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Academic writing 1: How to write an opinion essay? Two effective models

Hey, it’s Dr. Liu here with Better LIFE Research TIPS. Today I want to start talking about some basics on academic writing. The first topic is how to write an opinion essay, and two effective writing models.

An opinion essay is sometimes also called a persuasive essay or an argument essay. It is an essay on a topic that many people may have different opinions on. In an opinion essay, we present our opinion and defend it. The purpose of the essay is trying to persuade the reader into agreeing with a particular point of view.

The first writing model is a relatively simple and basic one. It is often called the 5-paragraph model. But I will call it the 3-reason model in order to distinguish it from the other model here. Basically, this model recommends using 5 paragraphs in our essay, including 1 introduction paragraph,1 conclusion paragraph and 3 body paragraphs.

Start from the top, this inverted triangle is our introduction. First we want to provide some background information so that the reader can understand why our topic is important. We want to start from a broader idea and narrow it down until the end of the introduction, and here we have our thesis statement. The thesis statement is where we clearly state our opinion on the topic in one well-written sentence. It is the heart of the whole essay. Everything else in the essay is based on the thesis statement. The thesis statement need to be strong, focused and clear-cut. It is usually most effective to put it right at the end of the introduction.

Next we’ll move into our body paragraphs. The body paragraphs are used to develop reasoning to support our thesis statement. They support our opinion with reasons and details. To have a strong argument, we probably want at least three good reasons. If less than 3, our argument may not be strong enough. Of course, it is OK if we have more than 3 good reasons to present, then we can add more body paragraphs. But sometimes we want to be more selective, and we select only the top 3 most creative and stimulating reasons. The key is, in order to make our ideas clear, each paragraph should have one and only have one unique main point. Therefore, each paragraph should have one clear topic sentence, followed by some supporting sentences. The last sentence of the paragraph should provide a transition to the next paragraph. The transition sentences help to link our arguments, and help our readers to move from one idea to another idea.

And finally we have conclusion comes from restating our thesis statement in different words, summarize everything we have already said here and tie all of our points together. And we are also going to broaden back out, and help our reader to think about the question “so what”.

In practice, when we write our essay, we often want to write the 3 body paragraphs first. It is easy to expand since the 3 body paragraphs have the same simple structure. After we complete the 3 body paragraphs, we will be more confident to write a strong thesis statement and a creative introduction. Conclusion can be written with the introduction together since they have kind of mirror structure. That is why sometimes conclusion is also called outroduction, right opposite to introduction. In introduction we introduce from general to specific; in conclusion or outroduction, we outroduce from specific back to general. We have the thesis statement at the end of introduction, and we have paraphrasing of the thesis statement at the beginning of conclusion.

These are the basic structure and basic elements for the 3 reason model. It is an effective writing model to train our thinking, and it could be helpful in standard writing test. But for complex topics, we may want add more elements or more variations on where to use these elements. We may start the introduction with a hook meaning a sentence that’s engaging to get the readers attention, and to introduce the topic in an interesting way. We may also add a counter-argument after the third body paragraph, to demonstrate that we are intelligent enough to understand there is another side to the issue. Adding a proper response to the counter-argument can make our point seem more legitimate. There are two ways to respond to the counter-argument, we can refute or concede. Refute means we are saying the counter-argument is wrong. To concede means we admit that the counter-argument has a good point, but we have a better point, our opinion is stronger.

In real world, the value of our writing mostly depends on whether we can create value for our readers, rather than whether we can present our own opinion clearly. So sometimes we may want to consider a different writing model. This model is what I called the balance and crunch model. This model could also use 5 paragraphs, including 1 introduction paragraph,1 conclusion paragraph and 3 body paragraphs. In the introduction, instead of moving from general to specific, we expand the topic and guide the reader to explore different aspects or different angles of the problem. At the end of the introduction, we may provide some "umbrella" sentences that include all the key talking points that we will discuss in the following body paragraphs.

In paragraphs 2 and 3, we are going to demonstrate to the reader that we know what we are talking about. The key is, these paragraphs need to establish a kind of balance, including both reasons for and reasons against our real proposition. There are various options for structure of paragraph 2 and 3. We may use paragraph 2 to present the reasons for the proposition, and use paragraph 3 to present the reasons against the proposition. Or we may use paragraph 2 to present the reasons for and against in one aspect, and use paragraph 3 to present the reasons for and against in a different aspect. In paragraph 2 and 3, we want to demonstrate that we have done our research. We want to establish our credibility by helping our reader to open their eyes for more options. We want the reader to recognize that our own proposition was actually decided after we have considered multiple aspects of the problem.

And we save our main idea, our best idea for paragraph 4, the crunch. Paragraph 4 is where we add our own private opinion. It may be just a small bit of information, but it is so important, so vital that it can break the balance established in paragraph 2 and 3, and can help our reader to make the final decision. In this model, paragraph 4 is the most important part of the essay. It could be short and strong, and it could also be the longest paragraph. Because in paragraph 4, we may need to refute or concede some of the points in paragraph 2 and 3.

One of the best ways to persuade is to let the reader believe that the new idea is actually compatible with what they have already accepted. The paragraph 2 and 3 here are used to try to figure out what probably have been accepted by our reader, and therefore to establish a connection with our reader. When we finally present our proposition in paragraph 4, we serve our reader just like ancient counselors serving their king. We have presented multiple options, evaluated their individual advantages and disadvantages, and then we add our little piece of advice, and allow the king to make the final and informed decision.

In the 3 reason model, we present our own opinion and defend it. We put ourselves first. In the balance and crunch model, we put our reader first. We demonstrate that we really want to help our reader to understand the situation, and make a good informed decision on the topic.

Thanks for watching, I am Dr. Liu with research tips for the underdogs. I hope you all have a good holiday season. Until next time, have a break and enjoy the wonderful life.

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