Once you're finished with an essay and turn it in, it's likely you didn't know that the first sentence is one of the most important when a professor, or to be honest, their TA is grading. When looking through a stack of 50 papers, the first sentence lets the grader know what kind of paper they're about to scan. Research has outlined that essay graders tend to take a ‘first impression dominates’ approach, meaning that the first line is likely to set the stage for how they read your essay, and therefore, how they grade it. So, if you think about it, a hook takes up about 1% of your essay, but 100% of your reader's attention.
Based on this, you may think that your hook needs to be tragic, shocking, or extremely dramatic, but the only thing your hook needs to do is give the reader a reason to keep reading. For example, if you're learning how to write an argumentative essay, your first thought might be that your hook has to be as dramatic as possible to prepare for dense evidence-based writing, but in reality, your hook can actually be directly from your research. This function turns writing hooks into a formula and a skill you can easily learn and master as you practice. To master it, you'll need to know what a hook is, the five types with examples, which type fits which essay, fill-in-the-blank starters, and openings to never use.
What Is a Hook in an Essay?
In short, a hook is not the first sentence of each paragraph, but the first sentence of the entire paper, and its main job is to compel and connect. Instead of measuring how successful your hook is by how impressive it sounds, think about whether it would compel a reader to continue after reading it. The second thing a hook must do is connect your reader to the thesis, the main point of your essay. Generally, a typical essay will feature your hook, some type of bridge, or context that is necessary to understand the thesis, and the thesis, the last sentence of your introduction. Does the hook compel your reader to read more, and does it connect them to your main point? A hook might also be called different names depending on your assignment or rubric. You might see grabber, attention grabber, or lead, all of which are other words for hook. Whatever your instructor calls it, it's all the same sentence with the same function.
To eliminate confusion, let's also discuss what a hook is not. Firstly, it is not a thesis; it communicates intent, while the thesis communicates argument. Secondly, it is not an announcement or forecast. A hook should not say “in this essay, I will...” but instead invite the topic at hand in an organic way. A hook is also not a definition, nor clickbait. Don't use your hook to define the topic with a dictionary entry, or introduce a shocking statement that's never addressed. When in doubt, go back to the basics: compel and connect.
How Long Should a Hook Be?
A hook is one or two sentences, or about 25 words. Mainly, two questions go hand in hand: how long is a hook, and how long is an essay? The answer is outlined below:
- Short essay (500 words): one sentence
- Standard essay (1,000–1,500 words): 1–2 sentences
- Research paper (3,000+ words): 2–3 sentences, brief opening scene
One of the exceptions to this is a timed essay, like an AP exam with a blue book. Especially if you're a slow writer and you need to focus on getting your point across, the hook is the first thing that should be cut from the essay, as its only function is to capture attention instead of answering a prompt.
One rule you can follow to determine how long your hook should be is to look at the thesis. If your hook is longer than the thesis, it's too long. A hook acts as the setup for the thesis, so it shouldn't take up more space than the real star of the essay.
The 4 Types of Hooks, With Examples
The Question Hook
This type opens the essay with a problem the essay will solve by using a question. You'll generally use these for expository essays or personal reflections, but they can also be useful in persuasive essays where the reader can formulate an answer to the question before reading on.
Examples:
- How does the author portray shame in their commentary on Frankenstein?
- Why does academic adversity decrease elective academic resource attendance?
- When was the last time you thought about your life expectancy?
The Statistic or Fact Hook
This uses a fact or statistic to establish the importance of the topic your essay will discuss. These are especially useful for argumentative essays, research papers, or anything that requires you to use evidence to create claims.
Examples:
- 78% of nurses report burnout after 2 years of employment.
- Dogs are the only living creatures that can be cured of Lyme's disease.
- The average attention span of college students has decreased from 8 seconds to 3 seconds over the past 10 years.
The Quotation Hook
This type of hook opens with a relevant excerpt from another person connected to your topic. These are effective in literary analyses, rhetorical analysis, and history papers.
Examples:
- Oscar Wilde once wrote, “It takes great courage to see the world in all its tainted glory, and still to love it.”
- Ronald Reagan said that “There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit.”
- “The more you know, the more you know you don't know” (Aristotle).
The Anecdote Hook
This hook provides a specific moment that humanly relates to the topic at hand. Use these in narrative or personal essays.
Examples:
- I still remember the day that I visited the ocean for the first time. It was the same day that I almost lost my life before a lifeguard rescued me.
- The terrorist attack on the World Trade Center still persists in most Americans' minds and hearts today.
- Imagine you leave your house for a typical workday, and your car has been replaced by a horse-drawn carriage.
