2. What is a quote?
• A quote used as a hook borrows the exact words from a famous person or
an expert in the field you are writing about.
• The quote can be funny, insightful, or ironic.
• It can make the reader smile or very curious about what you have written.
• Quotes (and paraphrases) in your body paragraphs are used differently. They
tend to be more serious and include facts, statistics, or other thinking from
an expert.
3. Finding Quotes
• It’s often easy to find quotes online.
• Do a web search and enter your topic (e.g. climate change) and the
words “quotes” or “famous quotes”.
4. Example of a Hook and Transition
Sentence in an Introduction
• “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others
make it happen” says Michael Jordan, arguably the best player to ever play
in the NBA. Here, Jordan talks about how people want, dream, wish, and
pray that they will one day make it to the big stage. (Background information and
thesis are not included in this introduction.)
• Some other transitional phrases that explain what the quote means by
referring back to the previous sentence are “in other words,” “this means
that,” and “like this.”
5. Refer Back to Quote in Conclusion
• Hook- “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others
make it happen” says Michael Jordan, arguably the best player to ever play in the
NBA.
• Conclusion- It is important to remember, as Michael Jordan says, that making one’s
dreams come true requires more than dreaming and wishing.
(Note: The “reminder of the hook” sentence in the conclusion can be anywhere that fits well in
your conclusion, but it is usually not the first sentence in the conclusion. The first sentence is usually a
paraphrase of the thesis statement, with or without the focal points listed. Be sure, though, that all
focal points are highlighted somewhere in the conclusion.)
