Fact vs Opinion

FACT & OPINION
What is a fact?
A fact is something that can be verified and backed up with evidence, e.g. “In 2005, Brazil
and FC Barcelona star Ronaldinho was named FIFA World Footballer of The Year.” We can verify
these details by looking at FIFA records.
Facts are often used in conjunction with research and study. The census (a survey of the
population usually conducted by a government department) is a good example of when facts are
used. These facts can be supported by information collected in the census, e.g. “According to UK
Government national statistics in 2004, approximately one in five people in the UK were aged
under 16.”
A statement of fact doesn’t have to be correct and accurate.
Here are some examples of the language we use to express facts:
This review has demonstrated.......
According to the results of the latest poll......
The latest findings confirm......
Researchers have recently discovered......
These are statements of opinion. Do you understand why?
1. British Columbia receives 47 inches of rain early.
2. The temperature in the oven is 35 degrees Celsius.
3. My friend Bill Gates is a resident of Microsoft.
4. He died in 1520.
5. E.T. has grossed more money than any other film in history.
6. It is sunny outside.
What is an opinion?
An opinion is based on a belief or view. It is not based on evidence that can be verified, e.g.
“Wayne Rooney is the best football player in the English Premier League.” Are there players in
the English Premier League who are better than Wayne Rooney?
Opinions can be found in many types of writing such as a “Letter to the Editor” in a
newspaper. A reader may write in with an opinion, e.g. “24 hour pub licensing will ruin our
community.” Another reader may write in and disagree, e.g. “24 hour licensing will stop yobbish
behavior by staggering closing hours.” Pay attention that an opinion is not necessarily incorrect,
but it hasn’t been proved. Also, statements about future events are opinions.
— Tomorrow is Sunday. –Tomorrow is a good day.
Here are some examples of the language we use to express opinion:
The company claims that......
The research team argues that......
In Professor Donald’s view......
Most experts in this field suspect that......
These are statements of opinion. Do you understand why?
1. President Kennedy’s death significantly affected elementary school pupils.
2. The Big Mac is the best hamburger around fort he money.
3. Cat are more loving than dogs.
4. Toronto is the best city to visit in North America.
5. Fishing relaxes you better than sleeping.
6. It is better when eaten hot.
Exercise
1. Paul committed crimes.
2. Paul committed many vicious crimes.
3. Paul will be sentenced to death.
4. Paul’s death will be executed on March 3rd.
～～～
1. Freud developed a theory of personality.
2. Freud said, “…..”
3. Freud believed that the personality is divided into three parts.
4. Freud constructed the most complete theory of personality development.
5. The personality is divided into three parts: the id, the ego, and the superego.
～～～
1. In 1787, the British Government sent a fleet of convicts to colonize Australia.
(A) The statement is a fact. (B) The statement is an opinion. (C) A blend of both.
2. America’s treatment of the homeless is a disgrace.
3. In 1763, the Treaty of Paris divided France’s North American Empire between Britain and Spain.
4. Poetry and politics just don’t mix.
5. Because of a newly formed and largely incompetent national weather service, the city of Galveston,
Texas was practically destroyed in a horrifying hurricane that left thousands dead.
6. In 1852, the President of the United States, Franklin Pierce, was greedy to expand U.S. influence,
and he formally offered to buy the island of Cuba.
7. On July 2, 1822, the brilliant ex-slave and rebel leader Denmark Vesey was captured by South
Carolina authorities, who had discovered Vesey’s planned rebellion and were determined to hunt
him down.
8. Writer and researcher Rachel Carson will always be remembered as the mother of modern ecology.
9. Between 1945 and 1960, the number of cars in the United States increased by 133 percent.
10. Those opposed to government spending conveniently forget how much the GI Bill—a program that
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allotted billions of dollars to help veterans of World War Two—helped expand America’s postwar
economy.
Fact, opinion and news

