Writing an Opinion Paragraph
Unit Overview
By the end of the unit, you will develop
comprehensive writing skills by mastering the art of constructing opinion
paragraphs, understanding the distinction between facts and opinions, and
effectively utilizing suffixes. You can confidently write opinion paragraphs
that express your viewpoints with clarity and persuasion while supporting them
with relevant factual evidence. You will also demonstrate the ability to
discern between facts and opinions, employing factual information to strengthen
your arguments. Additionally, you will grasp the concept of suffixes, recognize
their role in modifying word meanings and grammatical functions across various
parts of speech, and apply this knowledge to enhance your vocabulary and
overall writing proficiency.
What is an Opinion
Paragraph?
An opinion paragraph serves as a platform for the writer to express
their viewpoint on a particular matter, presenting arguments either in favor of
or against it. Its purpose often involves persuading readers to adopt the same
perspective or alter their existing one.
A skillfully crafted
opinion paragraph incorporates factual
evidence to substantiate the stated opinion. For instance, if the topic
sentence asserts, "I firmly believe that smoking should be prohibited in
all areas," the subsequent sentences within the paragraph must justify
this standpoint. One such justification could be a factual statement like:
According to the CDC, 443,000 people in the United States
die each year from diseases related to smoking.
This fact is clear and
compelling support for the writer's opinion.
An opinion paragraph:
· Often talks about a
problem that people don't agree on
· Shares what the writer
personally thinks about the problem
· Uses real facts to back
up the writer's opinion
· Sometimes shows where
the facts come from by mentioning sources
· Sometimes talks about
what other people believe about the problem
· Makes a strong argument
that makes the reader think about the problem
Topic Sentences in
Opinion Paragraphs
The
topic sentence must clearly state an opinion to start an opinion paragraph. If
you can't come up with at least two reasons to back up that opinion, then the
topic sentence may not be suitable for an opinion paragraph.
Topic Sentence: There are several types
of cows.
Problem: This is a fact. This is
an excellent topic sentence for a paragraph explaining the different kinds of
cows, but it is not a good topic sentence for an opinion paragraph about cows.
Better Topic Sentence: Cows are interesting
farm animals.
Developing Ideas in Opinion
Paragraphs
The news is a valuable source for finding
topics for opinion paragraphs. You can gather ideas and inspiration by reading
top stories and editorial articles.
There are two effective
methods of brainstorming for opinion paragraphs.
1. The first method
involves using clusters.
2. The second method is
creating a chart.
a.
Start by writing down the topic at the top, then make two
columns underneath it.
b.
List the negative ideas related to the topic in one column, and
in the other column, list the positive ideas.
|
Cows are interesting farm animals. |
|
|
Negative Ideas |
Positive Ideas |
|
the odor from cow
manure |
provide milk and
dairy products |
|
potential for noise |
play a crucial role
in agriculture |
|
time and effort for
their care |
are gentle and can
form bonds with people |
|
need for a large
grazing area |
contribute to the
economy |
After listing all the
negative and positive points, you can decide which points will be the most
useful in your paragraph.
Let's Practice
Click on the image below to complete a learning
activity on Opinion Writing.
Username
masloski7511
Password
lemon6753
Fact and Opinion
A fact
is an information that can be checked or proven. It is always true.
An opinion
is what someone personally thinks or believes to be true. An opinion can be
either true or false.
When you write an opinion paragraph, it is
important to include facts. If you include supporting facts with examples that
the reader can clearly relate to, your opinion paragraph will be stronger, and
you may even convince readers to agree.
|
Facts |
Opinions |
|
Columbus
is located in central Ohio. |
Columbus
is a great city for people of all ages. |
|
Columbus
is home to many large community parks. |
There are
many fun places to visit in Columbus. |
|
The Ohio
State University is located in Columbus. |
The Ohio
State University is an excellent college. |
|
The
average annual temperature is 55 degrees. |
I love
the weather in Columbus very much. |
Let’s Practice
Click on the image below to complete a learning activity on Opinion
Writing.
Username
masloski7511
Password
lemon6753
Understanding Grammar: Suffixes
Many words have different forms of different
parts of speech: nouns, verbs, adjectives,
or adverbs.
Some words have suffixes that indicate the part of speech.
A suffix is a group of letters added to a word’s
end to change or modify its meaning or grammatical function. Suffixes can alter
the part of speech of a word, create
new words, or indicate tense, number, comparison, or possession.
|
Common Suffixes |
Part of Speech |
Examples |
|
ionà vacation ment à entertainment er à teacher ness à sadness ity à activity ence à difference |
Noun |
They took
a two-week vacation to North
Carolina. In this
photo, you can see the difference
between an ocean and a river. |
|
ify à classify ize à realize en à blacken ate à operate |
Verb |
The
students are classifying all the
fish in the area. They will
operate on the patient’s Friday. |
|
ful à beautiful ent à different ial à financial ish à English |
Adjective |
Are lions
and tigers different? The business
has some financial problems. |
|
ly à quickly |
Adverb |
Freddy
listened carefully to the lecture. |
Let’s Practice
Click on the image below to complete a learning
activity on Suffixes.
Username
masloski7511
Password
lemon6753
Building Better Vocabulary
Hover over each word to see its definition.
benefit - a good or helpful result or effect
concentrate - to focus all one's attention or mental effort on a particular object or activity
damage - physical harm caused to something which makes it less attractive, useful, or valuable
occupy - to fill or take up a space, time, or position
propose - to suggest or put forward for consideration, discussion, or adoption