Home Library Question headline

English mechanism

Question headline

question-headline

Define

The first line is a question the reader was already asking, or one they cannot leave unanswered.

Mechanism

Open loop plus recognition. A good question is the reader's objection, spoken first by us.

Verdict

We know the real objection and can answer it in the next breath.

Don't

The question is rhetorical fluff. If nobody needed that question, it is a wasted line.

All 64 patterns

Rights-cleared examples

Are You a Guesswork Advertiser? (4 page images) — Are You a Guesswork Advertiser? (4 page images)

idn.duke.edu public-domain-us

Crisco vegetable shortening ad, Good Housekeeping 1932 — Crisco vegetable shortening ad, Good Housekeeping 1932

commons.wikimedia.org public-domain-us

Hoeveel blijft er over voor vrouw en kinderen? — Hoeveel blijft er over voor vrouw en kinderen?

rijksmuseum.nl open-licence

How much shall we spend for advertising? — How much shall we spend for advertising?

idn.duke.edu public-domain-us

Is polite society polite and other essays by Mrs. Julia Ward Howe (1895) - poster — Is polite society polite and other essays by Mrs. Julia Ward Howe (1895) - poster

ark.digitalcommonwealth.org public-domain-us

Is your child vaccinated — Is your child vaccinated

commons.wikimedia.org public-domain-us

Is your child vaccinated Vaccination prevents smallpox — Is your child vaccinated Vaccination prevents smallpox

commons.wikimedia.org public-domain-us

Lady Clairol Creme Hair Lightener ad, Modern Screen January 1960 — Lady Clairol Creme Hair Lightener ad, Modern Screen January 1960

commons.wikimedia.org public-domain-us

Listerine Antiseptic halitosis ad, Ladies' Home Journal January 1949 — Listerine Antiseptic halitosis ad, Ladies' Home Journal January 1949

commons.wikimedia.org public-domain-us

Lyman Bryson, famous forum leader, will discuss "Are we done with democracy?" at Roosevelt High — Lyman Bryson, famous forum leader, will discuss "Are we done with democracy?" at Roosevelt High

commons.wikimedia.org public-domain-us

New Lady Clairol Instant Whip Creme Hair Lightener ad, Modern Screen April 1959 — New Lady Clairol Instant Whip Creme Hair Lightener ad, Modern Screen April 1959

commons.wikimedia.org public-domain-us

Poster by Grün for the Café Riche, Paris, 1898 — Poster by Grün for the Café Riche, Paris, 1898

commons.wikimedia.org public-domain-us

See all 23 in the Ads gallery