While it normally depends on your professor’s requirements, the classic five-paragraph essay seems to work extremely well when you need to express your opinion. Learning how to write an opinion essay is a pretty straightforward job if you follow the rules.
Prior to writing
You must decide on the topic, as well as your opinion. Before even considering the job, you need to research and do your homework. Make sure all the research floats around your point of view. Here are a few questions to get some ideas:
- What is the question I want to follow?
- What do my readers need to know?
- What are the main parts of my essay?
- Are there any contradictory opinions?
- Is there a way to improve my opinion?
This step is all about getting an overall idea of your essay. The more info you have, the easier it will be to come up with an interesting piece of writing.
Introduction
The introduction should take one or two paragraphs. It is supposed to be clear and concise – no room for misinterpretations and confusion. Use the intro to mention the subject and introduce the reader to your opinion. Just like other similar essays, it requires a thesis statement. Its main role is to underline the main point of view.
There are a few different ways to start your essay and each of them could work well if you choose your topic correctly. You can address the reader straight away and make it clear. You can also come up with a quotation related to the topic, as well as a sentence from a book or direct speech. Finally, you could raise a question mark by asking a rhetorical question.
Body
This is where all the magic happens. Come up with a few different paragraphs and make sure each of them has a specific point of view – you need reasons and convincing factors. Each paragraph must start with a sentence, which will then be analyzed and discussed in the paragraph.
Find a middle solution between paragraphs. You do not need them to be too long, but at the same time, you should start a new one only when you discuss a different idea. In other words, you need a few different ideas lined up.
Pay special attention to the tense – stick to the present tense. Avoid repeating yourself when giving reasons, so stick to different linking words. Add ideas, count them, express your opinions and so on.
Stick to a formal vocabulary with no idioms or phrasal verbs, as well as formal punctuation – no exclamation marks or contractions. Also, cite your sources if you have to.
Conclusion
The conclusion must compliment the introduction and should restate the main opinion. Do not introduce new ideas because you risk confusing your reader. However, you could do with a warning or perhaps a provocative question – it must be chosen very carefully though.
After writing
You are done writing your essay. Learning how to write an opinion essay is not that difficult, but you are not done yet. Instead, here comes the proofreading part, which will bring in a series of corrections. The biggest mistake you could do is proofreading your work as soon as you are done. Give it at least a couple of days. You will read it in a different way and you can spot mistakes much easier.
Follow the tense and ensure you use the same one. Your vocabulary must be flawless – no slang. Words must be written correctly, so check the spelling. Give capitalization a bit of attention to. Avoid lists or bullets, as you present an essay and not a list for your grocery shopping session.
Final words
As a short final conclusion, learning how to write an opinion essay is not that difficult. It is all about coming up with a good topic and a top-notch organization. Make sure you do not leave ideas unfinished and tackle every aspect of the essay – an outline will be an exquisite tool.
Other than that, pay attention to small details that might underline a lack of professionalism and you are ready to go. Following these steps should give you a flawless essay.