Fact vs. Opinion

• Facts keep things real.

• Opinions can be misleading.

• Simple: Facts are provable and measurable.  

• Facts do not contain feeling descriptors.  

• The annual report confirms...

• Scientists have recently discovered…

• According to the results of the tests…

• The investigation demonstrated…

• Opinions contain feelings.

• Opinions are based on personal beliefs.

• Opinions cannot be proven or measured.

• Opinions have certain descriptors like; thought, ought, would, could, should and best.

Does the writer use any of the following: Extreme positives or negatives, descriptive words, emotional language? If so, it is an opinion. If not, it needs a little more investigation. Is there evidence: no? Then it is an opinion. Yes? If it comes from a reliable source then it is a fact. If the source is sketchy, then it is an opinion.

One has to be careful and understand that while opinions usually have facts at their center, facts will not have opinions supporting them. Propaganda is usually an opinion with a factual center. An example might be: The lake, at 70 degrees F, is too cold for swimming.

The fact is the temperature, which is proveable. The opinion is that 70 degrees is too cold to swim in a lake. Some people might like that temperature, while others may feel it is too cold.

• best

• always

• none

• worst

• every

• never

• all

• He claimed that…

• It is the officer’s view that…

• The report argues that…

• Many scientists suspect that…