Opinion Essay Structure

February 11th, 2009

When you write an opinion essay, you should use at least five paragraphs: the introduction, three body paragraphs, and the conclusion.

1. The introduction has the five w’s (what, who, when, where, and why) plus a hook. The last component is used to attract the attention of the audience and make them think. In your opinion essay, you can employ a short anecdote, statistics, a quote, a scenario, or a question. Attempt to make the introduction short, as it can deter your readers.

2. Typically, there are three body paragraphs in an opinion essay, although more may be added. For every paragraph, you should have a convincing reason or argument and provide supporting details. When you have a couple of good reasons and one of them not as thought out, you should place the second best reason first, after the worst one, and end up with the great reason. People often keep in mind the first and last issues they read.

3. The conclusion is a précis of all you have said and it is used to join any loose strings. The conclusive paragraph is a reflection of your introduction and then, may have similar aspects. When you have a plan in the introductory part, you can rephrase it in your conclusion demonstrating what would occur if your audience took your recommendation. The conclusive paragraph will be the final thing read and remembered clearly, thus, you should provide it a strong voice, which describes the message that you wish to get across.

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