fact and opinion

1. FACT AND OPINION By N. Valdelomar

2. Fact [fakt], n. 1. thing
known to be true or to
have really happened
Opinion [ə pin’yən], n.
1. what one thinks;
belief not so strong as
knowledge

3. FACTS
FACTS are objective, concrete pieces of information that do
not tell what the writer thinks or believes about the topic.
They can be found in official publications such as
encyclopedias or legal records.
Objective facts are what researchers seek in
laboratories or through controlled studies.
Facts are usually expressed in figures or quantities,
weights and measures. They state reality.

4. EXAMPLES
• Cartago was founded in 1574
• Flowering plants that are native to
the South include purple
coneflower and rose verbena.
• In 1970, over 30,000 children
were enrolled in day-care
programs in Miami-Dade County.
• The core of a pencil is made of
graphite and clay, not lead.

5. Questions to Identify Facts:
1. Can the statement be proved
or demonstrated to be true?
2. Can the statement be
observed in practice or
operation?
3. Can you see it happen?
4. Can the statement be verified
by witnesses, manuscripts, or
documents?

6. To sum up,
facts…
Can be verified in reference books,
official records, and so forth.
Are expressed in concrete language
or specific numbers.
Once verified, are generally agreed
upon by people.
Are objective.
State reality.

7. OPINIONS
OPINIONS are based on subjective judgement
and personal values rather than on information
that can be verified.
It’s a belief that someone holds without
complete proof or positive knowledge that it’s
correct.
Even experts who have studied the same issue
carefully often have very different opinions
about an issue.

8. Opinions are often disputed, and in
many cases involve abstract concepts and
complex and moral issues such as right
or wrong, fairness and loyalty.
Abstract concepts, because they are not
easily understood, can never be defined
to everyones’satisfaction.

9. EXAMPLES
•Purchasing a brand-new car is a
terrible waste of money.
•For fall color, the deep red of
the Virginia willow makes a
spectacular show in the native
Southern garden.
•Volunteers for Habitat for
Humanity are engaged in a
worthwhile activity.

10. • To check foropinions, ask
yourself,
“Does this tell a thought or feeling?”
“Would the statement be true all the
time?”
•Look forclue words such as
feel, believe, always, never, none,
most, least, best, and worst, bad,
favorite, interesting, should,
probably, smart, etc.

11. Sometimes you may feel tempted to
accept an opinion without examining
it because it agrees with your own.
This is not a good reason for
accepting an opinion. You should
consider its logic and the effects it
might have if you accept it as a good
idea.

12. Types of Opinions:
1. Positions on controversial
issues
2. Predictions about things
in the future
3. Evaluations of people,
places, and things

13. Informed
Opinions
The opinions of experts are known as informed
opinions. As experts in their field, they may make
observations and offer comments that are not strictly
factual. Instead, they are based on years of study,
research, and experience.
Example: Chimps are in massive danger of
extinction from dwindling habitats. (Jane Goodall,
primate expert and ethologist)
Questions to IdentifyInformed Speakers:
1. Does the speaker have a current and relevant
background to the topic under discussion?
2. Is the speaker generally respected within the
field?
3. Does the speaker carefully signal, via judgment
words, to identify when they are presenting
opinions vs. facts?

14. To sum up, opinions…
• Are often expressed with biased
words—expressing opinions,
judgments, interpretations, and
comparisons.
• Are often expressed by adjectives
• Often involve evaluations.

15. Identify Facts and Opinions
1. Alligators provide no physical care for their
young.
2. Humans should be concerned about the use
of pesticides that kill insects at the bottom of the food
chain.
3. There are 28 more humans livingon the
Earth now than there were 10 seconds ago.
4. We must bear greater responsibility for the
environment than our ancestors did.
5. Nuclear power is the only viable solution to
our dwindling natural resources.

16. Identify Facts and Opinions
F 1. Alligators provide no physical care for their
young.
O 2. Humans should be concerned about the
use of pesticides that kill insects at the bottom of the
food chain.
F 3. There are 28 more humans livingon the
Earth now than there were 10 seconds ago.
O 4. We must bear greater responsibility for the
environment than our ancestors did.
O 5. Nuclear power is the only viable solution to
our dwindling natural resources.

17. Identifying facts and opinions in texts
TheU.S.government hasruledthat theFirstAmendmentdoesn't give
journaliststheright toprotecttheir sources.Nevertheless,press
organizations havemanagedtoconvincelegislatorsin thirtystatesand
theDistrict of Columbiato passshieldlawsthataffordthemediavarying
degreesofprotectionagainstbeingforcedtodiscloseinformationabout
their sources.
Theselawsvarygreatly fromstatetostate.In manystateswithout
shieldlaws,statecourtshaverecognized someformof qualified
privilege. In others,thestateconstitution mayinclude"free press"
provisions, whicharesimilartotheFirstAmendmentandoffer qualified
protection.Thereareseveralstates, suchasHawaiiandWyoming,
wherenoprivilege to protectunpublishedsourcesorinformationhas
beenrecognized bythecourtsorthelegislature.
(JosephTurow,MediaT
oday,Boston:Houghton Mifflin,2003, p. 106)
a. fact
b. opinion
c. mixof fact andopinion

18. Identifying facts and opinions in texts
At thetimewhenfewAmericanscouldseparatefactfromfantasy
,theHiss
andRosenbergcasestarnishedliberalismandfueledotherloyalty
investigations.Onlyaconspiracy,it seemed,couldexplain U.S.weaknessand
Sovietmight.FrustratedbytheirunexpectedfailuretowintheWhiteHousein
1948,Republicanseagerlyexploitedthecountry'sfearfulmoodandabandoned
restraintinaccusingthe"Commiecrats"ofselling outAmerica.
NoindividualwouldinflictasmanywoundsontheDemocratsasRepublican
senatorJosephR.McCarthy ofWisconsin.Falselyclaimingtobe a wounded
warhero,"Tail-GunnerJoe"wonaSenateseatinthe1946Republicanlandslide
andpromptlygainedareputationforlying andheavydrinking.Hispoliticalfuture
injeopardy,McCarthydecidedto imitateRepublicanslike RichardNixonwho
hadgainedpopularitybyaccusingDemocratsofbeing"softoncommunism."
(Paul S.Boyer etal., TheEnduringVision, Boston:Houghton Mifflin,2004, p. 838)
a.fact
b. opinion
c. mixof fact andopinion

19. Information and exercises taken from
https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/_documents/academics/suppor
t/learning-centers/writing-reading-learning-ctr-rockville/student-
resources-tech/fact-vs-opinion.pdf
http://www.laflemm.com/RfT/FactVsOpinionEx.html
http://www.auburn.edu/~murraba/fact.html