learn english opinion essay

Opinion Writing: a Guide to Writing a Successful Essay Easily

An opinion essay requires students to write their thoughts regarding a subject matter. Relevant examples and explanations back their point of view. Before starting an opinion paper, it is important to study the definition, topics, requirements, and structure. Referring to examples is also highly useful. Perhaps you need help with our admission essay writing service ? Take a look at this guide from our dissertation writing service to learn how to write an opinion essay like an expert.

What Is an Opinion Essay

A common question among students is: ‘What is an Opinion Essay?' It is an assignment that contains questions that allow students to share their point-of-view on a subject matter. Students should express their thoughts precisely while providing opinions on the issue related to the field within reasonable logic. Some opinion essays type require references to back the writer's claims.

Opinion writing involves using a student's personal point-of-view, which is segregated into a point. It is backed by examples and explanations. The paper addresses the audience directly by stating ‘Dear Readers' or the equivalent. The introduction involves a reference to a speech, book, or play. This is normally followed by a rhetorical question like ‘is the pope Catholic?' or something along those lines.

What Kind of Student Faces an Opinion Essay

Non-native English-speaking students enrolled in the International English Language Testing System by the British Council & Cambridge Assessment English are tasked with learning how to write the opinion essays. This can be high-school or college students. It is designed to enhance the level of English among students. It enables them to express their thoughts and opinions while writing good opinion essay in English.

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What Are the Requirements of an Opinion Essay?

Avoid Going Off-Topic: Always write an opinion essay within relevance to answer 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. Therefore, it contains the rule of indenting the first line of the introduction.

A Well-Thought Thesis: The full thesis statement is a brief description of the opinion essay. It determines the rest of the paper. Include all the information that you wish to include in the body paragraphs

The Use of Formal Languages: Although it is okay to write informally, keep 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'tDon'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 personal opinion essay in the first person.

Avoid Informal Punctuation: Although the requirements allow custom essay 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 spelling and grammar is correct.

We also recommend reading about types of sentences with examples .

Opinion Essay Topics

Before learning about the structure, choosing from a wide range of opinion essay topics is important. Picking an essay theme is something that can be done very simply. Choosing an excellent opinion essay topic that you are interested in or have a passion for is advisable. Otherwise, you may find the writing process boring. This also ensures that your paper will be both effective and well-written.

• Do sports differ from ordinary board games?
• Is using animals in circus performances immoral?
• Why should we be honest with our peers?
• Should all humans be entitled to a 4-day workweek?
• Should all humans become vegetarians?
• Does a CEO earn too much?
• Should teens be barred from having sleepovers?
• Should everyone vote for their leader?
• The Pros & Cons of Day-Light Saving Hours.
• What are the most energy-efficient and safest cars of X year?

Opinion Essay Structure

When it comes to opinion paragraphs, students may struggle with the opinion essay format. The standard five-paragraph-essay structure usually works well for opinion essays. Figuring out what one is supposed to include in each section may be difficult for beginners. This is why following the opinion essay structure is something all beginners should do, for their own revision before writing the entire essay.

You might also be interested in getting more information about: 5 PARAGRAPH ESSAY

Opinion essay introduction

• Address the audience directly, and state the subject matter.
• Reference a speech, poem, book, or play.
• Include the author's name and date of publication in brackets.
• 1 or 2 sentences to make up a short description.
• 1 or 2 summarizing sentences of the entire paper.
• 1 sentence that links to the first body paragraph.

Body Paragraph 1

• Supporting arguments
• Explanation
• A linking sentence to the second body paragraph.

Body Paragraph 2

• Supporting argument
• A linking sentence to the third body paragraph.

Body Paragraph 3

• A linking sentence to the conclusion.

Conclusion paragraph

• Summary of the entire paper
• A conclusive sentence (the bigger picture in conclusion)

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Opinion Essay Examples

Do you need something for reference? Reading opinion essay examples can expand your knowledge of this style of writing, as you get to see exactly how this form of an essay is written. Take a look at our samples to get an insight into this form of academic writing.

