Grabbers or
Leads
Leads are the “G
Think about how
or L” in your outline
you are going to wow your reader
right from the start
Grabbers/Leads should be the most unique part of
your writing
Grabbers/Leads are found in the introduction and
can be one sentence or a few
Use grabbers/leads before you tell the reader your
topic
You want to HOOK THEM!
When to use grabbers (write this in
the Cornell slot of your notes)

No matter what you write, no matter how
many paragraphs, the first sentence of the
entire piece is your grabber.
– 5 paragraph essay: Beginning with a grabber.
– 1 paragraph (on its own): Beginning with a
grabber.
 Grabbers
or leads can make or
break a paper.
 Sound
too dull, you lose the reader.
 Sound
too silly or childish, you lose
the reader.
 So,
what do great leads sound
like? Let’s look at…
GRABBER EXAMPLES

“When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of
the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman
and a ride home.”
The Outsiders S.E. Hinton

“I was six years old when my mother taught me the art
of invisible strength.”
Amy Tan

“If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll
probably want to know is where I was born, and what
my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were
occupied and all before they had me, and all that David
Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into
it, if you want to know the truth.”
Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salinger
A formal definition of a term:
define a
word easiest if “stuck” - grab a dictionary and you
are ready to go!
The definition of “gross” is something that is
mentally or physically disturbing. Like when you
are devouring dinner and you are watching a
show when suddenly something gross happens.
Immediately your appetite flies out the window
like Babe Ruth hitting is 610th homerun. I do
have to admit though that I love gross things,
especially gross pranks. A few I have personally
pulled are “the milkshake from hell,” sour soy
sauce surprise (ssssurprise) and the almighty
fart spray.
How you felt:
feeling words
another easier type - use a few descriptive
words and you are set!
Disgusted, sickened, horrified. These are
the emotions that someone will express
after being grossed out. There are many
ways to make people squirm. But a few of
the best, and my personal favorites, are
messing with their food, showing them
something disgusting, or making up some
nasty story. If done correctly, any one of
these can make someone sick to their
stomach.
Personal Anecdote: story
not so hard since we all have stories, can fake
write too – make it unique
Vomit spewed across the room, a chunky projectile, a creamy
bullet, a smelly- SPLAT! The bile collided with the wall, splashing
everywhere. Chaos ensued, and questions arose as to where the
puke came from. The source was a nightmarish mixture of a
plethora of disturbing things. Toe jam, belly button lint, spittle,
nose hairs, boogers and some scabs for good measure. All of
these combined caused a blurry brown liquid to majestically soar
across the room as if it were a graceful eagle. Only it was not a
graceful eagle, in fact, vomit is quite the opposite. You may be
wondering, “What demented individual would enjoy such
horrifically grotesque antics?” The answer? Me. I am a sick,
twisted psychopath for saying so, but these very “grotesque
antics” are what entertain me most (next to video games of
course). Pulling pranks is actually quite compelling. Disgusting
pranks. Pranks like showing off sickening pictures or animals.
Pranks like poisoning refreshments with unpleasant items (as
you saw above). Pranks like exposing innocents to injuries or
bodily functions. Disturbing people is my favorite past-time, and
even if you start to gag, I’m going to tell you why.
Emotion - Imagine:
others’ feelings
a bit harder to write, think about how world or
others might feel
Adolescence is a battle that no one can win.
Imagine never knowing a friend from a foe, or
being the single opponent against a sea of
others pushing you to make the same choice as
them. Everyone plunges into this battle, and
those who survive have changed entirely. Peer
pressure, stress and insecurities are common
enemies in this war. Teenagers often fight this
battle unarmed. Sometimes, conquest is virtually
impossible.
Scenarios (make believe anecdote):
“imagine if” statement
harder to make interesting - create something
unique when imagining the situation
Imagine if ulcers began to take over the teenage
population. A deep increasing pain in the pit of your
stomach as the days goes go by. No one notices until it
is to late, another friend stuck in the deep of depression
and problems. Now another victim in the world with a
problem as a teenager has entered. The pressure of
school, life and even your own peers, is like have a
thousand pounds on your chest every day of your life.
That very same pressure is the one that makes you feel
like giving up, no longer continuing and to top it off, it is
very hard to get rid of. All this goes on in 89% of the
teenage population.
State an Amazing or Startling Fact:
Real statistics
challenging to do this well – make sure it relates and is
important
Fifty-nine percent of brothers admit to annoying
their sisters on purpose- my brother is a part of
that percentage. This shows just how annoying
brothers are, and that they do it on purpose. I
do like my brother- at times. I don’t like him so
much when he is as hostile as a terrorist and
obsessed with his girlfriend. He has redeeming
qualities though, he is sweet and caring. I love
him; he is my brother, it’s just that sometimes I
don’t like him. Oh, brothers!
A short history/riddle on the topic:
mysterious story
more sophisticated and challenging – need to
fake write and offer something
unique/mysterious
Here’s a riddle. What is one thing that can
always change, but everyone has no matter
what? What is one thing that could ruin your
day, or add a little excitement instead? The
answer is problems. As a teen, I know how
problems can really affect me. There are many
different kinds of problems, which have to do
with school, socializing, and responsibility. In the
unlikely event that you DON’T know what it’s
like to have problems degrading your teenage
life, then listen up, because teenagers have
severe problems that infect their lives.
A quote from a well known person
or expert on the topic:
use quotation marks
hardest unless know an amazing quote – can use
sayings from families, famous people etc.
A wise person once said “To have siblings is
never-ending annoyance, but to have none is
never-ending loneliness.” Which to you is more
desirable? To me I would choose annoyance,
which is lucky because that is exactly what I
have. Sometimes. But other times I’m glad my
sister is there and there are a few rare times I
realize just how much I appreciate being the
youngest in the family and having her there
beside me.
Now, it’s your turn.
Pretend you have to write an
expository essay about your
favorite color. Practice using
different grabbers for that topic.
Turn into your teacher when
done.