Strategies to Write a Good Opinion Essay
March 24, 2017| Category: Writing Tips
If you would like to write a good opinion essay, be brave and get ready to break out of your comfort zone to take a stand on controversial issues, such as equal opportunities, racism, sexism, etc. An engaging and thought provoking topic for discussion is probably the most important thing in this type of writing. If you are not enthusiastic enough about the issue, the essay is doomed to be lackluster and boring. While expressing your thoughts be passionate enough to grab your reader’s attention from the very first lines. Your dedication will leave them no other choice than to continue reading.
In addition to being ardent, you should remember about the appropriate style and tone of writing. Opinion essays are usually written for a general audience, which means you don’t want to be emotionless and detached like in academic writing. There is no need to hold on to the academic jargon so tightly. Thus, leave your scholarly words at home and try to be more conversational. However, it doesn’t mean you can forget about the data supporting your arguments. Make sure you do research before expressing your opinion. Besides, you can refer to acknowledging opinions of others. It will help you to add to your argument. Remember to provide supporting evidence to back up each point. It will make your essay informative enough and worthy of reading.
Like any other essay, an opinion one should have a certain structure. There are several points which are essential to achieve clarity. A basic five-paragraph structure is usually sufficient for an opinion essay but if you would like to add more ideas, go ahead and make more paragraphs. Each paragraph should clearly develop a single point. Thus, the step by step approach will be the best choice for the reader to follow along and believe your opinion. The following is the structure you may use as a template to compose your opinion essay:
1. The first introductory paragraph should clearly indicate the topic and contain the thesis expressing your opinion as well as three reasons why you believe this statement to be true.
2. The next three paragraphs, which make the body of your paper, serve to develop your argument. Each of the three paragraphs explains one of the three reasons already stated in the introduction. Make sure you provide examples and evidence as well as cite sources where necessary. You may also include a paragraph that would present an opposing viewpoint and explain why you find it unconvincing.
3. The final paragraph is the conclusion of your essay. This is where you should restate your thesis statement reminding the reader about what your reasons were and sum up your argument.
So here are the main points to consider if you would like your opinion essay to be successful and convincing enough:
- Decide on your opinion first, and then make a list of your viewpoints and reasons.
- Be brave! Nobody will be interested in an uninspired and dull piece of writing.
- No need to be too formal. The scholarly tone is unsuitable for opinion essays.
- Do your research and back up your argument with supporting evidence.
- Include acknowledging opinions of others to add to your argument.
- Make sure your essay is properly structured with well-developed paragraphs, a strong thesis statement and clear topic sentences.
- Join sentences and paragraphs with appropriate linking words and phrases.
It may seem that opinion essays are very easy to write because you just need to express your opinion on certain issues that arise in our society. But can we always be objective enough? The reader might have their opinion and disagree with the writer. Thus, the difficulty is to persuade the reader to your point of view by facts and evidence presented in your paper. The reader may not agree with you, but if your opinion is backed up by research and facts, the paper will become believable. So go ahead, and outline your facts and reasons to prove that your opinion matters!