HOW TO WRITE AN OPINION ESSAY
- Opinion essays. They present the writer’s personal opinion on the topic, supported with examples and reasons.
A.- PLAN
PARAGRAPH 1
· Introduce the topic and give your opinion. Say whether you agree or disagree with the statement.
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PARAGRAPH 2
· Present a reason, a fact and an example to support your opinion (or further information).
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PARAGRAPH 3
· Give a second reason to support your opinion.
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PARAGRAPH 4
· Summarise your arguments and restate your opinion using different words from those in paragraph 1
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BASIC DOS IN WRITING AN OPINION ESSAY
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Introduce each paragraph with a topic sentence, outlining the main ideas.
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Do not write about advantages or disadvantages or points for or against.
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Write in formal style.
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BASIC DON’TS IN WRITING AN OPINION ESSAY
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Don’t use colloquial expressions.
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Don’t use short forms.
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Don’t use emotive vocabulary.
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Don’t give personal examples.
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B.- VOCABULARY
EXPRESSING OPINIONS
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In my opinion, ….
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En mi opinión…
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Personally, I think/ I believe (that)…
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Personalmente, creo que…
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I strongly believe that….
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Creo firmemente que…
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It is clear (to me) that…
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Me parece evidente que…
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I feel very strongly that…
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Siento firmemente que…
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I (completely) agree/disagree with …
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Estoy (totalmente) de acuerdo/ en desacuerdo con….
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It seems to me that…
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Me parece que..
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As I see it, …
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Como yo lo veo…
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To my mind….
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En mi opinión,…
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In my view,…
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Desde mi punto de vista,…
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From my point of view, ….
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Desde mi punto de vista,…
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As far I am concerned, …
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En cuanto a lo que a mí respecta,…
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I am sure/ convinced that …
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Estoy seguro / convencido de que…
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I (dis)agree with the statement, because …
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Estoy de acuerdo/ en desacuerdo con la afirmación porque…
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GIVING REASONS
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My main reason is….
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Mi razón principal es..
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Another reason is…
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Otra razón es…
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One reason for… is ….
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Una razón para…. es….
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Many people say/ believe that…
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Mucha gente dice/ piensa que..
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Because…
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Porque…
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Since…
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Puesto que/ ya que…
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Because of/ due to…
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Debido a…
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EXPRESSING FACTS
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It is widely known that…
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Es ampliamente conocido que..
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It is a well-known fact that …
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Es un hecho bien conocido que…
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Research has shown that…
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La investigación ha demostrado que…
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There are definitely…
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Definitivamente hay…
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It is a fact that…
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Es un hecho que…
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It is clear/ true that…
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Está claro que/ es verdad que…
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For example/ for instance,...
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Por ejemplo,…
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ADDING IDEAS
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What is more,…
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Y lo que es más,..
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Moreover/ furthermore/ in addition (to)
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Además,…
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Apart from (that)…
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Aparte de…
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Firstly,…
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En primer lugar,…
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First of all,…
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En primer lugar,…
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Secondly,..
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En segundo lugar,..
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Thirdly,…
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En tercer lugar,..
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Lastly,…
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Por último,..
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Finally,…
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Finalmente,…
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EXPRESSING CONTRAST (LINKERS OF CONTRAST)
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ALTHOUGH (aunque)
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Although I was feeling depressed, I went to the party.
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DESPITE (a pesar de)
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Despite the rain, I went to the party.
Despite feeling depressed, I went to the party.
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IN SPITE OF ( a pesar de)
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In spite of the rain, I went to the party.
In spite of feeling depressed, I went to the party.
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EVEN IF (incluso si)
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I will go to the party, even if I feel depressed.
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WHEREAS (mientras que)
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Adults can make their own decisions, whereas teenagers have to do what other people tell them.
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HOWEVER (sin embargo)
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Mike is a very good singer. However, he can’t play any instruments.
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IN CONTRAST
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BUT (pero)
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Their music is very good. But, their lyrics are not very interesting.
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ON THE ONE HAND….. ON THE OTHER HAND (por una parte…. por la otra)
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On the one hand, they are extremely rich. But on the other hand, they have lots of debts.
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EXPRESSING PURPOSE (LINKERS OF PURPOSE)
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We use linkers of purpose to introduce reasons:
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SO (THAT) (para)
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I have brought a microphone so that the audience will be able to hear us.
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IN ORDER TO ( para)
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We need to register with the council in order to vote.
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TO (para)
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I am phoning to ask information about the event.
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SO AS TO(para)
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We all need to vote so as to express our opinions.
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CONCLUDING THE ESSAY
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TO SUM UP,…
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Para resumir…
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TO CONCLUDE,…
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Para concluir…
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IN CONCLUSION,…
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En conclusion…
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IT IS CLEAR THAT…
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Está claro que
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IN SHORT
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En resumen…
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ON THE WHOLE
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En general…
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ALL IN ALL,…
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En conjunto, en términos generales,…
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Sample essay:
