A Comprehensive Guide To Writing An Opinion Essay

Writing an opinion about something can be a very rewarding exercise. This is a simple type of paper which helps prepare you for longer and more rigorous type of writing. An opinion essay is usually structured in five paragraphs and states your opinion about a topic. It includes your viewpoint as well as sometimes an opposing viewpoint supported by research and evidence. It can be longer than five paragraphs but will always have the basic structure of an introduction, body, and conclusion.

1. The introduction paragraph is the very first paragraph of your essay. Here is where you state your thesis, your opinion on a given topic. Don’t be vague and state it right away, making it very clear what your opinion is. Ideally, you want to say it in your opening sentence, or topic sentence. This paper is not the place to be neutral about a topic. Taking a strong side is the first step to making a convincing argument. Give three reasons as to why you are taking this side or why you have that opinion. This will lead you into the next three paragraphs.
2. The next three paragraphs are where you will elaborate about your three arguments and why they contribute to making your thesis true. Although this is an opinion piece, you still want to present your thesis as fact and bring in evidence to support it. You could instead have two supporting paragraphs and one opposing paragraph if that is the way you choose to write your opinion piece. Bring in details and facts that support your opinion or the opposing opinion to fill out the next few paragraphs.
3. The last paragraph in your paper is the conclusion where you will restate your opinion and the three pieces of evidence as to why you are taking that stand. Here is where you want to let the reader really think about everything you just stated and gently convince them to agree with you.

The basic structure of this essay is simple. You want to, at first, tell the reader what you are about to explain to them, then you take the next few paragraphs to explain it all to them, and lastly you tell them again everything you just told them. It is the same way that debates are done and is a great strategy for convincing an audience to support a certain viewpoint. Having strong supporting evidence also plays a key role in presenting a strong opinion and a well-written paper.