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Tracy Washington. RDG 091 Fact and Opinion. Chapter Ten Fact and Opinion In this chapter, you will: 1. develop strategies to help you tell the difference between fact and opinion. A fact is a statement that can be proved. You can prove it yourself, or you can use a reliable authority.
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Tracy Washington RDG 091 Fact and Opinion
Chapter Ten • Fact and Opinion • In this chapter, you will: • 1. develop strategies to help you tell the difference between fact and opinion.
A fact is a statement that can be proved. You can prove it yourself, or you can use a reliable authority. Laws and observations are also forms of fact. A law may be based on science (the law of gravity) or authority (the speed limit). You can prove an observation, such as "Some stars are brighter than others," by pointing it out yourself or by testing it scientifically.
An opinion cannot be proved. It is based only on someone's thoughts, feelings, or judgment. Some opinions are sounder than others. While they cannot be proved, they can be backed up with facts.
A hypothesis is a form of opinion. It is a reasonable guess made to explain an observation. Each hypothesis must be tested to make sure it is a good guess.
A theory is also an opinion, but it is not a guess. A theory is an accepted explanation of a set of observations A theory often includes several hypotheses that belong together and have been tested successfully. If a theory is good, it can be used to explain other things.
Here are some other kinds of opinions: Speculative Statement Value Judgment Exaggeration Belief
It is important to realize that "facts" can change over time for a variety of reasons. At one time in the past, it was considered to be a "fact" that the earth was at the center of the universe. Of course, we now know that this is not true.
Clues to Identifying an Opinion Opinions are beliefs or judgments that cannot be proved by any objective means. Any statement that deals with probabilities or future events is considered to be an opinion because it cannot be proved. Opinions rely on abstract words that are not quantifiable, such as value-judgment words.
Words and Phrases That Signal an Opinion I believe perhaps this suggests apparently in my view presumably it seems likely many experts agree in my opinion one interpretation is one possibility is
Value Judgment Words necessary interesting successful beautiful/attractive, etc. worst effective best highest most/least greatest bad nice
Most of what we read and hear is a combination of fact and opinion. Because of this, it is important to be able to distinguish between the two. Remember, not all opinions are of equal validity. Poorly supported opinions are of little value, while opinions from an expert, or someone knowledgeable in the field, are considered to be more reliable.
An Interactive Exercise Fact vs. Opinion
Nice work! • If time remains, you may want to try more practice with fact and opinion using the following websites: • Fact or Opinion? • Fact or Opinion? Game #1 Quiz • Tutorial: Distinguishing Between Fact and Opinion