Essay

Organization of an Essay INTRODUCTION General statements Thesis statement BODY PARAGRAPHS Topic Sentence 1 Supporting Sentences (Concluding sentence) - optional Topic Sentence 2 Topic Sentence 3 CONCLUSION Restatement or summary of the main points; final comment

Opinion Essay An opinion essay gives the writer’s opinion, a view or belief. It is not a fact. It is written to convince someone that your point of view is correct. The opinion appears as part of an opinion statement in the beginning of the paragraph. The opinion is supported by main reasons, which appear in the topic sentences.

Structure An opinion essay should have; Introductory paragraph where you explain the statement/ introduce the topic and give your opinion about it Body paragraphs each paragraph is introduced with a topic sentence, illustrating the main idea each presenting a reason for your opinion with facts and examples Conclusion paragraph where you summarise or restate your opinion using different words

Content Give simple facts and examples to support your ideas Give specific reasons to support opinions Do not write about advantages or disadvantages Use sequencing words and linkers to link your paragraphs and sentences

Useful Language Giving an opinion In my opinion,… Personally, I think,… I believe that… I feel very strongly that… To my mind… I agree… I disagree… It seems to me that… As I see it,…

Referring to other’s ideas Giving Facts: It is a fact that… It is widely known that… There is/ are definitely… It is true that… Referring to other’s ideas Many people say… Many people believe that…

Reason and result: Addition: This is because,… As a result,… Therefore… My main reason is,… Another reason is… Addition: In addition,… Furthermore,… Moreover,… Also…

Concluding: To sum up,… To conclude,… In conclusion,… It is clear that…

Points to consider Decide whether you agree or disagree with the subject of the topic, then make a list of your viewpoints and reasons. Write well-developed paragraphs, joining sentences with appropriate linking words and phrases. Linking words and phrases should also be used to join one paragraph with the other. Do not forget to start each paragraph with a topic sentence which summarises what the paragraph is about.