Writing talent lies in the fact that the one who writes the text can hook the reader’s attention and hold it until the end of the story. The ability to interest, to magnetically act on your target audience is an undeniable advantage for an essay writer. Professional writers from online essay writing service Do My Essay know how to engage the reader so that he/she feels intrigued. It’s the reason why more and more students use expert writing assistance.
Don’t you want the reader to feel that the article is boring, that after reading just one paragraph, he/she immediately loses all interest in it? Then, keep on reading carefully. We are going to share all the secrets of how to write a great hook for an essay.
What Is a Hook and What Role Does It Play in an Essay?
A hook is one or a couple of sentences you write to open your essay topic. However, it’s not the best idea to write “My essay will be about…” Does it sound eye-catching? Definitely, not! It has been proven that several seconds are enough for the reader to decide whether he/she wants to read the article or not. Of course, if it’s a college essay, your teacher will read it until the end even if it sounds banal and uninteresting. But don’t expect that the paper will be evaluated positively.
A hooking sentence is the one that makes the reader engaged. Even if he/she has some other things to do, he/she would choose to continue reading your text. The main difficulty is to choose the right one – that will suit the type of your paper and will appeal to your target audience.
Hook Ideas Successful Essay Writers Use in Their Papers
Your task is to arouse interest, specify what the article will be about, and then show that you understand what you are writing about. This can be done in completely different ways.
Here are some of the most common ways to hook the reader’s attention:
- Ask a question.
- Make a powerful statement.
- State the problem.
- Begin by quoting a famous/authoritative person.
- Give an example that applies to almost everyone.
- Start with astonishing/intimidating statistics. People who will be shocked by some fact will want to know more.
- Tear the patterns. You can attract attention by saying something completely unexpected.
- Start telling a story (in this case, the first sentence should be especially exciting).
Each of the ways has its specifics. The problem is that not each one will suit any type of academic paper. That’s why you should have a clear understanding of the peculiarities each of the listed hooks has.
Tips for Choosing the Best Hook that Will Suit Your Type of Essay
- Asking a question. It’s one of the most common ways to hook the reader. It’s able to help you build direct contact with your target audience. But you should be careful when choosing a question to ask. It must be intriguing and interesting. One more rule here is not to ask questions which the reader can answer positively or negatively. The question should cover some point discovering which will be useful for the reader.
- Literary quotes. Use them if you are writing a book review or an essay that analyses some literary works. In this case, the use of a quote will be appropriate. You may choose the quote that will reflect the main idea of your paper.
- Starting with a misconception. If there is a common misconception, which refers to the chosen essay topic, you can intrigue the reader telling about how things are in reality.
- Jokes and anecdotes. It’s one of the ways to hook the reader but be careful with anecdotes. Think twice before you start your introduction with an anecdote because it may sound funny to you but not for your reader. Make sure its use is relevant to your essay topic. Using humor is a good idea but the main thing is not to use it in almost every sentence. Know the measure.
- Telling a story from your personal experience. Check the requirements given by the teacher and make sure you are allowed to use personal pronouns. If yes, then, you can try to hook the reader with the story taken from your personal life. It can be a story about someone else. It doesn’t matter. The most important thing is to tell a fascinating story. You can start it from the middle, from the tense moment to keep the reader focused.
- Using statistics and facts. This type of hook will suit research papers and persuasive essays most. Don’t forget to mention where you’ve taken the information from. The reader shouldn’t have doubts about whether to believe it or not. If you use factual information, then do your best to spend some time and find the facts that not everyone knows. Check your source of information before you include the fact in your essay.
We’ve discussed the best essay hooks that will suit other academic papers as well. Follow the tips above and keep in mind your target audience. It will help you to hook your reader and hold his/her attention.
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