Over the past, American popular culture has been strong in creating racial stereotypes. Images displayed through television, music, and the internet have an impact on how individuals behave and what individuals believe. People find their identities and belief systems from popular culture. Evidently, I believe that American pop culture has created racial stereotypes that predominantly affect other ethnic minorities. Analyzing the history of America reveals that African Americans have always had a problem defining themselves as Americans ever since the era of slavery. AfricanAmericans have always had a hard time being integrated into American culture. The result is that African Americans have been subjected to ridicule and shame. American pop culture has compounded the problem by enhancing the negative stereotypes ofAfrican American. In theatre, film, and music, African Americans have been associated with vices such as murder, theft, and violence.

The family systems theory has a significant revelation on family relations. I firmly agree that to understand a particular family or a member, they should be around other family members. The emotional connection among different family members may create functional or dysfunctional coexistence, which is not easy to identify when an individual is further from the other members. Taking an example of the extended family, the relationship between the mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law may be tense, but once they are outside the family, they can pretend to have a good relationship. Therefore, I agree with the theory that the existing emotional attachment and developed culture in the family is distinctively understood when the family is together.

Opinion writing is a form of academic paper that asks students to include their thoughts on a particular topic. This is then backed by a logical explanation and examples. Becoming more knowledgeable is a practical way to successfully learn how to write an opinion paper. Before writing anything, it is essential to refer to important information. That includes the definition, topics, opinion writing examples, and requirements. This is what turns amateur writers into master writers.

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English Writing Exercises for A2 – An opinion essay

• English Writing Exercises for A2

Preparation

1. read the task and the essay. are the sentences true (t) or false (f).

1   Sarah wants a sound system because she hasn’t got anything for listening to music.

2   Her brother loves football.

3   She’d give money to an organisation that helps homeless people.

4   She’d spend most of the money.

If you won €1 million in the lottery, what would you do with it? Write an essay and include your ideas. Give reasons for your choices.

If I won €1 million, there are a lot of things I would like to do with the money. It would be nice to buy myself something, but it would also be good to help others.

First of all, I would buy myself a docking station with fantastic speakers. Although I have got an MP3 player and some speakers, they are not very good.

Secondly, I would buy a new car for my mum. Her car is really old. I would buy my brother a Liverpool kit and a scarf. He is a really big Liverpool fan!

Thirdly, there are a lot of homeless people in my city. I would donate money to the local hostel. If I gave them €5,000, they could buy a lot of meals for homeless people.

Finally, I would save at least half of the money. In my opinion, it would be silly to spend it all now. What is more, if I invested the money, it would grow, and I would have more to spend in the future.

To sum up, I would buy something nice for myself and other members of my family, support local charities, and also save some money for the future.

1 F   2 T   3 T   4 F

Writing Strategy

In your writing, avoid starting too many sentences with the same words. Remember that you can:

–  use a variety of phrases for introducing opinions ( It seems to me …, In my opinion …, etc.) and for making additional points ( Moreover …, Furthermore …, etc.)

–  start conditional sentences with the if clause or the main clause.

–  use concession clauses ( although … / even though … ) at the beginning or end of a sentence.

2. Read the Writing Strategy. Then underline the following in the essay:

1   one concession clause (starting with Even though, although, etc.)

2   three second conditional sentences (with an if clause and a main clause).

3   one phrase for introducing an opinion.

4   four phrases for listing four points.

5   one phrase for introducing an additional point.

1   although I’ve got an MP3 player …

2   If I gave them €5,000, they could buy …;

… if I invested the money, it would grow, …

3   In my opinion, …

4   First of all; secondly; thirdly; Finally

5   What’s more, …

3. Read the task in exercise 1 again. Make notes for your answer.

Introduction: ……………………………………………….

First idea: ……………………………………………………

Reasons: …………………………………………………….

