COMPETENCY: Forms opinions based on facts
What is a Fact?
"A fact is a specific detail that can be proven as true based on objective evidence."
What is an Opinion?
"An opinion is a feeling, judgment, belief, or conclusion that cannot be proven true by objective evidence."
Objective Evidence
"refers to information based on facts that can be proved by means of search like analysis, measurement, and observation."
FACT and OPINION
FACT
Objective
States reality
Can be verified
Presented with unbiased words.
OPINION
Subjective
Interprets reality
Can NOT be verified
Presented with value words
The Language of Fact and Opinion: Signal Words and Phrases
Let’s now take a look at some examples of those signal words and phrases being used in the sentence fragments that often precede a statement of fact or opinion:
Fact
The annual report confirms…
Scientists have recently discovered…
According to the results of the tests…
The investigation demonstrated…
Opinion
He claimed that…
It is the officer’s view that…
The report argues that…
Many scientists suspect that…
Facts can be changed into Opinions
Three examples of facts that are concrete and that could be documented include:
1. The house was painted on November 18, 1999.
2. Today is Saturday.
3. My son had a temperature of one hundred and two degrees this morning.
The three facts above can be changed to opinions by adding a belief or view. For example:
1. The house was painted recently on November 18, 1999, so it looks good as new.
2. Today is Saturday and Mark always sleeps in on Saturdays, that’s why he is late for the game.
3. There was no way for me to go to school because my son had a temperature of one hundred and two degrees this morning.