Is it a fact
or is it an opinion?
Does it matter?
Yes.
Both are important.
But knowing how to distinguish between fact and opinion
can help us to better understand what we read and hear,
and how we form our own opinions.
Let's take a look.
A fact is a statement that can be proven to be true.
Facts are objetive,
which means they are not influenced by what someone thinks or believes.
A fact is indisputable and cannot be changed.
Here are some key questions to identify facts.
1. Can it be measured or confirmed with calculations or data?
For example, two plus two equals four.
We can add the numbers and demostrate that this stament is true.
2. Can it be observed? Can we see it happen?
For instance, 99% of people cannot lick ther elbow.
This is true.
This is a fact that can be observed.
Research has determined
that only one out of 100 people can successfully complete this task.
3. Can it be verified by primary sources,
such as research, photographs, newspapers and artifacts?
Here is an example.
Nintendo was started in 1889.
This is a fact, because it could be verified with many sources.
A man named Fusajiro Yamauchi from Japan
founded Nintendo as a playing card company in 1889,
and now it is one of the largest gaming companies in the world.
Now let's move on to opinion,
which can sometimes be a little trickier.
An opinion is a statement of belief or judgement.
Opinions express what someone thinks or feels.
An opinion can change.
Let's look at some examples.
Ice cream is delicious.
Many people believe this, but some people don't.
It is a judgement, and therefore an opinion.
When we evaluate something or somebody
we often use adjectives such as important, beautiful, fun or difficult.
An adjective that allows us to judge something
is a clue that a statement is an opinion.
Another signal word for opinions is the word "should".
Here is an example.
Everyone should learn more than one language.
While there may be many good reasons to learn more than one language,
not everyone would agree about the personal value of doing so.
Political views are opinions.
Different people will have different ideas about what society's problems are
and how to best address them.
Since opinion can´t be proven or disproven,
there is no right or wrong answer:
just different viewpoints.
While opinions may be supported by facts and evidence,
the issue we care about may still be up for debate.
For example, I could say
that going to school year round is better for students.
Now there are reasons to support this viewpoint,
some might argue that a shorter vacation period
would prevent students from forgetting what they learnt,
or say that students often get bored over the summer,
or that other countries around the world use a year-round system.
However, we cannot prove that the statement is true.
There are many reasons to think that a 10 month calendar is better.
You could argue that students need an extended break
and they should be allowed to participate in camps or other summer activities,
or that a lack of air conditioning
means they shouldn't be inside a school building in the summer.
If we look back at the statement,
we can also identify another signal word for opinion:
the word "better".
When we're comparing different things
or we see words like "greatest", "best" or "better",
it can suggest we are looking at an opinion statement.
Another type of opinion is a prediction.
Often predictions are based on experience, knowledge or research,
but because they are based on the future,
we can't actually verify them today.
Let's look at an example.
Driverless cars will represent 10% of all cars on the road by 2026.
That sounds both amazing and scary.
Although many auto manufacturers are developing self-driving car technology,
we have no way of verifying the statement today.
So, it is an opinion.
One thing to remember is that just because we believe something to be true,
that doesn't make it a fact.
Let's recap what we learnt.
A fact is a statement that can be proven to be true.
Can it be measured, or confirmed with data?
Can it be observed?
Can we verify its truth with other sources?
Does it stay the same?
If we answer "yes" to one of these questions,
then it means it is a fact.
An opinion is a statement of belief or judgement
that cannot be proven true.
Does it evalute someone or something?
Can we debate it?
Does it make a prediction?
Can it change?
If you answer "yes" to these questions,
it is an opinion.
Knowing how to separate between fact and opinion
helps us to understand information
and shape our own beliefs about the world.
Try it and see if you can use these questions
to tell the difference in your own life.
Subtitles by Carol Wang Review by Ilona vd Tang