Writing good hooks for argumentative essays (with examples)

Many students find it hard to create good hooks when writing an argumentative essay. The hook is the first sentence or two of your essay, and it should interest the reader in your topic. A good argumentative hook for example can leave them thinking “Yes! I need to know why this is true!”

In this guide, we will learn how to write a good hook for argumentative essay and earn a top grade.

Some starter questions answered in this guide include:

What makes a good hook for an argumentative essay?

A good hook is a question or statement that catches the reader’s attention and piques their interest. It must directly relate to the topic of your paper, but it cannot be so on-the-nose that you sound like you’re complaining about something. Keep in mind that your thesis statement won’t be just one sentence; it will have several sentences that need to lead logically from the introduction into the bulk of the text.

Characteristics of a good hook for argumentative essay

So, what are some characteristics of a good hook for argumentative essay?

A good hook does not announce itself as a hook right away; instead it lures readers into feeling like they’re reading something substantial and meaty before revealing its true nature. It goes beyond just mentioning an interesting argument or position by actually developing it in some way.
A good hook will be original and creative without being too far-fetched or alienating.
A good hook is an integral part of your argument, rather than just a starting point for it. It should have a clear purpose in the text as a whole. In other words, it’s less important that your essay starts with a good hook than it is that your essay has a strong and cohesive thesis throughout.
A good hook does not merely state an opinion; rather, it presents an idea or asks a question (e.g., “Is writing about love more difficult than writing about hate?”)
You need to use powerful words to make sure your hook doesn’t fall flat. If you’re talking about something like global warming, for example, don’t bother starting with the phrase “the recent rise in temperature.” You need to go deeper into discussion of the topic; this means using language that shows you’re familiar with the research and have a good grasp of the academic conversation surrounding your topic. Additionally, avoid clichés and empty phrases when coming up with a hook for argumentative essay.

6 Types of argumentative essay hooks

There are 6 types of argumentative essay hooks you can use to grab the attention of your audience:

Quotation or citation hooks
Factual hooks
Personal experience hook
Question hook
Case study hook
Definition hook

Below is a detailed analysis of the 6 hooks for essays listed above with examples on how to write a hook for an argumentative essay (with detailed essay hook examples).

Quotation or citation hooks

Quotation or citation hooks involve using quotes, statistics, and other research data to support your argument.

For example, if you are writing about how people rely too heavily on cell phones to communicate with each other as opposed to giving face-to-face time as a priority, then one possible hook might be:

“A recent study by the Pew Research Center reveals that American teens between the ages of 12 and 17 send an average of 60 text messages per day.”

Factual hooks

Factual hooks use facts and figures from surveys and polls. For example: “According to a survey conducted by CBS news, more than 50% of first year college students wish their parents had not pushed so hard for them to attend college.” Or, “According to the US Census Bureau, the average household spent $2400 on back-to-school supplies in 2014.”

Facts are very important when writing an argument essay because the facts present a valid way to support your argument. For example, if you are writing an opinion essay about how commercialism is damaging Christmas traditions, citing a statistic that shows that spending for Christmas has increased by 500% in the past ten years will help strengthen and support your argument.

Personal experience hook

Personal experience hooks are effective hooks in argumentative writing because they involve the audience directly. For example: “If I had it my way, students would have to give up social media for an entire semester just so that they could focus on their academics.” Or, “As a college student hailing from a low socioeconomic background, I can attest to how frustrating it is not being able to buy name brand items at school prices after graduation.”

By sharing a personal experience when starting an argumentative essay, the writer is able to catch the reader’s attention right away by either relating to a personal situation or revealing something that many people might find surprising. In addition to this, these hooks have an active voice which makes the argumentative essay feel more direct and forceful.

Question hook

To use a question hook successfully, you must frame your argument as a question. For example: “Do you think life would be easier if you never had to deal with the in-between moments in life, when your life didn’t fit perfectly into any timeframe?”

Using a question as an argumentative paper hook allows you to organize your paper around a series of questions. The format for this type of paper is simple:

Introduce the topic with a general question that may have one or two concrete answers.
Discuss why these specific answers are correct or incorrect from a certain point of view, citing sources in the process if necessary.
Include a final conclusion in which you state your own position and explain why it is valid based on the evidence you have already presented throughout the essay.

Case study hook

A case study hook allows you to illustrate examples using stories about real people. Using real life case studies can attract your readers’ interest in your paper because everyone loves a good story.

You may consider using this type of hook in any argumentative essay, but it is especially effective when you are writing an opinion essay or persuasive essay. This type of hook has the advantage over other types because it can be personal and easy to understand at the same time. You may use details about people’s lives to make your point clear and maybe even inspire emotions like empathy within your readers. The disadvantage however is that not every reader will find the case study equally interesting or involving; thus depending on what you are writing about, you may want to try out more than one type of hook before deciding which one is best for your particular scenario.

For example: “Jessica was excited to make new friends at college until she realized how difficult it was trying to find common ground between acquaintances.”

Definition hook

A definition hook allows you define terms that may or may not be familiar to the reader. For example: “Art is a form of expression that balances creativity, imagination, individuality, and beauty.”

Example of a definition hook in argumentative essay writing would be:

“Art is a form of expression that balances creativity, imagination, individuality, and beauty.”

Writing challenge: Practise writing good hook for argumentative essays

Now that you know how to write a good hook for argumentative essay, you need to practise writing argumentative hooks by choosing two types of hooks above and creating good argumentative hooks.

Share your views and the results of this challenge in the comment section.

Good hooks for argumentative essays (with examples)