Expressing your opinion ' ' '

1
(No Transcript)
2
Expressing your opinion . . . From Reading to
Writing The opinions of Kurt Vonnegut and W. P.
Kinsella come through clearly in their stories.
Mary Oliver expresses her views throughout the
poem The Sun. All writers express their
opinions directly or indirectly.
3
Expressing your opinion . . .
Some writers, however, create an opinion
statement, an essay or article specifically
designed to express an opinion or persuade.
Opinion pieces often appear in newspapers and
magazines.
4
B a s i c s i n a B o x
Opinion Statement at a Glance
Standards for Writing
RUBRIC
Introduction
Presents the issue and states your opinion
A successful opinion statement should
WHY I BELIEVE IT

• state the issue and your opinion on it clearly
• support your opinion with convincing examples,
  facts and/or statistics
• show an awareness of your audience in word choice
  and tone
• exhibit clear reasoning
• summarize your opinion in a strong conclusion

Body
Summary of opinion
Conclusion
5
Writing An Opinion Statement
To find a topic for your opinion statement

• Brainstorm a list of issues you have strong
  feelings about.
• Record your views about school policies, social
  problems, sports, or modern art and music.

6
Writing An Opinion Statement
To find a topic for your opinion statement

• Recall the last time you were really pleased by
  an event or learned about something that made you
  angry or disappointed.

7
Planning Your Opinion Statement
1. Clearly state your opinion on the issue. What
aspects of the issue particularly concern you?
2. Ask yourself why you hold your belief. What
reasons convinced you to hold your opinion? What
reasons will be convincing to your audience? How
can you answer opposing beliefs?
8
Planning Your Opinion Statement
3. Research the issue. Where can you find
examples, facts, and statistics that support your
opinion? Which evidence is strongest? 4. Consider
the tone of your writing. Do you want to present
a serious scholarly essay? Would you influence
your audience more by adopting a humorous or
satirical tone ?
9
Writing An Opinion Statement
Dont recite other peoples opinions. . . . Tell
me what you know. Ralph Waldo Emerson
As you start putting your opinion in writing,
just follow your thoughts where they take you.
Remember, part of drafting is clarifying and
refining your ideas.
10
Writing An Opinion Statement
Remember, however, that you must organize and
fine-tune your work later in the writing process.
In your draft

• Consider using an especially strong or striking
  example or fact to introduce your writing.
• State your opinion clearly and succinctly.
• Present examples, facts, and statistics that
  support your opinion.

11
Writing An Opinion Statement
As you draft your arguments, be sure you have
used valid reasoning. Watch out for these
illogical arguments

• Circular reasoningsimply restating a point
  without providing evidence

This is the best plan because it is better than
the others.
12
Writing An Opinion Statement
As you draft your arguments, be sure you have
used valid reasoning. Especially watch out for
these illogical arguments

• Over-generalizationmaking a statement that is
  too broad to prove

No one would vote for that candidate.
13
Writing An Opinion Statement
Target Skill REFINING TOPIC SENTENCES One way
to organize your writing is to make sure each
paragraph includes a good topic sentence and that
all the details in the paragraph relate to this
topic sentence.
14
Writing An Opinion Statement
Target Skill PRONOUN-ANTECEDENT AGREEMENT When
you focus on stating your opinion and supporting
it clearly, you might overlook issues such as
making pronouns and their antecedents agree.
15
Writing An Opinion Statement
Target Skill PRONOUN-ANTECEDENT AGREEMENT Make
sure that pronouns agree with their antecedents
in

• number
• gender
• person