ENG4C: Unit 5 Supported-Opinion and Summary Paragraphs What are the Characteristics of

ENG4C: Unit 5

Supported-Opinion and Summary Paragraphs

What are the Characteristics of a Well-Written Opinion Paragraph?

An opinion paragraph tells what the writer feels about a topic. It states an opinion in the topic sentence and uses reasons and details to develop this opinion. While the writer may use personal experiences and general knowledge, some opinion paragraphs will include specific details such as facts and examples.

Guidelines for Writing an Opinion Paragraph

Begin with a topic sentence that clearly states your topic and opinion about this topic

Provide strong reasons that explain, or support, your opinion

Give details that explain each reason. Include facts and examples

Let the audience hear your voice. Tell how you really feel and carefully choose words that highlight your position.

Restate your opinion and sum up your ideas in the last sentence.

Revising Your Writing

Combining Sentences with Appositives

Appositive is a word or phrase that immediately follows a noun and explains it. Appositives are set off by commas. This indicates a word or phrase that is not necessary information but that is additional information.

Example: The teacher, a gray-haired old man, whispered as he spoke to the class.

Using this grammatical technique will help to make your ideas clear and easily understood by your readers. It will also allow you to express your ideas and opinions with greater detail and specificity.

Practice Using Appositives

Combine the following two sentences into one sentence by using commas and appositives. Try to put both ideas into one sentence.

Employees deserve recognition for their hard work.

Some employees go above and beyond the expectations of their role.

Answer: __________________________________________________

Assignment – Writing a Supported Opinion Paragraph

Read the following article about a shift in workplace culture. You will be asked to write a supported-opinion paragraph based on this reading.

O’Connor, Sarah. “Quiet quitting is nonsense: Expecting all staff to work above and beyond is a mistake”. The Financial Post. September 19, 2022. Web. <https://financialpost.com/fp-work/quiet-quitting-nonsense

Quiet quitting is nonsense: Expecting all staff to work above and beyond is a mistake

Companies which have built their business model on people constantly going ‘above and beyond’ their job descriptions are on dangerous ground

Staff who turn up every day and do exactly what is asked of them aren’t quiet quitting, they’re working. PHOTO BY GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO

Employers have been trying to get inside their employees’ heads for more than a century. In 1920, Whiting Williams, a former personnel director in a steel company, even went undercover as a labourer before penning a book called What’s on the worker’s mind: by one who put on overalls to find out.

This year, a popular video on TikTok about “quiet quitting” has sent employee motivation experts into overdrive. According to Gallup, about half of Americans are “quiet quitters,” which it defines as people who are “not going above and beyond at work and just meeting their job description.” HR specialists and consultants have been quick to jump in with advice on how to fix the problem. An article in Harvard Business Review urged managers to ask themselves: “Is this a problem with my direct reports, or is this a problem with me and my leadership abilities?”

I don’t think it’s a problem at all. First, the Gallup survey data suggests this is neither new nor a trend. Just under a third of U.S. workers were “engaged” and almost a fifth were “actively disengaged” in the second quarter of this year (Gallup defines “quiet quitters” as the group which is neither). The proportions have wobbled a little over time but are completely in line with the average since 2000.

Second, I would suggest that if your staff turn up every day and do exactly what you ask of them, they aren’t “quiet quitting,” they’re “working.” Some people will always be driven by ambition, enjoyment, perfectionism or insecurity to do more than is asked of them, but if you expect everyone to do that, by definition it isn’t “above and beyond” any more.

Indeed, companies which have built their business model on people constantly going “above and beyond” their job descriptions are on dangerous ground. Some of the rail disruption in the U.K. this summer was a case in point: operators such as Avanti West Coast relied for years on staff voluntarily working extra shifts on their days off; when staff withdrew their goodwill, the service fell over.

Similarly, many companies in the video games industry have relied on “crunch” (a period of very long working hours) to meet deadlines. Some in the industry say this has evolved into a permanent “crunch culture.” According to a survey by the International Game Developers Association in 2019, 42 per cent of developers said crunch time was expected at their workplace and only eight per cent were paid for overtime.

