OPINION ESSAY

What is an opinion essay?

In an opinion essay you give your opinions about a subject. You only need to write from one
point of view.

THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM A DISCUSSION ESSAY, WHERE YOU DISCUSS THE PROS AND THE
CONS OF THE TOPIC

In an opinion essay:
- You give simple facts and examples to support your ideas.
- As well, you give specific reasons to support opinions.
- You don’t write about advantages and disadvantages or points for or against.

How to write an opinion essay

1. DECIDE YOUR OPINION

Write a sentence that expresses that opinion.
Ex. Money is not the most important ingredient for a happy life

2. MAKE A LIST OF ARGUMENTS

It’s important to make a list of arguments that support your opinion before
writing.

Ex. - Other things, like health, are more important

- Having good friends and a good relationship with your family are equally
important.
-…

3. MAKE A PARAGRAPH PLAN

Paragraph 1: Introduction
- Explain the background to the situation and state your opinion.
Paragraph 2: Main idea
- Give your main opinion.
Paragraph 3: Supporting idea
- Give another opinion.
Paragraph 4: Conclusion
- Restate your opinion.
Write the essay using your plan
Decide a logical order for your ideas, and complete the paragraph plan.
Try to use a variety of connectors to express your opinions and introduce your ideas.

Ordering your arguments:

- Firstly, ... - Next,…
- Moreover, ... - First of all, ...
- Then,… - To sum up, ...
- Besides, ... - Afterwards, ...
- Secondly, ...

Giving an opinion:
- In my opinion, ... - disagree with…
- From my point view... - The way I see it...
- To my mind… - it is clear to me that...
- Personally, I think... - I am convinced that…
- As I see it... - I think/feel that...
- I (completely) agree - As far as I am concerned...
- I believe that... - Personally
- I feel very strongly that…

Cause and Result:

- This is because... - This means that…
- My main reason is... - Therefore...
- For this reason… - Consequently
- As a result, ... - So,…
- Another reason is...

Addition:
- What’s more, ... - Of course
- Moreover, ... - Furthermore, ...
- Also,… - As well…
- In addition, ... - in this respect,…
- Too

Concluding:
- To sum up, … - To conclude, ...
- It is clear that, ... - In conclusion, ...
- To summarise,… - All in all…

Check your essay for mistakes.

1. As my point of view, gossip magazines are all the same.

From my point of view, gossip magazines are all the same.
2. As far as I am concern, watching films at the cinema is better than watching TV. As far
as I’m concerned, watching films at the cinema is better than watching TV.
3. I am disagree with this statement
 I disagree with this statement.
4. For my opinion, film stars are overpaid
In my opinion, film stars are overpaid
5. Personaly, I do not approve of press censorship
Personally, I don’t approve of press censorship.
6. In my view there should be stricter rules to protect celebrities’ privacy.
In my view, there should be stricter rules to protect celebrities’ privacy
7. The newspaper sales fell due to / because / as a result competition from the internet.
8. Many people complained about the advert. Owing to / Consequently, / As a result of it
was taken off air.
9. I didn’t buy the magazine because / because of / for this reason they had sold out.
10. This shop is closing earlier today as / since / owing to the lack of staff.
11. Many phones have cameras with a flash. As a result, / Because of / Due to there has
been a rise in ‘citizen paparazzi’