Zoos are last chance for Siberian tiger

Opinion essays

This section introduces opinion essays, that you had an opportunity to learn and write about. It
tends to show you how to organise your writing and it gives you some useful vocabulary to use it in
your own essays.

Ex 1: Pay attention to the pictures and try to

answer the following questions!

- What problems connected with

animals are presented here?
- What kind of animals are in danger of
extinction?
- What is the best way to protect such
animals?
- What are the advantages and
disadvantages of keeping animals in
zoos?
- Why are zoos popular places to visit?
1. There are many problems, but I find
that the biggest problem is that they
are trapped in their enclosure.
Animals want to be free, to be able to
roam, but they are unable to. People
close animals because of pure profit.
You could argue that they want to
keep them away from poachers but I
don’t actually think that is the case.
2. Animals in danger of extinction are
rare animals. If their fur, horns or their whole body is expensive on the black market, they
are perfect victims for poachers. Examples of such animals are rhinos, some species of tigers,
foxes etc. Those who illegally hunt them are the biggest threat to their extinction.
3. The best way to protect them is too have bigger penalties for those who illegally hunt them.
And we can protect animals by leaving them alone in the nature. It wouldn’t take much time
to have decent sized populations of animals going extinct if we just left them alone.
4. Zoos are popular because it is good opportunity to see some animals that you wouldn’t be
able to see normally. For example snakes, lions etc. I love snakes but I can’t see them in the
wild it is too dangerous but if I go to zoo I could see many kinds of snakes. Kids like them a
lot so it is a good way for parents to take their kids outside to the park.

Ex 2: Now, concentrate on reading an essay. Try to pay attention to the structure, arguments having
been provided in the text, linking words, number of paragraphs… Then write whether you think this
writer is for or against zoos and to what degree his essay is convincing.
Writer is clearly for zoos and I think that he has got some good points going for him I agree with
almost everything that he said, but I think that in Bosnia zoos are going downhill so it doesn’t really
apply what he said. Regarding structure, there are 4 paragraphs. He uses linking words such as :
“first of all”, “above all”, “Furthermore” etc.

Opinion essay is quite similar to for and against essay, although there are some obvious differences
in their organisation. In for and against essay, you start with arguments for the statement in the title
(if you don’t remember it, look on page 38 of your SB), while in the opinion essay, you start with the
arguments that support your opinion whether they are for the statement in the title or not.

Ex 3: Drawing conclusions on the basis of given information, compare these two types of the essays
and label them at the top of the table.
 For and against Opinion

Ex 4: list the sentences in the essay where the writer a) mentions his opinion for the first time b) says
why he disagrees with the arguments of his opponents.

a) It is my own opinion that zoos, although not perfect, do have a usefull function. (par. 1)
b) However, in my opinion most zoos have improved recently. It is quite rare to see animals in
cages and most zoos try hard to recreate the environments in which different animals live.
(Paragraph 3.)

When using a sequencer first of all, you are simply saying that this is the first point, not that it is the
most important. Furthermore, is a linker adding a new point but again not saying that it is the most
important than any others. Above all means the most important of all.

And to sum up, when writing an opinion essays in the introduction (paragraph 1) make general
points as in for and against essay. Mention your opinion at the end of the paragraph.

In paragraph 2, give your opinion with two or three arguments giving the most important one last.

In paragraph 3, begin the paragraph with Some people/some opponents say… and then mention one
or two arguments that are against your own opinion. Then say why you disagree with them.

In paragraph 4 (conclusion), summarise the debate and say once again why you think you are right.