Reason
There are many real-life situations where you have to state your opinion, e.g. a friend asks you for advice, your boss wants to hear your opinion on a business matter. In English lessons, this is also a popular way of testing your English writing skills.
Preparation
Think about the topic first. What's your opinion? What arguments can you use to support your ideas?
Structure and Content
- Introduction: defining the problem
Use the introduction to get the reader's attention and interest in the topic. Define the problem you are going to discuss and provide a short overview on what you think and why. - Opinion and Reasons
Give reasons for your opinion. Concentrate on one main point per paragraph. What to write exactly, depends on the task (see below) - Conclusion
Summarize the most important arguments that best support your opinion.
Important Tenses
Typical Tasks
- Comment (stating your own opinion)
state your opinion and give examples and arguments that support your opinion
statement – reason – example - Compare
find common and distinct features
draw conclusions - Criticize
find advantages and disadvantages
comment on somebody's opinion (usually in a negative way) - Discuss
analyse all aspects of a problem (What is …? / Is it okay to …?)
weighing the pros and cons - Evaluate
analyse a problem
show advantages and disadvantages - Justify
support an opinion
show advantages