Shaun Rutland, chief executive of games company Hutch Games Ltd., says there can be camaraderie in extreme hours when you’re young, but it also damages people’s health and relationships to the ultimate detriment of the firm. He remembers having to work from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for months as a youngster. “I was so grateful to get the job working in games, I was like: ‘this is it, I’m going to do everything I can,’ (but) it made me so ill.”

Nor is it productive to overwork people. A study by Erin Reed, a management professor at McMaster University in Canada, found managers could not tell the difference between those who worked 80-hour weeks, and those who just pretended to.

Implicit in the corporate panic over “quiet quitting” is something deeper as well: the idea these people are “psychologically unattached” to their employers because their “engagement needs are not being fully met,” as Gallup puts it. But this is mushy ground to wade into. What if someone loves their work, but not the organization they do it for, or vice versa? What if “purpose” matters for some people but not for others? What if some only do their job for money but they’re still really good at it?

My advice to employers is to get out of employees’ heads, stop worrying about whether they love you or not, and focus on their output. Are they doing a good job, or aren’t they? That’s not to say there is no point in asking workers how they feel. But if you must do “engagement” surveys, my experience of speaking to workers over more than a decade would suggest you only need to ask three questions. Do you think your work is harming your health? Do you have a decent line manager? And do you think you’re paid fairly?

At its heart, the “quiet quitting” kerfuffle speaks to an unhealthy understanding of the relationship between companies and their staff. Employers don’t need to cater to employees’ every psychological need, and employees don’t need to be passionate about their employers. How about a simple contractual relationship of mutual respect and clearly defined obligations? I’m going to call it “work for grown-ups.” Now I just need to make a TikTok video about it.

Responding to the Article

In your own words, describe what is meant by the term “quiet quitting”.

Have you ever left a job or dropped a class? Explain what led you to leave and how you felt about your decision after.

On page 2, in the paragraph beginning with “Similarly,..” the writer describes “crunch culture” in the gaming industry. Explain what is meant by crunch culture. Continue reading the next paragraph. Using your own ideas and those suggested in the article explain why employees agree to work extreme hours.

Why are employers worried about the culture of quiet quitting? In the second last paragraph of the article, the writer shares their advice to employers who are worried about this new workplace culture. What is this advice?

Do you think North American culture emphasizes work too much? Explain. You can compare to other cultures if you are familiar with them and/or to your known experiences of work and work culture – how do your parents feel about the work/life balance?

Write a supported-opinion paragraph on the following:

Should employers only reward the employees who go above and beyond their job expectations?

GRAPHIC ORGANIZER FOR OPINION PIECE

Use the graphic organizer below to organize your thoughts. Then, write out a proper paragraph using transition words and complete sentences. Follow the plan you see on the left to fill in the boxes on the right.

Main Idea:

Point 1:

Point 2:

Point 3:

Conclusion:

Introduction:

State the comment
State your opinion on the comment
State what is to follow (the following is…)

Point 1,2,3

Make the first point.

Explain what you mean/give example or detail.

Transition Sentence

Conclusion:
Use transition work indication
Conclusion
Restate your opinion
Make general statement about “the situation”

Write your paragraph:

Writing a Summary Paragraph

Many times, you will be asked to write a summary. This is an important skill for studying, expressing and sharing ideas and information, and for reviewing longer texts or media.

Look at your MAIN IDEA of the article and try to put it in your own words. What is the article about? Jot some words down that will remind you of the main idea.

Give some EXAMPLES of the main idea or give some DETAILS that explain the main idea. (This will vary according to what you are being asked to summarize.) If you are being asked to summarize a science article, you might want to give details; on the other hand, if you are summarizing an article on the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables on a daily basis, you might want to give examples. Again, jot down words that will help you to remember and organize.

Think about how you want to conclude your summary. You want to be able to repeat the best of what you have said but in a different way. All good writing will have a conclusion.

Assignment – Writing a Summary Paragraph

In order to apply your understanding of the form of writing and demonstrate your knowledge of the purposes of writing, find and select a news article that you find interesting – using the News app on your phone and browsing the available headlines can help. Carefully reread the article and make note of the main idea and supporting points.

Based on the information above, write a summary of at least 10 sentences of the article you have chosen.

GRAPHIC ORGANIZER FOR SUMMARY

Point 2:

Point 3:

Conclusion:

Main Idea:

Point 1:

Rubric for Evaluation

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