How to write an opinion essay

1. PLAN

□ PARAGRAPH 1· Introduce the topic and give your opinion. Say whether
you agree or disagree with the statement

□ PARAGRAPH 2· Give a reason to support your opinion.

□ PARAGRAPH 3· Give a second reason to support your opinion.

□ PARAGRAPH 4· Summarize your ideas and repeat your opinion using

different words.

2. VOCABULARY

A. EXPRESSING OPINION
In my opinion, …. En mi opinión…
Personally, I think/ I believe (that)… Personalmente, creo que…
I strongly believe that…. Creo firmemente que…
It is clear (to me) that… Me parece evidente que…
I feel very strongly that… Siento firmemente que…
I (completely) agree with … Estoy (totalmente) de acuerdo con ..
It seems to me that… As I see it, … Me parece que..
To my mind…. Según yo lo veo…
From my point of view, /In my view, Desde mi punto de vista
I am sure/ convinced that … Estoy segura / convencida de que…
I (completely) disagree with the
Estoy (completamente) en
statement, because desacuerdo porque…

B. GIVING REASON
My main reason is… Mi razón principal es..
Another reason is… Otra razón es…
One reason for… is …. Una razón para…. es….
Many people say/ believe that… Mucha gente dice/ piensa que…
because… Since… porque…
Many people say/ believe that… Mucha gente dice/ piensa que…
because of/ due to… puesto que/ ya que… debido a…
C. ADDING IDEAS
What is more,… Y lo que es más,..
Moreover/ furthermore/ Además,…
In addition to Además de …
Apart from (that)… Aparte de…
Firstly,… En primer lugar, …
First of all,… Secondly,.. En primer lugar,…
Thirdly,… En segundo lugar,.. En tercer lugar,
Lastly,… Finally,… Por último,.. Finalmente,…

D. EXPRESSING CONTRAST
Although Aunque
Although I was feeling depressed, I went to the party.
Despite / A pesar de
In spite of+ noun Despite the rain, I went to the party.
In spite of+ -ing In spite of the rain, I went to the party.
In spite of feeling depressed
Even if Incluso si
I will go to the party, even if I feel depressed
Whereas Mientras que
However Sin embargo
Mike is a very good singer. However, he can’t play any
instruments.
In contrast En cambio
Adults can make their own decisions, whereas teenagers have
to obey.
But Pero
Their music is very good. But, their lyrics are not interesting.
On the one hand, Por una parte…., por la otra
On the other hand On the one hand, they are extremely rich. But on the other hand,
they have lots of debts.

D. CONCLUDING THE ESSAY

To sum up,… /In short…. En resumen
To conclude,… Para concluir
In conclusion,… En conclusión
It is clear that… Es claro/evidente que
On the whole , all in all,… En conjunto, en términos generales
EXAMPLE 1:

“The teenage years are the best years of your life”. Do you agree?

People often say that the teenage years are the best years of your life.
However, I do not agree with the statement.

Firstly, most teenagers have little independence. They have to do what they are
told by their parents and teachers. In addition, they usually do not have much
money.

Secondly, teenagers may not have the responsibilities adults have, but they
have other worries. Teenagers have a lot of pressure form exams, which can
determine the rest of their life.
All in all, teenagers have a lot of fun, but I believe that the best years of your
life come when you are a bit older, with a job, money and the freedom to do
what your like.

EXAMPLE 2:

Is the Internet good or bad for students? What’s your opinion?

At the moment, the popularity of the Internet is going up in most schools.

However, many people think it has a bad influence on students.

Firstly, one good argument for the public against the internet is that technology
can make learners lazy. In the past, people used to write and do homework
without the assistance of the network. What is more, many of them just copy
some abstracts and prepare it without the help of their mind and intelligence.

Secondly, their brains do not make hard efforts, but work without making right
choices. Their marks do not show their real effort.

To conclude, it is clear that the Internet is here to stay. It is in the majority of

spheres, actually*, it is almost everywhere.
In my opinion, it depends on the learner. So, if he/she has a desire to study, the
internet will be a great tool.

*actually: significa en realidad. Estas palabras son fáciles de confundir.

nowadays, at present: actualmente, hoy en día.