How To Write A Hook
In today’s lesson we’re going to learn how to write a hook. A hook is a sentence or group of sentences that will capture or “hook” your reader’s interest and lure him to keep reading.
The hook, also called the lead, will set the tone and mood for your essay, and engage the reader.
What is a HOOK? Essay Writing
A hook can be a single sentence or even a few paragraphs. Depending on the format of your writing (the type of essay) and the tone and mood you want to convey, you will choose your hook.
(Refer to the true story of Mike the Headless Chicken referenced in the video.)
10 Hooks to Engage Your Reader and Make Him or Her Want to Read Your Essay
- Onomatopoeia: buk, buk, buk, ba-gawk…whoosh… Thud (narrative)
- Alliteration: Miracle Mike, the chirpy chicken and famous fowl survived a botched beheading. (narrative)
- Anecdote or Incident: It was unusually hot that summer. My room faced the barn. As I heard the squawking, Iran to my open window. There was daddy. His arms were raised up in the air and his face was beet red. I saw the shiny glimmer of the axe. The steel blade catching the sun and shining brightly. In his other hand was Mike, Daddy’s fist tightly wrapped around Mike’s neck. I could see Daddy’s knuckles turn white. Daddy’s fist clenched tightly around Mike’s neck. Mike was fighting for his life. (narrative)
He wasn’t always Mike. He was one of many, nondescript, unimportant chickens. But after what happened, we had no choice but to give him a name, for he deserved it. (narrative)
- DIALOGUE: Where’s daddy going with that axe? I asked Mama. “He’s going out to the chicken coop. We’re having company tonight.” she casually replied as she set a pot of water on the stove. (narrative)
- JOKE: Why did the chicken cross the road? To get away from the farmer who chopped his head off. (narrative)
- FACTUAL STATEMENT or Statistic (bizarre, interesting, unusual): Chickens possess the neurologic components necessary to respond to painful stimuli and they perceive pain in a way similar to humans. They experience REM, have a memory like that of elephants, and can even feel empathy. (expository)
- MISCONCEPTION: Most people think that chickens are dumb, but in fact, they are remarkably intelligent in their own right.
- QUOTATION: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
-Mahatma Gandhi. (persuasive/argumentative)
“The question is not, “Can they reason?” nor, “Can they talk?” but “Can they suffer?”
― Jeremy Bentham (An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (Philosophical Classics), The Principles of Morals and Legislation (persuasive/argumentative)
- RHETORICAL QUESTION: Is it ethical to eat animals? If animals eat other animals why can’t humans do the same? (persuasive/argumentative)
- STRONG STATEMENT: The case of Mike the headless chicken was an example of cruelty and animal rights abuse. (persuasive/argumentative)
Conclusion: Remember that the hook is one of the most important components of your introduction. It lures the reader and engages him/her to want to read your writing.
Can you write your own hook? Go ahead and write a hook about Mike the Headless Chicken. Choose any hook style and write it in the comments below.