Three More Openings Worth Knowing
The scene or description hook: for narrative and descriptive essays, this opens with a concrete sensory image for the reader to experience.
Example: “There is nothing like the crisp sound of bubbling waves crashing against the surface of the stark, white sand of a South Florida beach.”
The common misconception hook: for expository and analytical work, this hook does particularly well at flowing into a thesis.
Example: “Many believe that Lyme's disease is completely incurable, and that is technically true, unless you're a dog.”
The definition-contrast hook: sets an everyday meaning against a technical one that you can use for an argumentative or persuasive essay, rather than a plain dictionary definition.
Example: “As Americans attempt to battle with artificial intelligence, many countries still lack access to electricity.”
Hook Sentence Starters
- “Why does [common belief] still...”
- “[percent] of....”
- “[author] once said [quote]....”
- “The first time I....”
- “It is shocking that people still believe....”
- “The [sense] of [place] is...”
- “Most assume that..”
- “While [definition], in reality...”
Refrain from using hooks that are commonly seen in essays, but rarely do their actual job. These include statements like “since the dawn of time” or “throughout history,” which are statements that are not only tired but also unverifiable. Nobody can prove what's always happened, and hooks should compel yet still ground themselves in relevant, accurate claims. Other statements, like dictionary definitions or forecasting statements, don't compel; the reader either already knows it or isn't interested in what you will explain. Why should they? Remember, hooks should do two things: compel and connect. If they don't, don't use them.
Which Hook Should You Use for Your Essay Type?
| Essay type | Hooks that work | Hooks to avoid |
| Argumentative | Statistic or Fact Definition/Contrast |
Anecdote – reads as unsupported Scene/Description – delays claim Quotation – weakens your position |
| Expository | Question Common Misconception |
Anecdote – lacks evidence |
| Analysis | Quotation Common Misconception |
Statistic – rarely relevant Definition/Contrast – irrelevant Question – too cliche |
| Narrative | Anecdote Scene or Description |
Statistic – unrelated if not personally attached Quotation – takes focus away from your voice Question – reads as evasion |
How to Write a Hook for an Essay, Step by Step
1. Identify Your Essay Type
You can't determine how to write your hook until you know what kind of hook you should be writing. Identify what type of essay you're writing, whether you're arguing, explaining, or narrating, and pick a relevant hook.
2. Write the Thesis First
If the hook is meant to lead into your main point or argument, it's difficult to write it if you don't know exactly what it is. Usually, when students struggle to write the first sentence, it's because they need to write the rest of the essay first.
3. Find the Most Surprising Detail
Your hook should come from the most compelling detail that you came across in the materials you used to write your essay. If it's a research paper, what piece of information surprised you the most? If it's a narrative, what part of your story is most interesting?
4. Draft a Few Types
If your essay type allows, draft three different hooks in three different types. Try a statistic, a fact, a question, and gain some comfortability with writing openings.
5. Choose the Hook that Compels and Connects
Try and read your hook from the perspective of someone who knows nothing about your topic. Are you compelled to read more? Read the hook and then your thesis. Do they connect? If the answer to either of those is no, go back to the drawing board.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is an example of a hook for an essay?
“COPD has been the top cause of death in Pittsburgh for the past 10 years.”
2. Is a hook usually one sentence?
A hook can be anywhere from one to three sentences, depending on how long the essay you're writing is.
3. What is a strong hook?
A strong hook both compels your reader to continue reading and connects strongly to the thesis.
4. What are some good hook sentences?
- As the education sphere seeks to improve through professional training and policy implementations, the fundamental question that policymakers, administrators, and instructors who are striving for growth must answer is, “Under what conditions do students succeed?”
- According to Spencer Oatley, “Culture is a notoriously difficult term to define,” and these are the typical statements I discover when I look for a definition of culture.
- As someone with synesthesia (seeing colors when hearing sounds), color has been a fascinating part of my everyday life.
5. Do all essays need a hook?
No. Some timed essays, lab reports, and certain rubrics might not require one. The best thing to do is to refer to your rubric or guidelines.
6. Can I use a hook generator?
Since hooks are based on the most compelling piece of information from your own material or experience, a hook generator likely can't produce a hook that compels and connects strongly enough to your thesis.
Becoming a Master of Hooks
Remember that you likely already have a good hook buried in your thesis, material, and personal experience; you just have to find it. Hooks are functions, and those are entirely learnable and take very little time to master. Students who think they're bad at writing hooks and bad paper writers usually just need more time figuring out their main point. As long as you know your essay type, your main point, and your material, you can find a hook that works for you and your goals. Before long, you'll be writing hooks without even thinking about them.
