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 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.
There 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 one over a hundred people
can successfully complete this task.
3) Can it be verified by primary sources,
such as research, photographs, newspapers,
and other facts?
Here is an example,
Nintendo was started in 1889.
This is a fact because it can be verifed
by many sources.
A man named Fusajiro Yamauchi, from Japan
founded Nintendo
as a playing card company in 1889,
and now is one of the largest
gaming companies in the world.
Now, let's move on to opinion,
which sometimes can be a little trickier.
An opinion is a statement
of believe or judgement.
Opinions express
which someone thinks or feels.
An opinion can change.
Let's look 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 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.
Whether may be very good reasons
to learnn more tnan one language,
not everyone would agree,
personal value do itself.
Political views are opinions.
Different people hold different ideas
about what societies are,
and how is the best to address them.
Since opinion canĀ“t be proven or disproven,
there is no right or wrong answer,
just different view points.
While opinions may be supported
by facts and evidence,
the issue we care about
will still be
For example, I can say that
going to school year-round
is better for students.
There are supporters of this viewpoint.
Some argue