Distinguishing Between FACT AND OPINION

1
Distinguishing Between FACT AND OPINION

• What are the differences?

2
OPINIONS

• An opinion is a statement that cannot be proved
  or checked
• It tells what someone thinks, feels, or believes
• Clue words for opinion statements are
• think, feel, believe, seem
• always, never, all, none, most, least, best,
  greatest, worst

3
FACTS

• Facts are statements that can be checked or
  proved
• We can check facts by conducting some sort of
  experiment, observation, or by verifying
  (checking) the fact with a source document
• Facts often contain numbers, dates, or ages
• Facts might include specific information about a
  person, place or thing

4
HINTS FOR DECIDING IF A STATEMENT IS FACT OR
OPINION

• To recognize a FACT
• Read each answer choice and ask yourself
• Can this statement be proved?
• Example Which of these is a fact?
• We live in the best apartment in the city.
• I believe that summer is the best season.
• I think that spaghetti is a delicious meal.
• The Poughkeepsie Journal is a newspaper.

5
HINTS FOR DECIDING IF A STATEMENT IS A FACT OR
OPINION

• To recognize an OPINION
• Read each answer choice and ask yourself Does
  this statement tell what someone thinks, feels,
  or believes?
• Look in the answer choice for clue words that
  signal an opinion

6
OPINION EXAMPLES

• WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS NOT AN OPINION
  STATEMENT?
• I think that Colorado is the best state in which
  to live.
• Chocolate cake is the most delicious kind of
  dessert.
• Nearly 65 of our teens are over-weight.
• Taylor Swift is the greatest singer ever!

7
When youre writing.

• Remember
• Facts are often used to support opinions
• Good opinions are based on facts, but they are
  still opinions