Reading: Fact and Opinion

When you read nonfiction, it is important to be able to distinguish between fact and opinion. A fact is something that can be proved true. An opinion is a person’s judgment or belief. It may be supported by factual evidence, but it cannot be proven.

As you read, recognize clue words that indicate an opinion, as in the phrases “I believe” and “in my opinion.” Also look for words such as always, never, must, cannot, best, worst, and all, which may indicate a broad statement that reveals a personal judgment. Emotional statements are also often clues to opinion.

Reading: Fact and Opinion

You can tell that the statement below from “The Eternal Frontier” is an opinion because it cannot be proven. Another hint is that it contains the word must.

What is needed now is leaders with perspective; we need leadership on a thousand fronts, but they must be men and women who can take the long view and help to shape the outlines of our future.

Literary Analysis: Persuasive Essay

A persuasive essay is a piece of nonfiction that presents a series of arguments to convince readers that they should believe or act in a certain way. Below are some techniques that are often used in persuasive essays. When you read a persuasive essay, be aware of these techniques; you will need to decide whether they are powerful enough to persuade you to accept the author’s ideas.

Literary Analysis: Persuasive Essay

• Appeals to authority: using the opinions of experts and well-known people

• Appeals to emotion: using words that convey strong feeling

• Appeals to reason: using logical arguments backed by statistics and facts