4.2. An opinion essay

Focus on

How to write an opinion piece

An opinion composition expresses the personal opinion of the writer, supported by reason and examples. It should, for the purpose of balance, also include the opposing viewpoint together with an explanation why that viewpoint is erroneous.

write a minimum of 4 paragraphs
the first paragraph should be the introduction in which you present the topic and give a reason why the question is relevant/topical/important. It could give examples of someone's experiences, for instance, to set the scene
the 2nd paragraph presents the main body of your opinion. It should be backed up by reasons, examples, comparisons and/or quotes.
the 3rd paragraph presents the opposing viewpoint, again with reasons why people think that, but you explain why this is unconvincing
the 4th paragraph is the conclusion in which you summarise your opinion using different words.
use the same language as in for/against compositions to add points, give examples, etc.

Writing essays and discursive articles: differences, structures and types.

Further examples

Expressing Facts	Expressiong Opinions
It is widely known that.. It is a (well-known) fact that.... Research has shown that... Recent studies have clearly demonstrated that...	Personally, I (strongly) believe that... From my point of view,.../My view is that... It seems to me that... To my mind,..... As far as I'm concerned, ... As I see it,... I heartily agree/thoroughly disagree with this statement as...
Adding ideas	Concluding
What is more, ... Furthermore, ..... In addition,... As well as ..... (+ gerund), .... also....	In short, In conclusion,... To sum up,... All in all,... On balance, .... To conclude, ......
Giving examples	Giving a different opinion
Take X, (for instance) For example,..... One example would be/is ....... X springs to mind	Opponents of this view (would) argue that/disagree as.... It is/has been argued that...... In contrast to this,.....

Write an opinion piece starting "It is impossible to imagine a world without music". Write 225-250 words.

Remember:

Make a list of reasons supporting your point of view.
Write well developed paragraphs.
Use linking words and phrases to join the sentences and the paragraphs within the text.

DOs

Write in a formal style
Introduce the topic clearly
State clear topic sentences
Use generalizations
Use quotations

DON'Ts

Don't use colloquial expressions
Don’t use short forms
Don’t use emotive vocabulary
Don’t use over generalizations
Don’t use statistics without proper referencing
Don’t give personal examples

Reading Activity

It is impossible to imagine a world without music. When you're watching TV, the show and commercials have background music. At the press of a button you can find nearly each genre on radio or internet. Just walking down the street you can hear it; the car stereo’s blaring, the chirp of a bird, someone humming along to their favourite song. Can you imagine a world without it?

Music has played an important part in our history, since primitive times to modern cultures, and is an indispensable part of spiritual and social life. We have a universally known tune for birthdays, while the most commonly used wedding march dates from 1842 and even some nursery rhymes have historical significance. Too, music affects our moods and influence everything from your breathing to your heartbeat- just look at how an infant easily can be soothed by a lullaby. In addition, music has many benefits to learning: listening to a steady beat while your studying increases the amount of information absorbed.

However, there are some who object to the ubiquity of music. No matter where you were, there is no way to escape it. Silence has ceased to exist, they argue. Yet I believe few are immune to its enchantment. Complaints about music are more to do with the particular genre than the fact – let’s face it, adults never like the music their children listen to.

To my mind, music will and should remain integral to our culture. It is a universal language and I certainly wouldn’t want to live without it.

Source: adapted from: https://www.fictionpress.com/s/3160016/1/Music-in-Our-Lives

There are,however, a few mistakes (but you realised that anyway, didn't you?).

Find and correct the 7 errors.

Music is everywhere. When you're watching TV, the show
and commercials have background music. At the press of a button you can find
nearly every genre on radio or internet. Just walking down the street you
can hear it; the blaring of a car stereo, the chirp of a bird, someone humming along to their favourite song. Can you imagine a world without it?

Music has played an important part in our history, from primitive times to modern cultures, and is an indispensable part of the spiritual and social life. We have a universally known tune for birthdays, while the most commonly used wedding march dates from 1842 and even some nursery rhymes have historical significance. Music affects our moods too and influences everything from your breathing to your heartbeat- just look at how an infant can easily be soothed by a lullaby. In addition, music has many benefits to learning: listening to a steady beat while you are * studying increases the amount of information absorbed.

However, there are some who object to the ubiquity of music. No matter where you are, there is no way to escape it. Silence has ceased to exist, they argue. Yet I believe few are immune to its enchantment. Complaints about music are more to do with the particular genre than the fact – let’s face it, adults never like the music their children listen to.

To my mind, music will and should remain integral to our culture. It is a universal language and I certainly wouldn’t want to live without it.

* these two words could in fact be deleted: while studying,...