Fact and Opinion “Every man has a right to be wrong in his opinions. But no man has a right to be wrong in his facts.” Baruch, Bernard M 1870-1965 (American Financier)

Let’s Get The Facts Straight! There is a difference between FACT and OPINION Facts are statements that can be proven. Opinions can not be proven. They are based on someone's thoughts, their feelings, their values and their understanding. Though you may be able to use facts to add credibility to an opinion, it is still an opinion! Though an opinion may be widely accepted, that does not make it a fact.

Let’s Get The Facts Straight! A fact is something that can be proven by a reliable authority such as: A history book Proven scientific law Statistics Governmental law Measurements Mathematics An observation

Examples of Facts John F. Kennedy was President 1961-1963 History Book The adult human body has 206 bones Science 56% of US gun Deaths are suicides Statistic It is illegal to buy cigarettes if you are less that 18 years Governmental Law

Examples of Facts Observations are facts when they can be proven by the senses. Some flowers are larger than others. You can collect flowers of various sizes The shirt is green. You can show the shirt so that the color can be seen

Getting the Facts on Facts Some facts change over time, for example: It was once considered to be a fact that the world was flat. We believed that those traveling too far in either direction could literally fall off! Because new things are being discovered everyday, reliable authorities are sometimes forced to alter what we all once considered to be facts.

The words in bold are clues that the statement is an opinion Examples of Opinions Tony Blair was an excellent Prime Minister Apparently, the human body has more bones than it actually needs. It is likely that the birth rate will decrease over the next ten years. It is unfair that you are not allowed to purchase drinks until you are 18 years old. The words in bold are clues that the statement is an opinion

Types of opinions There are Several Types of Opinions: Hypothesis Statements Theory Statements Assumptive Statements Value Statements Exaggerated Statements

Types of Opinions: Statements of Hypothesis A Hypothesis is an assumption made in an attempt to explain an observation. Though an Observation is a Fact, a Hypothesis is an Opinion. For Example, if I were to elaborate on a previous observation and say: Some flowers are larger than others because they are in more fertile soil. This hypothesis would have to be further investigated and scientifically proven to be considered a fact.

Hypothesis Opinions A hypothesis is a statement to prove or disprove, so a hypothesis opinion is a statement that needs investigation to see if it is true or not. For example: Some flowers are larger than other because they receive more sunlight

Theory Opinions A theory is an opinion that is a widely believed explanation for a group of observations. For example: The theory of relativity

Assumption Opinions: An assumption opinion is one that is improvable, often because it involves events which may or may not happen in the future. For example: The war in Afghanistan will end in disaster for Britain and the USA. The A Team will be the best movie of 2010.

Value Opinions Value opinions are based on someone beliefs. For example: Tonbridge is the most beautiful town in Kent Testing on animals is cruel

Exaggeration Opinions These are opinions that exaggerate or embellish the truth (often used by writers for effect). For example: Gordon Brown always makes poor decisions Katrina was the worst Hurricane ever

Words to help you spot an opinion: There are certain words that warn you that you are being given an opinion rather that a fact. Watch out for: Maybe Perhaps Best or worst Experts agree Some people think Apparently Probably

Which are facts and which are opinions? The best way to choose a boy/girl friend is on brains, not beauty. The car probably stopped running because it ran out of petrol. Hugh Christie School is located in Tonbridge If you work hard, you’ll get good grades. Hustle is on BBC One at 9pm on Mondays One shot of vodka contains one unit of alcohol.