How to Write an Opinion Essay: 5 Most Essential Skills

Opinion essay has its advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, there are no wrong answers in this assignment, as just any position can pass as your personal extravagant opinion if you get proper arguments.

On the other hand, arguing about a certain question can be not that easy as it seems.

❓ Choose a Question

The first step to your excellent grade for this type of essay is to choose a disputable question. It means that your question should evoke different reactions in different people.

Bad example: Smoking is bad for health. (thumbs down to this topic – everyone agrees with it).

Good example: The ban on smoking in public places violates the rights of smokers. (thumbs up – most people would disagree with this statement. Defending this position would be a challenge – just go for it.)

Would you like even more good disputable questions? Check our Funny Argumentative Essay Topics & Persuasive Ideas and you’ll find what you’re looking for.

✊ Take Your Stand

The next step to take is to choose your position. Make sure it’s arguable and someone would definitely disagree with you. At the same time, try to choose something you would be able to defend with strong arguments.

🔍 Find Arguments

Finding weighty arguments can be a time-consuming task, unless you know the best persuasive techniques and most persuasive argument types:

1. Speak numerals – people are crazy about statistics. By simply including some numerals into opinion paper, you will guarantee your success. Try to impress your readers by legitimately increasing or reducing those numerals. For example, the same amount of time – 2 days can be represented as ‘only 2 days’ or ’48 hours’ depending on what you’re trying to prove.
2. Refer to researchers – everyone loves when scientists prove something through their experiments and scientific analysis. Whenever scientists have found out something that somehow relates to your topic – be sure to write about it.
3. Give examples – whenever you can give examples from your personal practice – tell about it.
4. Make comparisons – draw parallels with something that’s clear to everyone. For example, you may compare choosing a bank to choosing shoes which should suit you according to many parameters.
5. Prove by contradiction – start argumentation by supposing that your position is wrong and then step by step show why it’s impossible.

✍️ Write an Opinion Essay

To express your opinion right, you might want to use the following word combinations:

Expressions to use:

• In my opinion;
• as far as I am concerned;
• in my opinion;
• I’d like to point out that…
• What I mean…
• I believe that…

👁️‍ Proofread Your Opinion Essay

The final step to express your opinion in writing is to proofread it:

Leave it for some time –> read it aloud –> print it out –> read it backwards.

So, that was all we wanted to tell you about this type of essay. Please, do drop us a line – what’s your opinion of opinion essays?