OPINION ESSAYS-WRITING

Structure of the Opinion Essay:

• Introduction – introduces the topic and state your point of view clearly
• Body - consists of two or three  paragraphs each presenting a separate viewpoint supported by reasons/examples
• Conclusion – summarizes/restates your opinion using different words

Useful Language

То express opinion: I believe, In my opinion, I think, In my view, I strongly believe, I see it, It seems to me (that), As far as I am concerned, I am (not) convinced that..., In my opinion/view …My opinion is that …, I (firmly) believe …, I (definitely) feel/think that, I am inclined to believe that ……

То list points: In the first place, first of all, to start with, Firstly, to begin with

То add more points: what is more, another major reason, also, furthermore, moreover, in addition to this/that, besides, apart from this, not to mention the fact that

То introduce contrasting viewpoints: It is argued that, People argue that, There are people who oppose, Contrary to what most people believe,

As opposed to the above ideas

To introduce examples: for example, for instance, such as, in particular, especially

To conclude: To sum up, All in all, All things considered, Taking everything into account.

Paragraph outline: Examples:

Expressions and linking words:

Personal opinion:	In my opinion/view, To my mind, To my way of thinking, I am convinced that, It strikes me that, It is my firm belief that, I am inclined to believe that, It seems to me that. As far as I am concerned, I think that the economic recession of the previous decade was foreseeable.
To list advantages and disadvantages:	One advantage of, Another advantage of, One other advantage of, A further advantage of, The main advantage of, The greatest advantage of.The first advantage of riding a motorbike in a large metropolis is that of not getting caught in major congestion.
To list points:	Firstly, First of all, In the first place, Secondly, Thirdly, Finally. To start/begin with, we have to address the inadequacies within the education system before we can tackle unemployment fully.
To add more points to the same topic:	What is more, Furthermore, Apart from this/that, In addition (to this), Moreover, Besides (this),… not to mention the fact that your choice of career is a fundamental decision which will influence the rest of your life. Not only is your choice of career a fundamental decision, but it is also one that will influence the rest of your life.Your choice of career is both a fundamental decision and something that will influence the rest of your life.
To refer to other sources:	With reference to, According to the latest scientific research, the use of mobile phones can be damaging to one's health in the long run.
To emphasise a point:	Indeed, Naturally, Clearly, Obviously, Of course, Needless to say, the scheme was hound to fail due to insufficient funds.
To give examples:	For instance, For example, by establishing day-care centres across the country, working mothers can he encouraged to resume their careers. By providing incentives such as, like day-care centres working mothers are encouraged to resume their careers. If working mothers are to resume their careers then the provision of incentives particularly, in particular, especially day-care centres is essential.
To state other people's opinion:	It is popularly believed that, People often claim that, It is often alleged that, Some people argue that, Many argue that, Most people feel that, Some people point out that wealth will bring happiness. Contrary to popular belief, wealth does not necessarily bring happiness.
To conclude:	Finally, Lastly, All in all, Taking everything into account/consideration, On the whole, All things considered, In conclusion, On balance, For the above mentioned reasons, Therefore I feel that, To sum up, it is unlikely that there will be peace in all the countries of the world concurrently.
Summarising:	In short, Briefly. To put it briefly, his performance on stage was fantastic!

STRUCTURE:

INTRO

It is generally believed that_________________________________________ and I completely agree.

I really feel it is better___________________________________________ although some think ________________________________________. I personally prefer to _________________________.

BODY

There are several reasons why I think________________________________ is better. First of all, you ____________________________________. Most of people think ______________________________.

Secondly, ____________________________ gives you the opportunity to ________________________.

I´m absolutely convinced that __________________________________. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, ____________________ makes you learn__________________________ which is another positive/negative aspect.

CONCLUSION

It seems to me that ________________________ is far better. There are lots of reasons to

__________________. To sum up, from my point of view, _______________________________. Maybe in the future,____________________________

How to write an opinion essay

AN EXAMPLE:

It is clear that learning a foreign language brings children several advantages. However, learning a foreign language requires attention, perseverance, time and work. Besides, some scientists say it may also have some drawbacks.

Firstly, most of experts agree on the fact that young children learn a language faster as they are enthusiastic to explore and learn new things. In addition, they pick up the pronuciation better and enjoy copying and learning through games. Secondly, nowadays, foreign languages are just as impotant as maths. What is more, learning a foreign helps students have better education and job opportunities.

On the other hand, it is said that learning languages increases work for parents and this effort adds extra academic load. We should also consider the fact that children need to concentrate on learning their mother tongue rather than learning a foreign language, sometimes missing their own cultural identity. Furthermore, learning a new language at an early age may be confusing and a waste of time. As a result, this learning could even delay the development of the child’s first language.

In conclusion, studies show that there are many advantages to learn a foreign language. Nevertheless, in my opinion, we have to consider pros and cons of learning at a very young age. I  strongly feel languages always open doors, but, from my point of view, they should be learned once the first language has been developed.

Some people prefer watching films at the cinema rather than at home or there are people who just prefer the opposite. I believe both places have advantages and disadvantages.

There are two main reasons to go to the cinema. Firstly, the quality of the film will be probably better than at home due to the sound track and the special effects if you choose a three dimension movie. Secondly, you can watch the last movies which have recently been released at the theatres while at home you have to wait probably some months.

On the other hand, although there are discounts to encourage people go to the cinema, it is cheaper to download the films. Moreover, you can watch them whenever you want. And last, but not least you don’t have to hear the crunch of people eating crisps.

In my opinion, what matters is not the place, is the people who are watching the movie with you.

Watching movies is an amazing activity to relax for many people nowadays. Some people prefer staying at home while others enjoy going to the cinema.  Although I have many film DVDs at home and Netfix subscription, I still prefer watching films at cinemas.

One of the biggest factors that make me feel like watching films at cinemas is the bigger screen and realer sound I can enjoy there. The images and sound in cinemas are usually perfect, and I do not think that anyone can easily get such quality at home. Besides, this activity can be taken as an opportunity to go out. This is also a chance for me to get out of my house and enjoy a new wider space, interact with people and be more positive. Additionally, I can watch the film with many people. Moreover, when watching film in a cinema, one can laugh, cry and even be scared about the films with people all around him, we can talk freely with others about the film and the characters, which makes the films even more interesting and more attracting than at home.

In my opinion, watching films in cinemas is preferred than watching them at home. Today, cinemas are trying to improve the standard of their films, many technologies are developed to make the viewers feel as real as possible, and this makes watching films at cinemas an experience we can´t miss