Here is the first part of an article from the BBC’s news website. Look at how the article starts out
using facts, then moves on to using opinions. The facts are highlighted in bold and the opinions are in
italics.
Indians “world's biggest readers”
Indians are the world's biggest bookworms, reading on average 10.7 hours a week, twice as
long as Americans, according to a new survey.
The NOP World Culture Score index surveyed 30,000 people in 30 countries from
December 2004 to February 2005.
Analysts said self-help and aspirational reading could explain India's high figures.
Britons and Americans scored 50% lower than the Indians' hours and Japanese and
Koreans were even lower at 4.1 and 3.1 hours respectively.
R Sriram, chief executive officer of Crosswords Bookstores, a chain of 26 book shops around
India, says Indians are extremely entrepreneurial and reading “is a fundamental part of their being”.
This is an opinion: It is R Sriram’s point of view but it is not backed up by evidence. Did he ask a
sample of readers from India if they felt reading is a “fundamental part of their being?”
The NOP survey of 30,000 consumers aged over 13 saw China and the Philippines take
second and third place respectively in average hours a week spent reading books, newspapers
and magazines.
Here is the second part of an article from the BBC’s news website. The facts are highlighted in
bold and the opinions are in italics.
The facts are taken from a survey which can be verified. The opinions are taken from comments
made by various people such as journalists and writers. They express the viewpoint of that particular
person.
Look at the sentences that are not in bold (facts) or italics (opinion). Are they fact or opinion?
Time spent on reading meant fewer hours watching TV and listening to the radio - India
came fourth last in both.
Mr Sriram says social changes have also made a difference: "Earlier people could turn to their
parents and grandparents for advice. Now they turn to books." Indian writer and editor, Tarun Tejpal,
said the survey only made sense if it excluded the high numbers of illiterate Indians.
The National Readership Survey shows more than one-third of rural Indians and about 15% of
the urban population is still illiterate. “A lot of book reading is aspirational, getting ahead in the rat
race, getting admission into schools and colleges etc. It has less to do with reading, more to do with
rote,” Mr Tejpal said.
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Exercise
1. Basketball is more interesting to watch than golf.
2. The sun rises and sets every day.
3. Fridays come before Saturdays on the calendar.
4. There are many different kinds of species of insects in the world.
5. Many people order pepperoni on their pizzas.
6. Teachers should allow students to use calculators during tests.
7. Before electricity, many people burned candles to give them light.
8. Exercise is good for your health.
9. Exercising outdoors is more fun than exercising indoors.
10. Computers are found in many classrooms around the world.
11. Saturdays are the best day of the week.
12. Candy tastes better than spinach.
13. Daisies are the prettiest of all flowers.
14. Flowers bloom in the spring and summer months.
15. Using computers is the best way to learn how to write stories.
16. It is harder to divide than multiply numbers.
17. When eggs are dropped on the floor, they break.
18. Flies are annoying when they are inside your house.
19. Farmers grow many different kinds of crops.
20. My dog is cuter than anyone else's.
21. It is important to read newspapers to keep up with what is going on in the world.
22. The sun warms up the earth.
23. Many newspapers come out every day.
24. Calculators help people solve math problems.
25. Doctors help people who are sick.
26. Jumping rope is a form of exercise.
27. Many people work Mondays through Fridays at their jobs.
28. It feels good to sit outside in the sunlight.
29. Cameras are used to take pictures.
30. Pizza tastes better than fish.
31. Mr. Jones has two sons and one daughter.
32. That picture is by Rembrandt.
33. Her house is really beautiful.
34. My friend has six fingers on one hand.
35. That boy is the nicest person in the school.
36. The group will stop in Denver overnight.
37. L. Frank Baum wrote "The Wizard of Oz".
38. I will finish before the rest of the class.
39. The Bulls are better than the Knicks.
40. Nine plus one equals ten.
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41. According to the latest survey, families are purchasing more household items on credit.
42. This product might cause stomach upset for some people in years to come.
43. Professor Morag MacRae argues that the effect of carbon emissions on the surrounding
environment will only get worse.
44. The research team has discovered a new method for conducting this complicated chemical
analysis.
45. The latest poll shows a marked increase in employee dissatisfaction.
46. I think public opinion will change over time.
47. This book is an enjoyable story of life in a small village.
48. The use of computers at the college has increased and the stationery budget has doubled in the
last few years.
49. Governments must invest more in the environment.
50: Nine out of ten respondents answered the questions correctly.

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FACT & OPINION

Fact, opinion and news

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