opinion essay sentence starters

Grammar and Composition

Opinion Writing Sentence Starters: Crafting Convincing Opinions

The purpose of opinion writing is to try to persuade the readers to accept a certain point of view. Although having a strong argument is important, using appropriate opinion sentence openers and transitional phrases can greatly enhance the persuasiveness of a text.

Purposes of Sentence Starters in Opinion Writing

Opinion writing is a way of expressing one’s views and opinions on a given topic and there are many benefits of using sentence starters in opinion writing. They start with an opening hook that captures the reader’s attention and leads to the topic being discussed.

Sentence starters express the writer’s main idea directly and emphatically through the use of a thesis statement.

As the opinion piece progresses, the author provides the reader with an easy flow of thoughts and arguments to get the reader to understand the case being made.

They present new ideas and emphasis issues that are crucial to the understanding of the writer’s stance in the paper.

By using facts, statistics, and examples they link them to the central position and make it better to support to be adopted.

Last but not the least, opinion sentence starters are used to restate the writer’s standpoint in the conclusion. This strengthens the argument and thus the reader is left with a powerful statement.

In general, the use of transitional phrases and sentence starters is highly beneficial for the overall coherence, structure, coherence, and persuasive impact of opinion writing from beginning to end.

Sentence starters help the writers to persuade the readers to accept their view through strong opening hooks, evidence connection, and strong conclusions.

These devices are crucial for the development of ideas on how to come up with good opinion pieces on any genre of writing from essays to opinion pieces.

Types of Opinion Sentence Starters

There are several useful categories of sentence starters for opinion writing:

• Opening Sentence Starters
• Thesis Statement Starters
• Topic Introduction Starters
• Reasons/Evidence Starters
• Conclusion Sentence Starters

1- Opening Sentence Starters

Compelling opening sentences capture attention and introduce the discussion:

• When it comes to the debate on school uniforms, the evidence is clear…
• With incidents of bullying on the rise, schools must take action to create a more inclusive culture.
• Recent protests reveal deep concerns about inequality and injustice across society.

2- Thesis Statement Starters

Assertive thesis statements preview the main argument:

• This essay will argue that single-use plastics should be banned due to environmental harm.
• I believe school days should start later in the morning to benefit student wellbeing.
• The evidence shows that texting while driving should be illegal nationwide.

3- Topic Introduction Starters

Topic introduction sentences signal a shift into reasons and evidence:

• Turning to environmental impacts, plastic pollution is poisoning ecosystems everywhere.
• Regarding effects on health, studies show lack of sleep impairs learning and focus.
• When it comes to risks, taking your eyes off the road even briefly can lead to fatalities.

4- Reasons/Evidence Sentence Starters

Backing up reasons with facts and examples builds credibility:

• According to research by the National Oceanic Association, over a million seabirds die annually from plastic entanglement and consumption.
• As an illustration, in one experiment, high school students scored 20% higher on tests when their sleep was increased by just half an hour more per night.
• Statistics indicate texting drivers are six times more likely to cause an accident compared to attentive drivers.

5- Conclusion Sentence Starters

Restating the position persuasively provides impactful closure:

• Given the risks it poses to wildlife, steps must be taken to curtail plastic pollution now.
• Simply put, delaying school start times would improve academic performance as well as quality of life.
• When you weigh the risks, enacting laws prohibiting texting behind the wheel is necessary to save lives.

6- Strategic Uses of Sentence Starters

Here are some tips for using opinion sentence starters effectively:

• Vary sentence structure and length.
• Use emphatic phrasing to underline key points.
• Address potential counterarguments to strengthen credibility.
• Relate reasons and evidence cohesively.
• Echo words and phrases from opening hook in conclusion.
• Avoid overusing the same starter phrases.
• Use sentence starters to transition between contrasting views.

Dos and Don’ts

• Use varied starters to link ideas and paragraphs
• Choose words that convey conviction
• Acknowledge opposing views fairly
• Cite sources of facts and statistics

DON’T:

• Rely too heavily on basic starters like “First,” “Next,” etc.
• Use vague phrasing like “Research shows…”
• Fail to clearly relate evidence to central position
• Overuse the same few sentence starters

Practice Crafting Opinion Writing Sentences

Consider this position:  Schools should not assign homework over school breaks and holidays.

Opening sentence:  Since almost all students carry a lot of homework to do every night, school vacations should be fun without having to do homework.

Thesis statement:  In this particular essay, the author wants to appeal to the readers’ reason and assert that assigning homework on holidays and vacations is unproductive and should not be practiced.

Topic introduction:  For the purpose of breaks, such as vacation, it should be for recreation, to do things the child loves and to be with family.

Evidence:  Parents Magazine poll revealed that more than 90% of parents noticed an increase in stress and frustration among children with vacation homework.

Conclusion:   In conclusion, one is able to pull away from school work, improve on their health and general well being without necessarily affecting their academic ability.

Templates for Core Sections

Opening Hook Template

Recent events/polls/research indicate… [insert attention-grabbing statistics]

Thesis Statement Template

This piece will argue/show/make the case that…[central position]

Topic Introduction Template

Looking at/With regard to/Speaking of…[new subtopic]

Evidence Template

According to/As shown by…[cite sources and facts]

Conclusion Template

Ultimately/All things considered…[restate position assertively] Therefore/For this reason…[call to action]

Final Takeaways

• Strategic sentence starters enhance flow, logic, and clarity
• Compelling hooks and assertive thesis statements orient the reader
• Clear transitions between ideas strengthen cohesion
• Citation of credible sources lends validity
• Impactful conclusions persuade and provide closure

The evidence-based application of effective opinion sentence starters makes arguments more convincing. With practice, these techniques will elevate writing skills for debate, advocacy, commentary, and persuasive essays.

Example Sentences of Opinion Writing Sentence Starters

Opening Sentence Starters:

• In recent years, the issue of…has increasingly come into public debate.
• Current events have sparked widespread discussion about…
• When it comes to the topic of…, the evidence clearly shows…
• Recent polls indicate the majority of people believe…
• Statistics point to a growing trend surrounding…

Thesis Statement Starters:

• This piece will argue that…due to…
• I believe strongly that…because…
• The evidence makes a compelling case that…
• My position is that…given…
• Based on research, it is evident that…

Topic Introduction Starters:

• Regarding the issue of…
• Turning to the topic of…
• With respect to…
• In terms of…
• Speaking to the matter of…

Reasons/Evidence Starters:

• According to experts at…
• A recent study published in…found…
• Statistics from…reveal…
• Polls indicate…
• Surveys show…
• Many documented cases demonstrate…

Conclusion Sentence Starters:

• For all these reasons, it is clear that…
• In summary, the evidence leads to the conclusion that…
• Ultimately, when you weigh the facts, it is apparent that…
• The data leaves little doubt that…
• As this piece has illustrated,..

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