Second idea: ………………………………………………

Reasons: ……………………………………………………

Third idea: …………………………………………………

Reasons: …………………………………………………..

Fourth idea: ……………………………………………..

Reasons: ………………………………………………….

Conclusion: ……………………………………………..

your own answers

Writing Guide

4. use your notes from exercise 3 to write an essay. include an introduction and a conclusion., extra exercises.

When writing an essay you need to make sure you structure your work carefully and divide it into paragraphs. Guide the reader through your points by starting your paragraphs with words such as, First of all, Secondly, and Finally.

1. Read the Strategy. Then read the exam task in exercise 2 and the model answer below. Complete the table using the information in the model answer.

My town is very historic and we get a lot of visitors. There are several things I would improve to attract even more tourists. Here are three of the most important.

First of all, I would improve the parking. In my opinion, this is the most important thing because the town is always full of cars. If there was a car park on the edge of town, tourists could leave their cars there and get a bus into the centre. It would be easier for them and they could enjoy less crowded streets.

Secondly, I would cut the entrance price to museums and art galleries. The tickets can be very expensive, especially for families. If prices were cheaper, more tourists would visit these attractions.

Finally, I would arrange some interesting things for children to do in the park. If there were more activities for children, more families would come to the town.

To conclude, I would improve parking, reduce prices and provide things for children to do. All these things would attract more tourists to our town.

2. Write your essay.

Your town or a town near you is a tourist destination. What improvements would you make to attract even more tourists? Write an essay and include three ideas. Give reasons for your choices and say what effect the improvements would have on tourist numbers.

Include these points:

–  say what the most important improvement would be

–  choose two more improvements to make

–  explain how these things would affect tourists.

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Giving Opinions

This is just my opinion, but...

This page lists useful expressions for the language function of giving opinions .

• I (really) think that …
• I believe (that) …
• I’m sure that …
• In my opinion / My opinion is …

Pre-intermediate

• I agree with …
• I feel that …
• I guess/imagine …
• I have no doubt that / I’m certain that …
• I strongly believe that …
• I’ve never really thought about this before, but …
• My personal opinion is that / Personally, my opinion is that …
• To be honest / In my honest opinion, …

Intermediate

• As far as I know, …
• I agree with the opinion of …
• I could be wrong, but …
• I’d definitely say that …
• I’d guess/imagine that …
• I’d say that …
• I’m absolutely certain that …
• I’m fairly confident that …
• I’m no expert (on this), but …
• I’m positive that …
• I’m pretty sure that …
• It seems to me that …
• It’s a complicated/difficult issue, but …
• My (point of) view (on this) is …
• Obviously, …
• Some people may disagree with me, but …
• This is just my opinion, but …
• Without a doubt, …
• You probably won’t agree, but …

Upper-intermediate

• After much thought, …
• After weighing up both sides of the argument, …
• Although I can see both points of view / Although I can understand the opposite point of view, …
• As I see it, ...
• Correct me if I’m wrong, but …
• For me/ From my point of view, …
• I am not very familiar with this topic, but …
• I do believe/ feel/think …
• I have come to the conclusion that …
• I might change my mind later, but …
• I reckon/suppose …
• I tend to think that …
• I’m not sure I’m the right person to ask, but / I have very limited experience of this, but …
• I’m pretty confident that …
• I’ve always thought that …
• If you ask me, …
• I'm (absolutely) convinced that …
• In my humble opinion / IMHO, …
• It could be said that …
• It seems clear to me that …
• It would seem to me that …
• My initial reaction is …
• Not everyone will/would agree with me, but …
• Personally speaking / Speaking for myself, …
• The way I see it (is) …
• To be (perfectly) frank, …
• To the best of my knowledge, …
• What I think is …
• You could say …
• After giving this matter some (serious) thought, …
• As far as I'm concerned, …
• As the old saying goes, …
• Having given this question due consideration, …
• I am of the opinion that …
• I can’t help thinking that …
• I know this is a minority view, but / I’m in the minority in thinking that …
• I tend towards the opinion that …
• I think it’s fair/reasonable to say …
• I’ll tell you what I think, …
• I’m entirely/quite convinced that …
• I’ve come the conclusion that …
• If I must come up with an opinion / If you (really) want my opinion, …
• In my limited experience, …
• It could/might well be that …
• Know what I think? …
• My opinion was best expressed by … when s/he said/wrote …
• My view/position on this (issue) (is clear and) is that …
• Off the top of my head, …
• Quite frankly, …
• There is a part of me that says …
• This may well be controversial, but …
• To my mind / To my way of thinking, ...
• To summarise my (rather complex) views on the matter, …
• What I always say is …
• With some reservations, …
• Without a shred/shadow of doubt, …
• You’d have to be crazy not to agree that / Any idiot can see that …

