write an essay introduction that will grab the attention in your readers!

  9. Example Essays With Great Hooks Teaching Resources | TPT">Example Essays With Great Hooks Teaching Resources | TPT

    This product is a great formative tool for previewing students' ideas for hooks. It contains 11 slides with 5 different ways to start an informational/expository essay. After each example, students create their own. Slides also include tips for helping students to write their own examples.

  10. Essay Hook Writing: Learn with Essay Hook Examples - Great Assignment Help">Essay Hook Writing: Learn with Essay Hook Examples - Great...

    Essay Hook Examples for Different Types of Essays. Persuasive Essay Hook. Argumentative Essay Hook. Narrative Essay Hook. Wrapping Up. An essay is a written piece often created to present an idea and propose an argument. Its main purpose is to inform, convince and amuse the readers about any specific essay topic.