Suppose you are given a topic of “regular exercise” for your opinion essay. Now you choose to write on “The Importance of Regular Exercise” and your friend decides to write on the ‘5 Best Morning Exercises One Must Do’. Which do you think is the opinion essay?
Though the latter might look like an opinion essay, the former is the one. Let me delve a little deeper and explain!
In the first essay, you’ll have to write why exercises are important on a regular basis and have to state logic and facts to justify the same. In this case, there will be a lot of involvement of the writer’s personal opinion and even personal experiences forming the opinion on why exercise is important. But in the latter case, you have to talk about the 5 exercises that are best done in the morning hours. Here you cannot change the existing facts as per your opinion. Experts already have a set of exercises that can be done in the morning, and you only have to discuss them and describe them. If the topic would be something like “Are these 5 exercises perfect for the morning routine?” then it would have been an opinion essay, for once again, here you have to justify why and why not a particular workout routine is perfect for the morning.
Still a lot confused? Wait till you finish reading this blog! This blog will tell you in detail everything that you need to know about an opinion essay.
What is an Opinion essay?
An opinion essay is one where the writers share an opinion on something that is supported by proper research, anecdotal evidence and proper logical flow. These essays intend to portray what a writer thinks about a topic and also explain why they think so.
The trickier part of these essays is that expressing opinions is not a very skill to ace. First, you cannot force somebody to believe your opinion. You must have a convincing tone but not something that tries to impose your idea on the readers. Focus on the right choice of words to do so.
When you are writing an opinion essay, you need to have extended knowledge of the subject that you are putting forward an opinion on, and also, you must be able to differentiate between the opinions that you can back up with support and the ones that you cannot.
Reading more opinion-based pieces and articles can give you some hints on framing an opinion essay. Thankfully today, you have social media where you get to see probably the widest array of opinions every day, every hour. Other than social media, news paper’s Op-Ed sections can also help you learn a lot.
The Difference between Opinion Essay and Other Essays
| Opinion Essay | Argumentative Essay | Persuasive Essay | Expository Essay |
| Presents an opinion which must be supported with justified facts. | Presents arguments either for or against a topic and makes sure to justify it with evidence. | States a fact or opinion to convince the readers to believe in them with proper facts. | Explains a topic providing all necessary information related to it. |
How to Structure an Opinion Essay?
The structure of an opinion essay is the same as any other essay. It consists of the
Introduction
A good hook to catch the reader’s attention is the key to an opinion essay’s introduction. You can also use statistics, ask a rhetorical question, or share an anecdote in the introduction.
Body
After the 1st paragraph, the next two to three paragraphs constitute the body of the essay. Here you are supposed to present all the opinions and provide the facts and information to justify your opinion. Always remember that just mentioning what you think is not at all enough. You also have to know what led to you having that opinion.
In this section itself, you can also work through the existing counterarguments if there are any. Counterarguments also strengthen the essay. So try to include them always.
Conclusion
Draw a line across the body paragraphs that lead logically to your position. In conclusion, you reiterate your argument and supporting evidence to the reader.
3 Things to Avoid in an Opinion Essay
Though this is all about what you believe in, there are three things that must be avoided at all costs in the case of an opinion essay –
“I think”
Although it is all about what you think, this is one phrase that you just cannot use in your opinion essay. Experts believe that using this will make your essay fall flat.
Ambiguity
It’s acceptable for your opinion to change throughout your essay, but you can’t expect your reader to comprehend your thoughts after reading it if you are confused about your opinion at the outset.
Rambling
Losing focus on the main subject and beating around the bush is not allowed in an opinion essay. You have to focus strictly on the central idea.
Also read – How to Write an Analytical Essay with Examples and Topics
Steps of Writing an Opinion Essay
Step 1: If you do not have a prompt, this is where the process will start. Start by thinking of all the subjects you could want to write about.
Step 2: You will form your opinion in this step. Continue to ask yourself why as you construct it. What makes you think something is true? Do you have evidence to back it up? Additionally, now is a good time to look into any oppositional theories or points of view.
Step 3: Make an outline using the aforementioned five-paragraph essay format.
Step 4: The time has come to write! Remember that a rough draught is named for a purpose when you get started. Note everything down. You’ll have time to polish it and give it a pleasant sound when you’re revising.
Step 5: Now you have to edit it or update it. The reader will become confused if your essay jumps from one topic to the next, so make sure it flows properly. Verify that all the pieces of evidence you have mentioned support your opinion.
Wrapping it up
You should have no more doubts regarding writing an opinion essay. Rest keep reading more and more opinion-based articles to have a better idea.
