Essay Starters - Hooks

The first paragraph of the essay, the introduction, captures the reader’s attention, states clearly the topic or main idea, and indicates how the topic will be developed in the essay.

Hooks

A hook provides an incentive to read the essay.  Hooks can stimulate interest through anecdotes, interesting facts, or surprising statements, quotations, or definitions addressed to the reader. They might be provocative questions and/or background or historical information.

An Anecdote


  • Uses short personal stories to engage readers
  • Must relate closely to the main point or argument of the essay

"The day I turned six, I saw a forty-foot tree that had been ripped up by its roots and up-ended on the other side of the city. I had been outside picking up giant hailstones. Only later did I realize a deadly tornado had ripped through Edmonton, Alberta, and killed 27 people. My birth date has now come to be known as 'Black Friday'." 


Sources for Anecdotes: The best anecdotes are personal ones that connect to your topic. Avoid anecdotes in formal papers.

An Interesting Fact or Surprise Statement

  • Engages the audience with an interesting statistic
  • Must be correct, credible, and up-to-date
  • Must provide proper credit for the information source
  • Works particularly well with persuasive essays
"Minor disagreements among young people can lead to serious violence. In one survey of teenagers, forty-one percent said they would resort to violence if deemed necessary. Thirty-three percent of teens said that when they were really angry they could not control themselves. Twenty-one percent said that avoiding conflict was a sign of weakness.

-National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center nyvprc@safeyouth.org


Sources for Interesting Facts or Surprise Statements: These will be evident as you do research or investigate your topic. Many topics have obscure or little-known pieces of information that could grab your reader's interest.

A Quotation or Definition

  • Adds credibility if an expert or respected figure supports what you have to say
  • Equips your reader with information, especially if you define an unusual or odd term
  • Must be accompanied by proper credit for the information source


Example: “Genius is 98% perspiration and 2% inspiration,” Thomas Edison once stated.

Sources for quotations or definitions: Check online for quotations and locate definitions in a dictionary or text glossary.

Involvement of the Reader


  • Addressing the reader directly can be very engaging.
  • Do not use "you" or "I" in formal essays.

"You can prevent forest fires. Wildfires are any unwanted, unplanned fires that burn in forests and other wildlands such as shrub or grass communities. They are powerful natural forces you must fully understand and respect to best control. The data shows that of the 25 000+ wildfires that burned in Alberta during 1996 to 2014, lightning caused about 43% and human activity started about 55%."

http://wildfire.alberta.ca/wildfire-maps/historical-wildfire-information/documents/HumanLightningCausedWildfires-Apr14-2015.pdf
Sources for Involvement of the Reader: Make a topic immediately accessible or easy to relate to for your reader. 

A Provocative Question


  • Presents an intriguing paradox (puzzle) or asks a thought-provoking or reflective question
  • Does not require a simple yes or no answer
  • Engages and challenges the reader's thinking


E.g. "What happens to animals when they are caught in a forest fire?”

Sources for Provocative Questions: Reflect on what challenges you or engages you about the topic. What questions did you have before you began to research? Another tactic is to put yourself in the reader's position. What is it you want the reader to begin thinking?

Background or Historical Information


  • Provides general or historical background about your topic
  • Equips the reader to understand your topic
  • Must be very brief and relevant
"The Beast, a fire that ravaged Fort McMurray and caused the city's evacuation, burned almost 600 000 hectares of land. Quick fire-fighter responses, rain, and lower temperatures, extinguished the blaze. However, this was not the largest forest fire in Alberta's history. The biggest fire recorded in North American history is the Chinchaga fire in 1950 that was allowed to burn freely in BC and Alberta, destroying 1 400 000 hectares of land. It produced so much smoke, that it cast a smoky haze across Europe and North America and caused blue suns and moons. Cities in Ontario experienced three hours of darkness. Toronto turned on its streetlights in the middle of the day. Even animals were affected. Cows changed their milking schedules and birds went to sleep mid-day."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinchaga_fire

Sources for Background or Historical Information: Research reference books or online sources for example, CBC news or wikipedia.org.


   Go to Assignment 2-2 and complete Section 2 now.