Learn 7 Types of Hooks with a Hook Example for Each Essay

You shouldn’t only write an essay. Rather you should always make it worth the reader’s time. This can only be done if you catch the reader’s interest. An easy way to do that is using essay hooks.

Essay hooks capture the reader’s attention that makes them read your essay with more interest. Thus, they will generally like an essay with a good hook more than a plain essay with a general start.

Hook sentences will also help you to get higher grades in your school or college. In case your essay is getting published, then the readers will appreciate your writing. Read the blog below to learn more about the types of essay hooks and their examples. Also, read the guidelines to use them in your essay.

What is an Essay Hook?

An essay hook is a sentence or a couple of sentences written to grab the reader’s attention. They are placed at the start of the essay as the first lines of the introduction paragraph.

The hook of the essay gives a slight idea to the reader about the topic. That is why it keeps the reader interested because it intrigues the reader. It creates a curiosity to read the essay further.

It has to be kept in view that the hook is not a replacement for the introduction. The hook and the thesis statement are two essential parts of the introduction. The introduction further includes the description or background of the topic also.

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7 Common Types of Essay Hooks

There are seven commonly used hooks or attention grabbers for academic papers in the United States and globally. They are further explained below:

A detailed explanation of each hook is given below.

1. Question Hook

Questions are good attention grabbers. You can ask a question to the readers that they wouldn’t have otherwise thought of. They would want to find the answer to the question by reading the essay.

By asking questions, you can make the readers wonder about the topic. This makes them interested in the topic, and they will read your essay to find the answer.

2. Anecdotal Start for your Essay

Anecdotes are daily life stories or stories that somehow link to the topic. It can also be a personal story or experience. They can be funny, emotional, or even shocking, depending upon your topic. Try to keep the story has to be as short as possible.

Remember that the hook is just a part of the introduction. It is not a separate paragraph or the whole introduction. So the anecdotal story has to be of that length to fit in the introduction.

3. Quotations as Essay Attention Grabbers

A commonly used hook for essays is the quotations and sayings of famous personalities and authors. These quotations have to explain the same context as that of the topic.

Finding relevant quotations could be tricky, but it sure is not impossible. You can search them by writing your topic’s name in a search engine. Or, just write the names of famous personalities in your field of study.

4. Statistical Facts as Hooks

Another widely used type of essay hook is facts and statistics. Writers mention shocking or surprising facts, in the beginning, to instantly catch the reader’s attention.

For instance, if you were writing an essay on the growing population. A hook sentence example can be mentioning the current population growth rate.

5. Statement or Declaration Hook

Start with a statement or declaration hook to begin your essay by making a strong claim about your topic. It is generally more preferred for argumentative and persuasive essays but can be used otherwise also.

The reader may agree or disagree with your opinion. Either way, they would want to read your essay. They would want to know how their opinion is validated or what the other opinion might be.

6. Descriptive Starting

A descriptive starting can be used to hook the reader, most probably in a narrative essay. You can start by writing an unclear or thought-provoking image of the story or subject at the start. This makes the writer curious about the story, and thus they start reading your essay.

Don’t give out your story completely. Instead, just mention the vivid details and see the impact it creates.

7. Metaphorical Attention Grabbers

Metaphors in literature are indirect references to explain something. It will compare two things that are originally different from each other, but one indirectly explains the other. The metaphor will point towards your subject but will not reveal it completely.

This can be another great start for your descriptive, expository, and analytical essays. Metaphors can be difficult to write, but they are the most concise way to include a hook in your introduction.

Tips to Write a Good Hook for Your Essay

A good hook for an essay will always fit within the context and type of your essay. So, to find suitable hooks for your essay, keep in view the following points:

• Understand the type of essay and the field of study. A hook for an argumentative essay can be a startling fact. In contrast, that for a narrative essay can be a quotation or an anecdote.
• Finalize your essay outline before writing your essay hook. The outline will define the dimension and context of your essay. This will help you to write the hook accordingly.
• Keep the target audience in mind. For example, a quotation would hook a literary audience more than a scientific theory.

Examples of Different Types of Hook Sentences

We understand that reading about these hooks might not be sufficient to write a hook sentence. Therefore, we have provided some examples of each type of hook for you to understand them better.

1. Examples of Hook Questions

This type of a hook sentence includes questions. Some examples of questions that can be used as hooks for essays are as following:

• Do YouTubers really need to use Search Engine Optimization?
• Have you ever thought about why women suffer from depression more than men?
• What makes some students successful and others unsuccessful in college?

2. Examples of Anecdotal Hooks

If you are thinking to start your essay with short stories, then consider the following examples:

• “ Oh, I would never dream of assuming I know all Hogwarts' secrets, Igor. Only this morning, for instance, I took a wrong turn on the way to the bathroom. I found myself in a beautifully proportioned room I had never seen before, containing a rather magnificent collection of chamber pots. When I went back to investigate more closely, I discovered that the room had vanished.” Dumbledore to a visiting headmaster in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling.
• “ I like talking to myself. It is one of my greatest pleasures. I often have long conversations all by myself. I am so clever sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.” The Rocket from The Happy Prince and Other Tales by Oscar Wilde.

3. Examples of Quotations as Hooks

Some examples of quotations that can be used as hooks for the start of an essay are as following:

• “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world” by Nelson Mandela. This quotation can be used at the start of an essay related to the significance or benefits of education.
• “ Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master,” by Christian Lous Lange. Such a quotation can be used as a hook for an essay related to the perks and drawbacks of technology.

4. Examples of Declaratory Statements as Hooks

Hook examples for declaratory statements are as following:

• Globalization has greatly been harmed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Freelancing is the most favorable choice of profession by youngsters.
• Online education and physical education can not be compared whatsoever.

5. Descriptive Examples as Hooks

The examples of descriptive startings are as following:

• “It began the usual way, in the bathroom of the Lassimo Hotel.” Jennifer Egan, A Visit from the Goon Squad.
• “We slept in what once had been the gymnasium.” Margaret Atwood, The Handmade’s Tale.
• “In my earliest memory, my grandfather is bald as a stone and he takes me to see the tigers.” Téa Obreht, The Tiger’s Wife.

6. Examples of Facts and Statistics as Hooks

Some facts and statistics that can be used as hooks for an essay are as following:

• According to the United Nations (2017), the global population is growing by 1.10 percent.
• The world’s first web page, “the European Organization for Nuclear Research,” can still be accessed. It was first made in 1991.

7. Examples of Metaphorical Attention Grabbers:

Some examples of metaphorical hooks are mentioned below:

• “Miss Brooke had that kind of beauty which seems to be thrown into relief by poor dress.” George Eliot, Middlemarch.
• “It was a pleasure to burn.” Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

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How to Choose the Best Hook for your Essay?

By now, you have read about different types of hooks and their examples. There are no specific rules to choose the perfect hook for your essay. However, you can consider the following points to make your selection easy.

• The target audience of the essay.
• Your essay type and topic.
• It should be precise enough to fit in your introduction.
• You should be able to link it with the rest of your introduction and the essay.
• Great hooks do not reveal too much. Instead, they should keep the readers intrigued about the essay.
• Before choosing any type of hook, do read an example of a hook for your type of essay.

You can pick any of the mentioned examples of a hook statement as your opening line. It will make your piece of writing interesting. Do follow the guidelines mentioned in the blog to select and write an interesting hook sentence for your essay.

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