Hook = an Interesting Word, Phrase, Or Technique That Draws the Reader Into the Story Or Essay

Hook = an interesting word, phrase, or technique that draws the reader into the story or essay

Technique Example You try State a belief The school cafeteria should offer pepperoni pizza every day.

Use a single word Pickles! Pickles! Pickles! They were everywhere.

Start with an interesting fact The bumblebee bat is the smallest mammal on Earth.

Begin with a question Who is the greatest athlete of all time?

Capture a moment in time We were right at the top of the rickety roller coaster and started down the hill.

Begin with a scene The day of my birth began with Hurricane Charlie pounding at our door in Charleston, South Carolina.

1 Begin with an anecdote. As my cousin and I pedaled our new bikes to the beach, 6 years old, suntanned and young, we met an old, shaggy-haired man weaving unsteadily on a battered old bike.

Onomatopoeia Snap! Crackle! Crunch! Something big is lurking in the woods.

Start with a short 4 or 5 word Her hair shone gold. sentence.

Start with a simile. My family is like an open book.

Start with a metaphor. My life has been a carnival.

Start with a subordinate clause or Although her neighbor had always complex sentence. been friendly, this time she yelled at the top of her lungs!

2 Start with a riddle Who has a beautiful smile, cooks great, and can run like the wind? If you guessed my grandma, you’re right! Fill in the blanks: My brother was the kind of person _____ was the kind of _____ that could build anything. who/that _____

Capture a feeling or emotion. You might be surprised to find out how disappointed my parents were.

Use a string of adjectives. Scrumptious, delicious, and wonderful aromas don’t even begin to describe my favorite meal.

Begin with a definition. Perfect is the best adjective to describe me: I am flawless in every aspect of my life.

Begin with a quotation. “Learn to laugh” is something my kindergarten teacher told me after Ralph Thorsen spilled paint on my daffodil picture. Begin with a comparison to a well- I am as photogenic as Tyra Banks. known person or celebrity.

3 Begin with a dilemma. Deciding to attend Hampton Roads Academy, a private school, was one of my most difficult decisions.

Begin with the best advice you have “Butch, did you practice the piano?” ever received. Since I was six years old, this has been a daily reminder from my dear mother. “Be all you can be” has been my inspiration from my grandfather who is a retired Marine Corps colonel and my mentor. Begin with a surprising fact. The rate of crashes for 16 year old drivers is almost 10 times the rate for older drivers.