Lesson One
ELAR Level Five, Unit Six: Fact and Opinion
Good job on covering so many Units! You have invested much time in learning new information, and you will benefit in the future from all your efforts.
This Unit covers the differences between a fact and an opinion. A fact is “knowledge or information based on real occurrences.” It is a real occurrence or event that can be proven. A fact is also something that is believed to be true. A fact does not change from one person to another person; the information stays the same.
On the other hand, an opinion is “a belief or conclusion held with confidence but is not held up by positive knowledge or proof.” The biggest difference is that a fact can be proven but an opinion cannot be proven. Opinions change from one person to another since everyone has his/her own ideas about various subjects.
OPINION
An opinion, as you have just learned, is “a belief or conclusion held with confidence but is not held up by proof or positive knowledge.” However, when stating your opinion, or your firm belief, you must be sure to back up how you feel and your views on a topic with substantial reasons why you view things the way you do.
Support your side with details that verify your point of view. For example, trying to convince your parents that you are responsible enough to go ice skating with friends is your opinion, but you will need to support your opinion with reasons which indicate how responsible you are. For instance, you could say that you have babysat for working parents for over a year now. You
could make the point that if you are able to take care of a baby responsibly, then you are responsible enough to go to ice skating with friends. Just expressing your opinion is not enough. You have to give validity to your views to make them believable.
When one of your friends or family members tells you something, do you automatically believe her/him? Do you always believe what she/he says? You probably needed more information and facts before believing her/him. For instance, if your friend says to you, “I am the best speller in the country,” would you instantly believe this? You probably would not automatically believe this without asking or wondering why she/he thinks this, what proof she/he has, the number of spelling bees she/he has entered, how many contestants were in the contest, and whether or not the words were difficult. Your friend would have to back up her/his statement with reasons as to why she/he is the best speller in the country. Just expressing her/his opinion to you is not enough to get you to believe. She/He must give validity to her/his views to make them believable.
You can change other people’s opinions by backing up your opinion with supporting facts and details. To find facts, statistics, or reasons to support your opinions, use sources that are worthwhile and knowledgeable. You can go to libraries, attend workshops, participate in events, etc. Discuss your topics of interest with other people particularly those who are experts and those who are interested and have the same views as you do. You will become more knowledgeable and informed on the topic and may even find your own opinion changing. The best part of all is that you will be able to back up your beliefs or change them with substantial facts and proof. As the old saying goes, “We learn something new every day.”
PRACTICE
STATEMENT OF OPINION
Your opinion is simply that – your opinion. It is your belief. An opinion cannot necessarily be proven.
When you write your opinion down on paper, it is called a statement of opinion. A statement of opinion is about a certain topic and your beliefs on this subject. Please read the following examples of opinions:
Examples of Opinions
∙ Camping is not good for the earth.
∙ Television shows are the cause of teenage rebellion.
∙ Ice cream contains too much fat.
∙ Reading books is not necessary because we now have the Internet.
∙ Tornadoes are more dangerous than hurricanes.
∙ More people should wear black because it is very slimming.
∙ You should not wear white shoes in the fall and winter.
∙ The best month for grilling outside is the month of June.
∙ It is too cool to swim after August.
APPEALING TO THE READER'S EMOTIONS
You can also support your opinions by persuading others and appealing to their emotions. To persuade means “to induce, to undertake a course of action, or to embrace a point of view by means of argument, reasoning, or entreaty.” Appealing to your reader’s emotions means “tugging at their heart strings,” as the old saying goes.
When writing your opinion about a certain topic, in order to appeal to the reader’s emotions, think about how you feel about that certain topic. For instance, you may want to tell readers your opinion about the mountains of Colorado. What do you remember about the mountains? How do they look? How do you feel when you are in the mountains? Do they seem overwhelming? Do they scare you? Are they exciting to you?
Create wonderful word pictures with your pen or pencil to make what you say very convincing. Through using sensory details, you can create vivid word pictures which appeal to the reader’s emotions. Sensory details are words that appeal to a person’s senses – sound, sight, taste, touch, and smell.
Writers who use sensory details can create word pictures that are as colorful as this real-life Caribbean aquarium.
Please read the following examples of sentences which contain sensory details:
Sentence Examples of Sensory Details
Appeals to sound: The band’s loud drum boomed in my ears.
Appeals to sight: Candy-apple red is the color of the fire engine.
Appeals to taste: Spaghetti with its tangy sauce and spicy meatballs is my favorite dish.
Appeals to touch: Her angora sweater is fluffy and soft.
Appeals to smell: After the rain, everything smells so earthy and fragrant.
PRACTICE
Using sensory details to appeal to your readers will help to convince them of your views and opinions.
QUIZZES