This document distinguishes between facts and opinions. It states that facts are verifiable statements about events or information that are supported by evidence, while opinions are subjective judgments that cannot be proven true or false and are influenced by personal views. The key differences outlined are that facts rely on evidence and research, represent objective reality, and are universal, whereas opinions are subjective, vary between individuals, and are open to debate.

1. Distinguish between fact and opinion
FACTS
 A statement of fact is one that can definitely be verified or proved or
tested by experiment.
 Can be verified, for example in official documents reference books
and legal records.
 They are based on some kind of direct evidence, experience or
observation.
 A statement of fact may be true or false.
OPINIONS
 A statement of opinion cannot be proved true or false.
 Usually express beliefs, feelings, attitudes, values, interpretations, or
judgments that someone has about a subject or topic.
 Opinions are often based on inferences, hunches, guesses or
conclusions.
Definition of Fact
The fact is something that has actually taken place or known to have
existed, which can be validated with pieces of evidence. They are
strictly defined, and can be measured, observed and proven. It refers to
something that makes statements true and used in connection with
research and study.
A fact can be an event or information, based on real occurrences which
can be tested through verifiability, i.e. they are supported by proofs,
statistics, documentation, etc.
Definition of Opinion
The term ‘opinion’ is defined as the personal view or judgment about a
something that may or may not be substantiated by the facts or positive
knowledge. In other words, an opinion is an inconclusive statement,
used in subjective matters, which cannot be proved true or false. It is

2. what a person thinks or feels about something or someone. Hence it is
not true but biased information.
Opinion is highly influenced by a person’s feelings, thoughts,
perspective, desires, attitude, experiences, understanding, beliefs,
values, etc., which cannot be tested by concrete evidence. Therefore,
due to individual differences, every person’s opinion on a particular
matter is also different.
What’s the difference?
 ‘This wine is too dry.’
This is an opinion based on the drinker’s preference for a sweeter wine.
It is not a fact. Written as a fact, the statement should be:
 ‘This is a dry wine.’
How do you know?
Opinions come from individuals and may not always be based on facts
(or all the facts). A fact is based on what is accepted as the truth
because it can be proved. For example
 ‘In 2002, this company had two hundred and twenty two
employees.’
 This can be proved through employment records – thus it is a
fact.
Where do you find it?
Where do you commonly find fact and opinion?
 Newspapers
 Magazines
 Posters
 Internet websites

3. Key Differences between Fact and Opinion
The difference between fact and opinion on the following grounds:
1. The fact is described as the statement that can be verified or
proved to be true. Opinion is an expression of judgment or belief
about something.
2. Fact relies on observation or research while opinion is based on
assumption.
3. The fact is an objective reality whereas opinion is a subjective
statement.
4. Facts can be verified with the help of evidence or statistics. On the
contrary, opinion is not supported by any evidence.
5. Facts explain what actually happened. Unlike an opinion, that
represents a perception about something.
6. One important feature of the fact is that it is universal and does not
differ from person to person. As against this, every human being
has a different opinion on a particular subject and so, it varies from
one person to another.
7. Facts are shown with unbiased words; however, opinion is
expressed with biased words.
8. Facts can change anybody’s opinion, but vice versa is not
possible.
9. Facts are real information and so it cannot be challenged or
debated, but if we talk about opinions, they can be debated.

4. Comparison Chart
BASIS FOR
COMPARISON
FACT OPINION
Meaning Fact refers to something
that can be verified or
proved to be true.
Opinion refers to a
judgment or belief about
something.
Based on Observation or research. Assumption or personal
view.
What is it? Objective reality Subjective statement
Verification Possible Not possible
Represents Something really happened A perception about
something
Change Universal Differs from person to
person
Words Shown with unbiased
words.
Expressed with biased
words.
Debatable No Yes
Influence Facts have the power to
influence others.
Opinion does not have
the power to influence
others.