Fact and opinion

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 [əpin’yən], n.
1.what one thinks;
belief not so strong as
knowledge

3. FACTS
FACTS are objective, concrete piecesofinformationthatdo
nottellwhatthewriterthinksorbelievesaboutthetopic.
Theycan be foundin officialpublicationssuchas
encyclopediasorlegal records.
Objectivefactsare whatresearchersseekin
laboratoriesorthroughcontrolledstudies.
Factsare usuallyexpressedin figures orquantities,
weightsand measures. Theystatereality.

4. EXAMPLES
•Cartago wasfoundedin 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 verifiedin referencebooks,
officialrecords, 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 basedonsubjectivejudgement
and personal valuesratherthanoninformation
thatcan be verified.
It’sa beliefthatsomeoneholdswithout
complete prooforpositive knowledgethatit’s
correct.
Evenexpertswhohavestudiedthesameissue
carefullyoftenhaveverydifferentopinions
aboutanissue.

8. Opinionsare oftendisputed, and in
manycases involveabstractconceptsand
complexand moral issuessuchas right
orwrong, fairnessand loyalty.
Abstractconcepts, becausetheyare not
easilyunderstood, can neverbe defined
toeveryones’ 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 for opinions, ask
yourself,
“Does this tell a thought or feeling?”
“Would the statement be true all the
time?”
•Look for clue words such as
feel, believe, always, never, none,
most, least, best, and worst, bad,
favorite, interesting, should,
probably, smart, etc.

11. Sometimes youmayfeeltemptedto
acceptanopinionwithoutexamining
itbecauseitagreeswithyourown.
Thisisnota goodreasonfor
acceptinganopinion. Youshould
consideritslogicand theeffectsit
mighthaveifyouacceptitas 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 Identify Informed 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. Tosum up, opinions…
•Are oftenexpressedwithbiased
words—expressingopinions,
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 living on 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 living on 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. Identifyingfactsand opinionsin texts
TheU.S. governmenthas ruledthattheFirstAmendmentdoesn'tgive
journaliststherighttoprotecttheirsources. Nevertheless, press
organizationshavemanagedtoconvincelegislatorsin thirtystatesand
theDistrictofColumbia topassshieldlawsthataffordthemedia varying
degreesofprotectionagainstbeingforcedtodiscloseinformationabout
theirsources.
Theselawsvarygreatlyfromstatetostate. In manystateswithout
shieldlaws, statecourtshaverecognizedsomeformofqualified
privilege. In others, thestateconstitutionmayinclude"free press"
provisions, whichare similar totheFirstAmendmentand offerqualified
protection. Thereare severalstates, suchas Hawaiiand Wyoming,
whereno privilegetoprotectunpublishedsourcesorinformationhas
beenrecognizedbythecourtsorthelegislature.
(Joseph Turow,Media Today, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003, p. 106)
a. fact
b. opinion
c. mixoffactand opinion

18. Identifyingfactsand opinionsin texts
At thetime whenfewAmericanscouldseparatefactfromfantasy, theHiss
and Rosenberg cases tarnishedliberalismand fueledotherloyalty
investigations. Onlya conspiracy, itseemed, couldexplainU.S. weaknessand
Soviet might. FrustratedbytheirunexpectedfailuretowintheWhite House in
1948, Republicanseagerlyexploitedthecountry'sfearfulmoodand abandoned
restraintin accusingthe"Commiecrats" ofsellingoutAmerica.
No individual wouldinflictas manywoundsontheDemocratsas Republican
senatorJoseph R. McCarthy ofWisconsin. Falselyclaimingtobe a wounded
warhero, "Tail-GunnerJoe" won a Senateseatin the1946 Republican landslide
and promptlygaineda reputationforlyingand heavy drinking. Hispoliticalfuture
in jeopardy, McCarthy decidedtoimitateRepublicanslikeRichard Nixon who
hadgainedpopularitybyaccusingDemocratsofbeing"softoncommunism."
(Paul S. Boyer et al.,TheEnduringVision, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004, p. 838)
a. fact
b. opinion
c. mixoffactand opinion

19. Informationand exercisestakenfrom
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