OPINION ESSAY
ô In
every essay, there should be an introduction, a body and conclusion:
1.
Introduction (one paragraph) 3-4 lines:
i) The first
sentence should be a general concept about the given topic. This sentence
should restate the question using different
vocabulary and/or sentence structure.
ii) The second
sentence is ‘The Thesis Statement’ in
which you should write your opinion about the topic such as: supporting or not
supporting the idea, you agree or disagree; you believe there are advantages or
disadvantages and so on by stating that you have some reasons. State at least
two main reasons.
2. Body
Paragraphs. Agreement and/or
disagreement (two paragraphs) 14-16 lines:
i) Body paragraph
1: In the first sentence give your first reason. In the next sentences you
should develop your reason by giving examples.
ii) Body paragraph
2: In the first sentence give your second reason. In the next sentences you
should develop your reason by giving examples.
Each new idea should be a new
paragraph. Typically, an essay will have 2-4 body paragraphs.
3.
Conclusion (one paragraph) 3-4 lines:
Summarize your body texts (1&2) with different and conclusive
sentences. Do not add new ideas, just try to summarize all the main ideas that
are already in your essay and it may also include your opinion.
Question: In some
countries, teenagers have jobs while they are still students. Do you think this
is a good idea? Support your opinion by using specific reasons and details.
There is no doubt that working and studying at the same time may be hard (1) but, in my view, it is a good idea for teenagers to have
jobs while they are students for several reasons. (2)
(3) First and foremost, when teenagers have jobs while they are
students, they can learn how to be responsible. As an employee, you must follow
a weekly schedule. This means, you have to get up early and get to work on time. As an employee, you also learn that you must serve the customer in a friendly
manner. If you are not friendly, the shop or business may lose customers and you may lose
your job. Therefore, it is good for students to learn
responsibility when they are young because it will benefit them as they get
older.
(4) Furthermore, another benefit to teenagers' working is
that they will learn the value of money. Often students get money from their
parents, but they do not realize how hard their parents work for that money.
When students work, they begin to appreciate how difficult it can be to make
money. Another reason why it is good
for students to work is that they will make wiser choices when they use their
own money to buy things. For example (5), if students work 20 hours per week at
$7.00 per hour, they will make $140 per week. In one month, that is about $540.
Perhaps a student will think twice about spending $120 for a pair of tennis
shoes or $350 for a stereo system when s/he has had to work very hard for that
money.
Finally, working teenagers learn from
being members of a team. As employees, students learn to work with others and
help one another. For example, if someone is sick, you may be asked to help
out. In addition, other employees will depend on you to do your share of the
work. If one person does not do his/her job, other employees may have to do
extra work to compensate. Students will learn very quickly that it is not good
teamwork to expect others to do your work.
(6) To conclude, it is a valuable experience for teenagers
to have jobs while they are students because they will learn to be responsible
adults. They will have an appreciation for money and they will learn about
working with others. These experiences will help them grow into adulthood and
benefit them throughout their lives.
ô Useful sentences:
1. USEFUL SENTENCES FOR THE INTRODUCTION (1st paragraph):
i) Restate the topic sentence:
- Nowadays,
[GERUND + is (a) very important
(issue) because …]
(e.g: Nowadays,
studying at university is very
important because…)
-
Currently,
- In
today’s society, …
- Since the beginning of this century …
-
There is no doubt (that) …
-
Obviously, …
-
Almost for sure …
ii) Thesis statement:
- I
completely agree/disagree with the statement for a number of reasons.
- I
strongly agree/disagree with this statement for several reasons.
- I
totally agree/disagree with this idea for a number of reasons.
- I
agree with this statement to a certain extent. / I agree … to some extent.
- I
strongly oppose to …
2. USEFUL SENTENCES FOR THE BODY PARAGRAPHS (2nd - 3rd paragraphs):
FIRST
PARAGRAPH
|
SECOND,
THIRD… PARAGRAPHS
|
- Some
people say …
|
- Other
people say …
|
- First
(of all) … / Firstly …
|
-
Second(ly) / Third(ly) / Finally / Last but not least …
|
- On the
one hand …
|
- On the
other hand …
|
- One of
the main reasons …
|
-
However, … / Nevertheless, …
|
- The
first and most important reason is …
|
-
Another reason could be/is (that) …
|
- First
and foremost, …
|
-
Besides …
|
- The main/foremost
reason for + GERUND …
|
- On the
contrary …
|
-
Although …
|
- What
is more, … / Moreover, …
|
- In the
first place, …
|
- In the
second place, …
|
-
Everyone would admit the fact that …
|
-
Needless to say …
|
- As far
as (TV) is concerned …
|
- Apart
from what I have mentioned above …
|
- To begin with, …
|
-
Admittedly, …
|
3. USEFUL SENTENCES FOR THE CONCLUSION:
TO
CONCLUDE
|
TO
GIVE YOUR OPINION
|
- In conclusion, …
|
- In my
opinion …
|
- In short, … / In brief, …
|
- I
think / I feel …
|
- To
conclude, …
|
- From
my point of view …
|
- Broadly
speaking … / Generally speaking …
|
-
Therefore … / Thus … / Hence …
|
- All
in all … / In general …
|
- I
strongly believe (that) …
|
- Taking
into account all these factors …
|
- So in
my opinion …
|
-
Summarizing the said above …
|
- I
would like to say (that) …
|
- Both
(ideas) have advantages and disadvantages, …
|
- To my
way of thinking …
|
- In a
word, …
|
- In my
personal opinion …
|
Try to avoid the expressions in bold. Here are
some alternatives:
·
About = As for X…, As far as
X is concerned…,
·
And = In addition, Furthermore, Moreover, Last but
not least…
·
But: However, Yet…
·
Or: Alternatively, Otherwise…
·
So: Therefore, Consequently…
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