Hooks for Essays

What is the purpose of a hook?

• to create an argument for your essay

• to provide evidence supporting your argument/thesis

• grab readers' attention and make them want to read more

• to explain your evidence

The following example represents which type of hook below: “People lie in 1 out of every 5 conversations lasting more than 10 minutes, according to Allison Komet writing for Psychology Today magazine.”

• inverted pyramid

• fact or statistic

• anecdote or personal experience

• bold pronouncement

TRUE OR FALSE: A bold pronouncement is a type of hook that conveys confidence in what you are communicating to your readers.

• TRUE

• FALSE

TRUE OR FALSE: A hook is like a setup to a joke.

• TRUE

• FALSE

What kind of hook is this: Each year thousands of teenagers die in driving accidents

• definition (meaning of a word)

• shocking statement

• Quote from a famous person

• question

What kind of hook is this: have you ever thought about where your salad came from?

• shocking statement

• quote from famous person

• dilemma

• question

What kind of hook is this:

On January 8, 2011, the worst snowstorm in the history of my state paralyzed our area.

• scene

• definition

• humorous statement

• comparison

What kind of hook is this:

After college, I had to decide between a low-paying job that seemed like fun and a more mundane(boring) job that paid very well.

• dilemma

• shocking statement

• quote from a famous person

• question

What kind of hook is this: It is 2070 and there are cities on the Moon. Mars has declared independence from Earth. Humans have started settling on the moons of Jupiter. The average life expectancy is 250 years.

• shocking statement

• quote from a famous person

• scene

• dilemma

Dying is not natural; rather, dying is a curable disease.

• definition

• shocking statement

• humorous statement

• dilemma