Grabbers are intended to GRAB the attention of the reader. Grabbers

Forms they may take Question Exclamation Strong statement Anecdote

Qualities Interesting Thought provoking Dramatic

Purpose Grab the reader’s attention so the focus can transition to the thesis statement Make sure the reader wants to continue reading. It DOESN’T state a position.

That means… It CAN’T take a position. That’s the job of a thesis statement.

What does a grabber look like? The following examples might be good grabbers leading into a thesis statement taking a position on giving children an allowance.

Example It’s a fact of life for parents: take the kids anywhere, and they’re going to beg for everything they see.

Example My kids didn’t understand the concept of “window shopping”; so a trip to the mall for new shoes often became a begging fest for a dozen other things they wanted.

Example When my kids were little, I got tired of being the bad guy who said “NO!” every time they saw something they wanted.

Example “NO!” We can’t afford it.

Example Wouldn’t it be nice to get paid because people liked you?

Example Bosses expect employees to work for their paychecks, so the employee who expects to get paid for doing nothing will soon be out of a job.

Grabber Focus Grabbers get the reader’s attention Focus statements make connection between Grabber and Thesis They FOCUS the topic leading into the Thesis

Focus Statements Connecting the Grabber to the Thesis Statement

Form Complete sentence.

Qualities  Clear  Focused on general topic  Acts as a “bridge” between grabber and thesis

Purpose Give the reader context Tell the reader the general topic that is going to be discussed in the paper

That means…  It won’t be an opinion.  It has to connect logically by “flowing” from grabber.  It has to connect logically by introducing the reader to the topic of the thesis statement.

How does it look in a paragraph? The next slide will show how a grabber can begin an introduction to get the readers attention. (It is then followed by the focus statement) The introduction then ends with the thesis statement.

Example Bosses expect an employee to work for his paychecks, so the employee who expects to get paid for doing nothing will soon be out of a job. Sadly, parents often contradict this life lesson by giving their children an allowance for just being children. The parents do not tie the “pay” to any responsibility. Children should not be given an allowance because it denies them the important lesson that they need to learn to earn for themselves.