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ENGLISH IV

ACADEMIC FILE IE II 1

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT: WRITING 1

AN OPINION PARAGRAPH
Name: Date:

Teacher: Class:

OBJECTIVES:

To identify the elements of an opinion paragraph.


To outline a reading passage.

Strategy 1: Activating prior knowledge.

TASK 1: ALLOTTED TIME: 5 minutes

Work in pairs and discuss the following questions.

1. Whats your main goal as a university student? What are you doing to achieve it?

2. Why do some students fail at university?

TASK 2: ALLOTTED TIME: 5 minutes

Work in pairs and answer the following questions.

1. Can you mention three phrases to introduce an opinion besides in my opinion or I


think?

2.
Can you mention three transition words to give reasons apart from because or
because of?
ENGLISH IV

An opinion paragraph 1

An opinion paragraph expresses the writer's opinion. A good writer will include not only
opinions, but also facts to support his or her opinions. For example, if a writer says
"Smoking should not be allowed anywhere," the writer must give reasons for this opinion.
One reason could be a fact, such as "Thirty thousand people died in the United States
and Canada last year because of lung cancer-a known result of smoking." This fact
supports the writer's opinion.

An opinion paragraph

- gives the writer's opinions about a topic.


- interprets or explains facts.
- is often about a controversial issue.
- makes the reader think.

In an opinion paragraph, you take a stand on a given topic. You choose to agree or
disagree.

It has the following structure:

A topic sentence: This sentence introduces whether you _________1 or


_________2 about the topic.

Reasons and supporting details: They can be _________3 or evidence to show


your agreement or _________4.

Concluding sentence: The purpose of this sentence is to _________5 the main


_________6 or restate the _________7 in different words.

The use of phrases that express opinions and transition words are important too.

Phrases that state Transition words for Transition words for


opinions reasons conclusions
I believe The (first) reason In conclusion
It seems to me that Another reason In summary
In my opinion Moreover To sum up
In my point of view Furthermore In short

1
Opinion Paragraph - Unit 9. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2017, from
http://cmapspublic.ihmc.us/rid=1JB6T5WKY-SXYB8H-183C/OPINION%20PARAGRAPH.pdf
ENGLISH IV

Strategy 2: Using an outline to understand the structure of a text.

TASK 3: ALLOTTED TIME: 10 minutes

Read the following text and complete the outline below.

Failing in college 2

There are some reasons why a lot of students fail in college. The first reason is that they
fail because their academic background is weak. For example, one student might not
have had enough Mathematics course at high school, so he fails his university Maths
class. The second reason is that most of the students dont understand the importance
of regular attendance. There are some students that skip classes because they need to
finish any other course homework and when they come to class they are lost. Thirdly,
because of financial problems, some students fail university classes. When parents are
not able to pay the monthly fee, students have to take jobs and as a consequence they
dont have as much time to study. Finally, there are students who fail because their
energies are not directed toward their classes. For example, some of these students are
not interested in college and they spend their day doing other things. In conclusion, due
to all these problems, numerous students fail in college every year.
172 words

TITLE: ___________________________________________________

I. Topic sentence:

A. Reason 1:

Supporting detail:

2
Adapted from Paragraph Writing (n.d.). KOEKALI UNIVERSITY. Retrieved August 14, 2017, from
http://yabancidiller.kocaeli.edu.tr/sites/default/files/duyurudosya/WRITING%20PACK%202015%20-
%20PARAGRAPH%20AND%20ESSAY%20WRITING.pdf
ENGLISH IV

B. Reason 2:

Supporting detail:

C. Reason 3:

Supporting detail:

D. Reason 4:

Supporting detail:

II. Concluding sentence:

TASK 4

Circle the correct answer.

Purpose To give an opinion in favor or against.


Intended
English speaking people, Everybody, or Americans
audience
Tone Depressing, Pessimistic, Optimistic, or Persuasive
Register Formal or informal

ENG IV Team 2017-2

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