10. UL 12 13, What Is an Opinion Essay? I is an assignment which contains questions that allow students to share their point-of-view on a subject matter, Students should express their thoughts in a precise manner while providing opinions on the issue related tothe field Within reasonable logic. Some assignments ofthis type require references to back the writers claims, Opinion writing involves the use of a student’s point-of-view which is backed by examples and explanations. Tips Introduce your essay by restating the question in your own words, If the essay asks you to what extent do you agree?, make your opinion clear throughout, You can either agree, partially agree or disagree with the statement, explaining and justifying your opinion, The structure should be: ©. Introduction ©. The first reason why you agree/disagree ©. The second reason why you agree/disagree ©. The third reason why you agree/disagree (if you have one) © Conclusion ‘Use phrases to organize and link your ideas, e.g. Owing to .. , One justification for .. , The frst thing to consider is »A further reason ... , In conclusion ... If you do not have solid evidence for your ideas, use modal_verbs--— such as might, may or could (e.g. they could develop more empathy and care) or other tentative phrases (e.g. it does not appear to be an effective punishment). Conclude by restating your opinion and summarizing your two or three main arguments. Avoid Going Off-Topic: Always write within relevance to the assigned question. This is also known as “beating around the bush”, "and should not be included in any opinion paragraph as it may lower your grade. Indent the First Paragraph: With most academic Papers, opinion writing is not different. It contains the rule of indenting the first line of the introduction. ‘A Well-Thought Thesis: The thesis is a brief deseri iption of the opinion essay. It determines the rest of the paper. Include all the information that you wish to include i in the body paragraphs ‘The Use of Formal Language: Although it is okay to write in an informal manner, kee} ep a wide range of professional and formal words. This includes: “Furthermore,” “As Stated By,” “However,” & “Thus.” Avoid Internet Slang: In the opinion paper, avoid writing using slang words. Don’t include words like “LOL,” “OMG,” “LMAO,” etc. The Use of First Person Language (Optional) : For the reason of providing personal thought, it is acceptable to write your opinion essay in the first person, Avoid Informal Punctuation: Although the requirements allow for the first-person language, they do not permit informal punctuation, This includes dashes, exclamation marks, and emojis. Avoid Including Contradictions: Always make sure all spelli and grammar is correct.SAMPLE OPINION ESSAY Some people think that some types of criminals should not go to prison, Instead they should do unpaid work in the community. To what extent do you agree? -. | Owing to the great variety of crimes that can be ‘punishable by yy prison} some people argue that not all criminals are the same and it would therefore be more appropriate to give certain criminals ‘community service instead. I agree that in some cases, prison may not be the best solution and community service would probably have more benefits. a (One justification given for prisons is to keep society safe by removing criminals from the outside world.) So the first thing to consider is if someone who has broken the law is a danger to other people. In the case of violent crime, there is an argument to keep the perpetrator away from society. However, burglary or possession of drugs, for example, does not involve violence against other people so the criminal does not presenta direct danger to anyone in the community.[Keeping these types 0} in prison is expensive 2 for the taxpayer and does not appear to be an effective punishment\as they often commit the same crime again when they come out of prison. 0 Personally, I also believe punishments should reform people so they do not re ‘A farther reason not to put these people in prison is that they may mix with more dangerous and violent criminals, potentially committing a worse crime when they are released. By keeping them in the community, helping others, not only learn new skills, but they could also develop more empathy and care towards others. If this occurs, society can only benefit. tS 7 QO Critics of this more rehabilitative approach to crime believe that{justice should be harsh in order to deter people from committing similar crimes and that community service could be less likely to have that effect. However, there is very little evidence to suggest that long prison sentences deter criminals. In conclusion, putting criminals who are not a danger to society in prison is expensive and, in my opinion, ineffective, both as a deterrent and as a form of rehabilitation,|Community service for non-violent crimes benefits both society and the offender. That said, it would be useful to have more data to work out whether community service or prison is more likely to stop som on how best to deal with criminals should be based on evid nce of what actually works.’ 9 , PRACTICE: Independent Work Write a for or ues! for oj sainst_four-paragraph essay in which you defend your opinion. Here are some selected ion essays. 1- Making it to the Olympics: Is it worth all the sacrifices athletes have to make? 2- Do sports differ from ordinary board games? 3- Isusing animals in circus performances immoral? 4- Why should we be honest with our peers? 5- Should all humans be entitled to a 4 day work week? 6- Should all humans become vegetarians? =7- Does a CEO eam too much? 8 Should teens be barred from having sleepovers? 9- Should everyone vote for their leader? 10- Are you for or against of Day-Light Saving Hours? 11- What are the most energy efficient and safest cars of 20197