Home — Essay Samples — Science — English Language — Learning English in The United States

Learning English in The United States

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Published: Aug 1, 2024

Words: 596 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Table of contents

The linguistic landscape, cultural immersion experience, implications and further exploration.

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Letters to the Editor: Why history is the most important subject in school today

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To the editor: Judging by the coverage of improved test scores in the Los Angeles Unified School District , learning math and English is important, but where does history fit in?

In our current age of polarized politics and calls for civil war supported by online chat sites and disinformation, the need to know American history is obvious. But kids know so little, almost nothing. It’s the most important course of study in our high schools today.

Ask a high school senior or recent graduate what the Great Depression was or about the Monroe Doctrine, Gettysburg, the Dust Bowl, President Eisenhower or the Great Society. Ask when the Civil War occurred. Chances are they will not know.

High schools should require two American history courses — one on the full sweep, and a second specialized course on selected 20th century events.

New graduates should see America doesn’t need to remain in its current state of disrepair. They’ll learn math and computers on their own.

Joel Athey, Valley Village

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People depend on accurate weather forecasts to make decisions about such things as how to dress, where to travel and whether to flee a violent storm.

Even so, reliable weather forecasts turn out to be extraordinarily hard to achieve. The trouble is complexity. Astronomers can predict the paths of the solar system’s planets for centuries to come because a single factor dominates their movements — the sun and its immense gravitational pull.

In contrast, the weather patterns on Earth arise from a riot of factors. The tilts, the spins, the wobbles and the day-night cycles of the planet turn the atmosphere into turbulent whorls of winds, rains, clouds, temperatures and air pressures. Worse, the atmosphere is inherently chaotic . On its own, with no external stimulus, a particular zone can go quickly from stable to capricious.

As a result, weather forecasts can fail after a few days, and sometimes after a few hours. The errors grow in step with the length of the prediction — which today can extend for 10 days , up from three days a few decades ago. The slow improvements stem from upgrades to the global observations as well as the supercomputers that make the predictions.

Not that supercomputing work has grown easy. The preparations take skill and toil. Modelers build a virtual planet crisscrossed by millions of data voids and fill the empty spaces with current weather observations.

Dr. Bretherton of the University of Washington called these inputs crucial and somewhat improvisational. “You have to blend data from many sources into a guess at what the atmosphere is doing right now,” he said.

The knotty equations of fluid mechanics then turn the blended observations into predictions. Despite the enormous power of supercomputers, the number crunching can take an hour or more. And of course, as the weather changes, the forecasts must be updated.

The A.I. approach is radically different. Instead of relying on current readings and millions of calculations, an A.I. agent draws on what it has learned about the cause-and-effect relationships that govern the planet’s weather.

In general, the advance derives from the ongoing revolution in machine learning — the branch of A.I. that mimics how humans learn. The method works with great success because A.I. excels at pattern recognition . It can rapidly sort through mountains of information and spot intricacies that humans cannot discern. Doing so has led to breakthroughs in speech recognition, drug discovery, computer vision and cancer detection.

In weather forecasting, A.I. learns about atmospheric forces by scanning repositories of real-world observations. It then identifies the subtle patterns and uses that knowledge to predict the weather, doing so with remarkable speed and accuracy.

