Opinion and for and against essays

1. TIPS ON WRITING ATIPS ON WRITING A
GOOD ESSAYGOOD ESSAY
For and Against and opinion essaysFor and Against and opinion essays

2. What’s an essay?What’s an essay?
An essay is a piece of writing that analyses and evaluates a
topic or issue.
Fundamentally, an essay is designed to get your opinion on a
particular matter.
It usually has five or more paragraphs. An essay is written about
one topic that has several main points.
The main points are introduced in an introductory paragraph and
supported in body paragraphs.
The conclusion is the last paragraph.

3. Types of essaysTypes of essays
There are many, but in this PowerPoint
will concentrate on :
For and Against Essays
Opinion Essays

4. For and Against EssaysFor and Against Essays
• They present both sides of an issue,
discussing points in favour and
against of a particular topic, or the
advantages and disadvantages of a
particular question.
• The writer’s personal opinion might
be stated in the conclusion (last
paragraph).

5. Opinion EssaysOpinion Essays
• They present the writer’s personal
opinion concerning a particular topic,
clearly stated and supported by
reasons or/ and examples.
• The writer’s opinion must be included
in the introduction, and summarised
or restated in the conclusion.

7. A good essay must includeA good essay must include
• An introductory paragraph, in which you clearly
state the topic to be discussed.
• A main body, in which different aspects of the
topic are stated in separate paragraphs, and are
exemplified or justified.
• A concluding paragraph, it summarises the main
points in the essay, and your opinion is stated, or
restated. You may also include here a balanced
consideration of the topic.

9. Tips for a good introductionTips for a good introduction
(to get the reader interested in your essay)(to get the reader interested in your essay)
The introduction serves a number of purposes:
•It hooks the reader.
•It orientates your reader to the central premise of the piece.
•It briefly outlines the points the body paragraphs will address.
The “hook” or “grabber” is important in securing your reader’s attention
from the outset. Some examples of successful grabbers include:
•Opening with a relevant quotation or definition from a relevant source.
•Stating an interesting and surprising fact can intrigue readers into
wishing to find out more.
•An anecdote or cultural reference

10.
Most people want to get married and have children.
Perhaps they want to leave a trace or offspring after
them, so that they become somehow “immortal”. And it is
commonly said that children are the ultimate bliss in our
lives. Although many people agree with this statement, to
my mind, it is not true.
Animal experimentation has been a commonly debated
subject for many years, is it cruelty or science? About 1.4
million animals die each year from animal testing.

11. The main bodyThe main body
This is the most important part of your piece of writing.
You should divide it into different paragraphs, each dealing with one single idea and
introduced by a topic sentence which summarises the topic of the paragraph.
To make your ideas easy to understand:
1. go from general to specific, that is, first give a general idea and then expand it.
2. Avoid unnecessary repetition by using pronouns to refer back to nouns already
mentioned.
3. Use connectors to join sentences and show the connection between ideas (contrast,
purpose, addition, ...)
If you are asked to write an opinion essay, in the body you should support your
opinions giving different arguments. Use each paragraph to present your arguments for or against.
If it’s a “for and against” essay, in the body you should present both the arguments
for (or advantages) and the arguments against (disadvantages). Again, use paragraphs to introduce
each argument.

12. Tips for a good conclusionTips for a good conclusion
• It is the paragraph that summarizes the main idea or presents a
conclusion.
• The reader expects the conclusion to do some or all of the
following: rephrase the question, summarize the main ideas,
give your opinion, if you haven’t given it already.
• Look to the future (say what will happen if the situation continues
or changes)
• The reader DOES NOT expect new information in the conclusion.
Never add a new idea just because you have thought of it at the
end!
• It shouldn’t be very long, and it can be similar to the introduction,
but presented in different words.
Your conclusion ‘wraps’ up the essay. We don’t put something valuable,Your conclusion ‘wraps’ up the essay. We don’t put something valuable,
like money or gold, hidden in the wrapping paper, so don’t put newlike money or gold, hidden in the wrapping paper, so don’t put new
information or important ideas in the conclusion.information or important ideas in the conclusion.

13. To sum up, for most people it might be the biggest
happiness to have children. However, I firmly believe
that to have children is not everything in life. People can
also live full and accomplished lives without children.
In conclusion, I am of the opinion, on balance, that the
benefits do not outweigh the disadvantages, and testing
on animals should not continue. Although it may improve
the lives of humans, it is not fair that animals should
suffer in order to achieve this.

14. Present your ideas clearly. Use connectors to link your ideas
Make sure you know how to use connectors appropriately (register, punctuation...). If you
have any doubts, you should use a good dictionary to check.
•Opening phrases: People (sometimes) claim that … but I feel that .../
It is often said/argued that .../ However, it seems to me that .../ It is a fact that .../
Over the past few months/years, it seems that …/ Recently, we have all become concerned
that …/Nowadays, we are all realising that .../ In the past, people used to …, but now .../
These days, it seems that ….
•To express personal opinions: In my opinion, I believe (that) / I feel (that) / it seems to me
/ in my view /as I see it / I think / personally
•To show purpose: to / in order to / so as to / so that
•To list ideas: Firstly / secondly / finally / In the first place / Lastly
•To contrast ideas: However / although / in contrast / whereas / but / nevertheless / in
spite of / despite
•To describe a cause: Because / since / as / due to
•To show a sequence: First of all / then / after that / eventually / in the end / finally
•To add information: In addition / moreover / what is more / besides / too / furthermore /
and
•To describe a consequence: Consequently / as a result / therefore / so / thus / for this
reason / that is why
•To conclude the topic: In conclusion / to sum up / in short / all in all
• To present arguments:One justification often given for ........... is that.................,
Advocates/Proponents would claim that .................., Those who object to ................. often argue
that ..................., Another objection is that ......
However, it should not be forgotten that .............., ........... are opposed to ................ on the
grounds that .................From the point of view of ................., According to ....................

15. • Plan your writing and write a first draft.
• A paragraph for each section. The paragraph starts with a
topic sentence.
• Use a variety of vocabulary and grammar structures. Use
synonyms or paraphrase.
• Avoid contractions and don’t get emotional.
• Keep to the topic. Don’t write about things that have nothing
to do with the task.
• Use, but don’t overuse, linking words to join ideas. They are
also an important part in stringing together sentences and
paragraphs.
• Pay attention to punctuation. Your text may be confusing if
you don’t use commas and periods adequately.
• Stick to a maximum of two/ three arguments.
• Back up your arguments with examples and details.

16. YOUR TURN
 CHOOSE ONE TOPIC TO WRITE AN ESSAY.
- I
•Young people today have a lot of free time. In your opinion, do
they use this time well or do they waste it?
•Some people prefer to plan activities for their free time very
carefully. Others choose not to make any plans at all for their
free time. Compare the benefits of planning free-time activities
with the benefits of not making plans.