FROM PRODUCING AN

OUTLINE TO DRAFTING YOUR

OPINION-BASED ESSAY
Topic Drafting your essay

Thesis
Statement

Outlining

Drafting

Essay
Completion
 Paragraphs

There are a number of ways of organizing

the paragraphs of an opinion based essay or
paper. The following is just one of the
many….
Introduction

Main Idea 1

Main Idea 2

Main Idea 3

Conclusion
A good paragraph …
 It has a topic sentence just
like the top bun.

 The supporting details are

like the lettuce, meat, cheese
in the middle that make
everything looks good.

 There is a concluding
sentence like the bun at the
bottom that ‘holds’
everything together.
 The Introduction

1.Introduces the topic

2.States why the topic is
important
3.States that there is a
difference of opinion about
this topic
4.Clearly states the writer's
opinion and the thesis
statement
 The Introduction
Women should get involved in politics
Almost since time began, the issue of whether women
should be involved at some level of political life has been a
source of discussion. Indeed, women constitute half of
humanity and it follows that they should be able to take
part in any decision making that takes place at the
individual, family, societal or national level. Some argue
that women should stay at home rather than getting
involved in outside issues which are better handled by men.
Others hold the view that they should take an equal share
in political life. The debate continues unabated into the 21st
century and it is this issue which is intended to be discussed
in this paper. Although some may strongly disagree, it is
firmly believed that women should be involved in political
life for the sake of women’s development, the good of
society as well as to benefit women’s diverse abilities.
 Main Idea 1

Women should be involved in political life for

the sake of women’s development.

 Introduce writer’s first

point
 Provide support for this
point
 Conclude
 Main Idea 1
First of all, as women constitute a little over half of
the population of the world, they surely have the right to
be represented by women. In modern society, we
frequently hear the expression human rights and more
recently this has been extended to women’s rights, not
by men but by women’s pressure groups, run by women,
for women. Such women’s groups have done a great deal
to help the position of women not only in the West but
also in third world countries where many women are in a
disadvantaged state. Schemes for better healthcare,
family planning, educational opportunities and equality
at the workplace are just a few examples of how women
politicians have worked to improve the position of
women in society. The reality is that women politicians
are always better placed to understand women’s
problems and do something to put them right. It is clear
that women do have an important role to play in political
life in terms of representing other women in society.
 Main Idea 2

Women should be involved in political life

for the good of society.

 Introduce writer’s
subsequent point
 Provide support for
this point
 Conclude
Conclusion and Recommendations

 Restate stance
 Present one or two general sentences which
accurately summarize your opinion which support the
main conclusion
 Provide a recommendation/suggestion/
advice/prediction/solution
 Conclusion and Recommendations

In conclusion, despite certain arguments against women taking

part in politics, it is obvious to most fair minded people that women
do have a right and, indeed, an obligation to get involved in political
life. This is beneficial not only to defend women’s rights in society but
also to improve society in general and make full use of women’s
abilities. It is firmly believed that it is fair to say that female politicians
bring a fresh perspective to a world that has too long been
dominated by men. Women are very capable politicians as can be
seen from the performance of a growing number of female leaders
who have made a huge and lasting contribution to the internal affairs
of their own countries and international affairs in general. It should be
the duty of all women who have an aptitude for politics to take up the
challenge and fulfil their destiny in life.
 After you have written…

Once you have completed your essay, check it for the

following things:
 Does it provide strong support for your main conclusion?
 Can you make the text more cohesive?
 Are your verbs correct?
 Is every sentence a complete sentence - does it have a
subject and a verb?
 Is your spelling correct?
 Is your punctuation correct?
QUALITIES OF EFFECTIVE ESSAYS

 Interesting and thoughtful; a product of careful

thinking and planning.
 Focused; expresses clear points in the thesis
statement. Expresses clear main idea in topic
sentence.
 The main points should clearly and directly
connect to the thesis statement.
 Developed; to be well developed, the author
offers significant amount of support.
 QUALITIES OF EFFECTIVE ESSAYS
cont…
 Organized; organized in logical pattern. E.g: least
important point first, most important last. Most
obvious first, least obvious points last. Make sure
that ideas FLOW; use transition words.
 Clearly written; the writer needs to read his work
aloud and carefully proofread to avoid typing,
spelling and grammar problems.
 Use a transition word in the topic sentence that
helps the reader see how paragraphs CONNECT to
one another and to the thesis.
 Writing Effectively: Using
transitions or signal words.
Transitional phrases: Why They Matter!
 The use of transitional phrases is an integral ingredient in
your essay. Using transitional phrases improves the
coherence of your paragraphs and makes the arguments
stand out. In addition, they draw attention to the writer's
movement back and forth from one subject to the other,
emphasizing either support or opposition. Hence,
transitions help the reader to grasp your logic and follow
your argument easily.
 SIGNAL WORDS: To show EMPHASIS

