Developing Interesting Hooks

Introductory Hooks:

• Generally, hooks at the beginning of the introduction can be created with:
• Relevant Quotes
• Surprising Statistics/Facts
• Shocking Statements
• However, you need to make it interesting :)
• Be a Trickster:
• This is a bit hard to explain without potentially confusing the potatoes out of you, so I'm going to use an example. I recently had a student come into the Writing Center with a hook that looked something like this: "People never want to hear gunshots in their neighborhoods; however, it was one gunshot, in particular, that changed my life forever. The first sound of gunfire, signalling the start of the race, was the most thrilling and positive moment in my life."
• HA! Did I fool you!? I thought this was very creative and interesting. I expected the paper to take me somewhere depressing and dangerous, but I was tricked! Their paper was about their positive experiences while running for a track team.
• Imagery and Description:
• Your reader wants to be sucked into your paper. Use his or her senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, auditory) to draw them into your essay. Paint a scene for them and correlate it with your topic. This scenario-hook will flow into the "background info" portion of your introductory paragraph before you state your thesis.

End/Conclusion Hooks:

Always keep your audiences thinking. You can accomplish this by adding a "call to action" statement or a general "big-picture" statement at the very end of your conclusion paragraph.

• Call to Action:
• This is when you directly tell your reader to do something. For example, if I were writing a paper about the benefits of recycling, I might write an end hook that states, "Next time you're walking around and you see an empty water bottle on the ground, pick it up and dispose of it in the recycling bin."
• By directly speaking to the reader, you build a stronger connection with them through your paper. If they feel closer to the topic or narrator, they might be more inclined to participate in an action or share the important information presented in your essay.
• The Big Picture:
• If you don't need a "call to action" statement, you should somehow get your audience involved in the issue at hand. Instead of addressing your audience directly, you could draw attention to society, in general. If I wanted to change my end hook to a "big picture" statement, I might say, "Recycling is important to societies around the world and will some day save all human kind...etc."
• Apply the topic to not just the reader or yourself, but to the population as a whole.

                                  
Feel free to come visit us in the Fullerton College Writing Center with your next writing assignment. We are open Monday through Friday. Our hours are Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Friday 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Please call ahead and make your appointment today! The Fullerton College Writing Center phone number is (714) 992-7153.

The Funnel Down Introduction

The Funnel Down Introduction is a great way to start a paper. It is effective in drawing a reader in with a broad claim, or hook, then with each sentence narrowing the broad claim down to relate to a thesis statement.

This is what a Funnel Down Introduction looks like:

1^st Sentence – Broad Hook – this sentence is related to the subject of your paper, sort of. This claim should, in some way, draw the reader into your paper and make them want to read more.

Example: It’s peanut butter and jelly time!

2^nd Sentence – Less Broad – this sentence is still not very specific nor does it outright state the topic yet, but it is a step closer to your subject and is a less broad statement than your hook.

Example: Peanut butter and jelly are a classic combination that gets eaten by thousands of people a day.

3^rd Sentence – More Focused – this sentence is tying the idea of your thesis and your broad statement even closer together. Think of each sentence in your funnel down intro as a step closer to your thesis.

Example: While Americans are very familiar with this delicious food item, there are people around the world who are not sure what a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is.

4^th Sentence – Almost Thesis – this sentence is going to support your thesis and almost outright state it, but it isn’t quiet the thesis yet.

Example: It turns out that the classic American combination of peanut butter and jelly has not caught on around the world, but other sandwich variations have.

Thesis Statement – this is the main point of your whole paper. Your thesis should include your topic + your opinion + your rational (or reasons) presented within your paper.

Example: Peanut butter and jelly is a unique American sandwich and while peanut butter is popular in other dishes around the world, it rarely finds itself paired up with jelly outside of America.

Here is what the introduction looks like put together:

It’s peanut butter and jelly time! Peanut butter and jelly are a classic combination that gets eaten by thousands of people a day. While Americans are very familiar with this delicious food item, there are people around the world who are not sure what a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is. It turns out that the classic American combination of peanut butter and jelly has not caught on around the world, but other sandwich variations have.  Peanut butter and jelly is a unique American sandwich and while peanut butter is popular in other dishes around the world, it rarely finds itself paired up with jelly outside of America.

Below is a quick visualization using Prezi (free for anyone to use at prezi.com once you sign up for an account!) on the Funnel Down Introduction.

Copy of Funnel Down Introduction on Prezi

Feel free to come visit us in the Fullerton College Writing Center with your next writing assignment. We are open Monday through Friday. Our hours are Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Friday 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Please call ahead and make your appointment today! The Fullerton College Writing Center phone number is (714) 992-7153.