Recently, the DeepMind team that built GraphCast won Britain’s top engineering prize, presented by the Royal Academy of Engineering. Sir Richard Friend , a physicist at Cambridge University who led the judging panel, praised the team for what he called “a revolutionary advance.”

In an interview, Rémi Lam , GraphCast’s lead scientist, said his team had trained the A.I. program on four decades of global weather observations compiled by the European forecasting center. “It learns directly from historical data,” he said. In seconds, he added, GraphCast can produce a 10-day forecast that would take a supercomputer more than an hour.

Dr. Lam said GraphCast ran best and fastest on computers designed for A.I. , but could also work on desktops and even laptops, though more slowly.

In a series of tests, Dr. Lam reported, GraphCast outperformed the best forecasting model of the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts more than 90 percent of the time. “If you know where a cyclone is going, that’s quite important,” he added. “It’s important for saving lives.”

A damaged home in Freeport, Texas, in the hurricane’s aftermath.

Replying to a question, Dr. Lam said he and his team were computer scientists, not cyclone experts, and had not evaluated how GraphCast’s predictions for Hurricane Beryl compared to other forecasts in precision.

But DeepMind, he added, did conduct a study of Hurricane Lee, an Atlantic storm that in September was seen as possibly threatening New England or, farther east, Canada. Dr. Lam said the study found that GraphCast locked in on landfall in Nova Scotia three days before the supercomputers reached the same conclusion.

Impressed by such accomplishments, the European center recently embraced GraphCast as well as A.I. forecasting programs made by Nvidia , Huawei and Fudan University in China. On its website, it now displays global maps of its A.I. testing, including the range of path forecasts that the smart machines made for Hurricane Beryl on July 4.

The track predicted by DeepMind’s GraphCast, labeled DMGC on the July 4 map, shows Beryl making landfall in the region of Corpus Christi, Texas, not far from where the hurricane actually hit.

Dr. Chantry of the European center said the institution saw the experimental technology as becoming a regular part of global weather forecasting, including for cyclones. A new team, he added, is now building on “the great work” of the experimentalists to create an operational A.I. system for the agency.

Its adoption, Dr. Chantry said, could happen soon. He added, however, that the A.I. technology as a regular tool might coexist with the center’s legacy forecasting system.

Dr. Bretherton, now a team leader at the Allen Institute for A.I. (established by Paul G. Allen, one of the founders of Microsoft), said the European center was considered the world’s top weather agency because comparative tests have regularly shown its forecasts to exceed all others in accuracy. As a result, he added, its interest in A.I. has the world of meteorologists “looking at this and saying, ‘Hey, we’ve got to match this.’”

Weather experts say the A.I. systems are likely to complement the supercomputer approach because each method has its own particular strengths.

“All models are wrong to some extent,” Dr. Molina of the University of Maryland said. The A.I. machines, she added, “might get the hurricane track right but what about rain, maximum winds and storm surge? There’re so many diverse impacts” that need to be forecast reliably and assessed carefully.

Even so, Dr. Molina noted that A.I. scientists were rushing to post papers that demonstrate new forecasting skills . “The revolution is continuing,” she said. “It’s wild.”

Jamie Rhome , deputy director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, agreed on the need for multiple tools. He called A.I. “evolutionary rather than revolutionary” and predicted that humans and supercomputers would continue to play major roles.

“Having a human at the table to apply situational awareness is one of the reasons we have such good accuracy,” he said.

Mr. Rhome added that the hurricane center had used aspects of artificial intelligence in its forecasts for more than a decade, and that the agency would evaluate and possibly draw on the brainy new programs.

“With A.I. coming on so quickly, many people see the human role as diminishing,” Mr. Rhome added. “But our forecasters are making big contributions. There’s still very much a strong human role.”

Sources and notes

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) | Notes: The “actual path” of Beryl uses the NHC’s preliminary best track data.

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