 It is important to note  A key factor

that  The main reason
 Most of all  More noteworthy
 A significant factor  Pay particular attention
 A primary concern to
 The most substantial  A vital reason
issue  It should be noted that
 SIGNAL WORDS:
To show ILLUSTRATION

 For example
 To illustrate
 Specifically
 For instance
 Such as
 SIGNAL WORDS:
To show CAUSE AND EFFECT

 Because  Since
 Therefore  As a result
 So  Result in
 Cause
 Effect
 Thus
 Consequently
SIGNAL WORDS: To show ADDITION OF
INFORMATION

 Also  Furthermore
 Another  In addition
 Finally  Last of all
 First  Likewise
 First of all  Moreover
 For one thing  Next
 And
 SIGNAL WORDS:
To show SIMILAR IDEAS

 Likewise
 Similarly
 Just like
 As
 Just as
 In like manner
 In a similar fashion
 In the same way
 SIGNAL WORDS:
To show CONTRASTING IDEAS

 But  On the contrary

 However  On the other hand
 In contrast  Conversely
 Yet  Otherwise
 Differ  Nevertheless
 difference
 An example
Topic: Euthanasia -The right to die

 To introduce 1st main idea: The first reason to support

euthanasia is that the patients have no chance of
recovery.
 To introduce 2nd main idea: Another reason to support
mercy killing is that medical cost is very high.
 To introduce 3rd main idea: The final and most
important reason to support the legalization of
euthanasia is to lighten the family’s sufferings.
 Another example
Title: The spirit of holidays is being destroyed by
commercialism.
 To introduce 1st main idea: An evidence that points
commercialism is ruining holidays is the emphasis on
shopping for bargains rather than activities related to
cultural history.
 To introduce 2nd main idea: Another evidence to prove the
spirit of holidays is being destroyed by commercialism is the
little emphasis given on understanding the significance of
the religious festival itself.
 To introduce 3rd main idea: The most visible evidence that
commercialism now dominates holidays is the unfortunate
emphasis on spending money in preparation for religious
activities.
 Writing Effectively: Using
vocabulary for opinion writing.

Our essay will be extremely dull and

unimpressive if we keep using the word ‘say’
to refer to people’s opinions all the way
through. The following page contains lists of
useful alternatives.
Instead of ‘say’, you can use…

argue  allege
 claim  insist
 maintain  suggest
 assert  point out
 contend  believe
 Task

People who are not in favour of television

________ that it exposes us to too much violence
and as a result, we become less sensitive to real-
life violence. They also _______ that
schoolchildren neglect homework and have
problems concentrating in class as a result of
spending too much time glued to the box. Finally,
they also __________ that television has turned
many of us into overweight, unfit “couch
potatoes”.
 Task

However, many people _______ that

television is a blessing for lonely, elderly or
house bound people. Furthermore, they
_________ it does not simply entertain; it can
be very educational as well. Another
argument ________ that television sometimes
plays an important role in fundraising for
disaster relief and various charities.
LANGUAGE TO BE AVOIDED
1. SEXIST
LANGUAGE

6. 2. SLANTED
JARGONS LANGUAGE
whenever possible

LANGUAGE
TO BE
AVOIDED
5. 3.
SARCASTIC PRETENTIOUS
LANGUAGE LANGUAGE
4.
COLLOQUIAL
LANGUAGE
 1. SEXIST LANGUAGE

X A doctor has little time to read outside his specialty.

 A doctor has little time to read outside his or her
specialty.
X A successful lawyer knows he has to work long hours.
 Successful lawyers know they have to work long hours.
X Everyone hopes he will win the scholarship.
 Everyone hopes to win the scholarship.
 2. SLANTED LANGUAGE

X Drug dealers are deceitful and

crooked thugs.
Drug dealers are deceitful and
they pose dangers to the public.
X Having an abusive parent is like
living with the pharaoh.
Having an abusive parent is
indeed difficult and frightening.
 3. PRETENTIOUS LANGUAGE

X He has a penchant for

ostentatiously flaunting
recently acquired
haberdashery accoutrements.

He tends to show off his new

clothes shamelessly.
 4. COLLOQUIAL LANGUAGE
X Due to the fact that students
have to be active in extra-
curricular activities, many of
them flunked their exams.

Due to the fact that students

have to be active in extra-
curricular activities, many of
them failed their exams.
 5. SARCASTIC LANGUAGE

X He was an Albert Einstein whenever he was

asked a question. (In actual fact, he did not
know anything).
He had trouble understanding questions
asked to him.
 6. JARGONS

X Physicians and analgesia.

Doctors and pain relievers (unless you are a

science/medical student).