Fact or opinion

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