Facts

A fact is a specific detail that is true based on objective proof. A fact is discovered. Statements of fact are objective; they contain information but do not tell what the writer thinks or believes about the topic. A fact is a specific detail that is true based on objective proof, such as physical evidence, an eyewitness account, or the result of an accepted scientific method.  

Example: Fred Rogers was born on March 20, 1928.


Opinions

An opinion is an interpretation, value judgment, or belief that cannot be proved or disproved. An opinion is created. Most people's points of view and beliefs are based on a blend of fact and opinion. An opinion is an interpretation, value judgment, or belief that cannot be proved or disproved. Opinions often include biased words (beautiful, miserable, exciting, frightful).

Example: Jay-Z is superior to all other hip-hop artists.

Separating fact from opinion requires you to think critically because opinion is often presented as fact. The following clues will help you separate fact from opinion.

Separating fact from opinion requires you to think critically because opinion is often presented as fact. The following clues

This tutorial reviews the main differences between fact and opinion.



Tips to Recognize Facts and Opinions

You can ask yourself these questions to find out if something is a fact. If the answer is yes, it's a fact!

  1. Can the statement be proved or demonstrated to be true?
  2. Can the statement be observed in practice or operation?  Can you see it happen?
  3. Can the statement be verified by witnesses, manuscripts, or documents?

Examples:

My car payment is $250 a month.
President Millard Fillmore was America's 13th president.


Opinions are statements that express a writer's feelings, attitudes, or beliefs. They are neither true nor false. Certain words can help identify opinions:

  1. Biased Words (bad, worse, worst, good, better, best, worthwhile, worthless, etc.)
  2. Qualifiers (all, always, likely, never, might, seem, possibly, probably, should, etc.)

Examples:

My car payments are too expensive.
President Millard Fillmore had the best policies of all the presidents.


There are various ‘levels' of opinions:

  1. An informed opinion is developed by gathering and analyzing evidence.
    Example: a news reporter writing an editorial about a political candidate and why we should vote for him or her.

  2. An expert opinion is developed through much training and extensive knowledge in a given field.
    Example: a doctor giving a patient advice about diet and exercise

Beware! Expert and informed opinions may sound factual, but they still are OPINIONS!

Sometimes, authors mislead the reader with a false impression of the facts. Sometimes, an author deliberately presents false information. Be aware of opinions that sound like facts. Facts are specific details that can be researched and verified as true. However, opinions may be introduced with phrases like in truth, the truth of the matter, or in fact.

Example: In truth, reproductive cloning is expensive and highly inefficient.

Now that we know how to identify facts and opinions, let's see how this helps to better understand what we read.

Content adapted from:

pherringtonmoriarty and Judith Tomasson, https://pressbooks.pub/irwlevel1/chapter/distinguishing-between-facts-and-opinions/
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

McDaniel College Writing Center , https://writingcenter.mcdaniel.edu/resources/reading/fact-vs-opinion/
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

Carol Anne Byrnes, https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=shared&v=5w2Tw3h7F-g
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.