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Academic writing is a well-structured and clear piece of writing that provides evidence with every claim. There are many more aspects that you are supposed to ensure in academic writing. It includes the formal style, tone and precision in writing. For every writer, it really matters a lot to engage the reader. If a writer fails in doing so, it means he do not understand the standards of writing. In academics, you need to work on complexity, formal style as well as engagement of the reader. All these aspects make your writing easy to understand. Furthermore, it is essential to show professionalism in academic writing.
Hook in academic writing is used to get the attention of the reader. The hook is an essential part of writing. If you do not use hook sentences in academic writing, there would be a high chance that your audience will feel confused and distracted. Since hook is an essential component of writing, this article aims to discuss about different ways of using hook sentences in academic writing.
What is a Good Hook Sentence?
A good hook sentence is the one which grabs the attention of reader. It should motivate or excite the reader about further discussion. Whatever type of hook you are using in academic writing, if it fails in engaging the reader, it means it is not a good one.
As the basic purpose of a hook in academic writing is to spark the curiosity of the reader, so a good hook is the one which fulfils the aim of engagement. The hook works as an opening sentence in academic writing. You can use it at the start of every paragraph to make it interesting.
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What are Examples of Hooks?
All the questions that are asked in academic writing are an example of hook. For hook, it is preferred to ask open-ended questions. These questions let the reader think about the situation and make different scenarios. So, in order to end up with one answer reader continues reading.
Another example of a hook is opening sentences at the start of writing. These opening sentences also engage the reader in a good way.
Types of Hooks in Writing
There are five types of hooks that are used in writing. These types are mentioned below:
- Statistic hook
- Question hook
- Statement hook
- Anecdotal hook
- Quotation hook
Let’s discuss each type of hook in academic writing briefly.
Statistic Hook
In a statistic hook, the writer uses facts and figures to attract the reader. At the start of a paragraph, the use of accurate statistics provides strength to your discussion. While using a statistic hook in academic writing, you have to ensure that it is accurate. For this, you need to see if the website and writer are credible or not. The most important thing to note in statistic hook is the credibility of stat because it provides strength to your writing, in the same way, wrong stats can ruin all of your efforts. If you are using stats, it must be collected from a credible source. You can use ‘Statista’ for this purpose.
Question Hook
You may have seen the use of rhetorical question in academic writing. This rhetorical question works as a hook in academic writing. The question hook makes the reader curious about the answer. In this curiosity, he does not quit reading. That is how you achieve your goal of engaging the reader in a proper way.
Statement Hook
This is another type of hook that focuses on the argument. The reader may agree or disagree with your statement. If the reader agrees, he will follow your instructions. On the other, if a reader does not agree, he will be there to argue about the discussion.
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Anecdotal Hook
In academic writing, generally, you are not allowed to use the first person. This is one aspect that makes academic writing different from other types of writing. The use of the anecdotal hook is common, when you use the first person in your writing. Also, anecdotal hook differentiates from other hook types in terms of its length. As compared to other types of hook, its length is more, but the length must be average, which makes your sentence more relevant to the discussion. A very long sentence can distract the reader, and he may lose interest in reading. So, you must keep these things in your mind. In academics, when you share some experience as a case study, at that point, you can use an anecdotal hook. Otherwise, an anecdotal hook is not used much in academic writing.
Quotation Hook
The use of quotations at the start of writing also works as a hook. You cannot use this type of hook at the start of every paragraph, but you can do so once or twice in your writing. While using quotation hook, you have to make sure that the selected quotation directly matches to your discussion. The use of an irrelevant quotation is just useless. Also, it causes confusion for the reader to understand the core point of writing. So, if you think the use of quotation hook is the best suitable method, then only use a relevant one.
The quotation should not be too complex or too easy. It should be a blend of complexity as well as simplicity. The use of quotation hook in academic writing motivates the reader. Furthermore, powerful quotations play an important role in developing the reader’s interest.
Final Thoughts
The hook is a vital part of academic writing. You must use it whatever is the type of discussion you have. Also, you are not supposed to use any type of hook as per your choice, but it is the topic of discussion that decides the most suitable hook. By understanding the above-mentioned points related to hook in academic writing, you can make your discussion effective and interesting. However, if you have still any confusion, you can hire expert writers by clicking here.
