1. Fact vs. Opinion

2. Compare Fact Opinion I have 2 dogs. Hmm… I think he has 2 dogs.
30% of men are over 6’.
Everyone is tall!
People can be lazy.
People are lazy.
That lady has long hair.
That lady is beautiful.

3. Clues that it’s OPINION
Strong language
Emotional language
You can’t be 100% right or wrong.
It is an INSIDE thought and causes argument!
It is made by background experience

4. Clues that it’s FACT Unsure language No emotions
You can be 100% right or wrong.
You can see, count, etc if it’s right or wrong – the proof is OUTSIDE your head. It’s AROUND you.
It uses LESS or NO background experience

5. Opinion – Strong Language
Opinions and life are not usually 100% or 0% true.
EVERYONE/NO ONE
ALL/NONE
ALWAYS/NEVER
These are not normally correct.
No one likes Justin Bieber.
Everyone loves the colour red.
You always eat very quickly.

6. Opinion – Strong Language
You will also see strong verb tenses.
PREDICTIONS
be + going to
present prog
will
SHOULD
When we scare him, he will scream.
(We don’t know 100% that this will happen, so this is OPINION).
Brazil is going to win the game.
OPINION
Guns should be legal.

7. Fact – Unsure Language
We use words to avoid generalizing (100% or 0%).
USUALLY
OFTEN
SOMETIMES
MANY
SOME
People often dislike Justin Bieber.
MANY people love the colour red.
You OFTEN eat very quickly.

8. Fact – Unsure Language
We often use modals and adverbs to show we aren’t talking 100%.
MAY
MIGHT
CAN
COULD
MAYBE
It might rain.
He could be unhappy.
People might become angry.
Maybe there’s a problem.

9. Opinion – Emotional Language
Some words have an emotional connection; they make us feel things.
Right, wrong
Good, bad
Ugly, beautiful
This dress is beautiful.
It’s wrong to make students do 2 hours of homework.
He is a bad person.

10. Fact– No Emotional Language
Some words have no emotional connection.
Red, white
Big, small
3, 7, 10
This dress is yellow and white.
It took me two hours to do my homework.
He has an expensive car.

11. Opinion – Inside Thoughts
Inside thoughts are true INSIDE our head.
People have different ideas INSIDE their heads.
These ideas might not match. This causes DISAGREEMENT, or ARGUMENTS!
A: This dress is beautiful!
B: No, it’s ugly!
C: I think it’s okay.
A: Twilight is a great movie!
B: I don’t like it.

12. Opinion – Cannot Be Proven
We usually cannot easily prove (show) that this opinion is right or wrong.
Because it’s inside of us, it’s correct.
Some people agree, some people disagree.
His hair is beautiful.
We cannot measure how beautiful his hair is!
Canada is a good country.
We cannot prove that it is a good country – some will disagree!

13. Fact– Outside Thoughts
Facts are true/untrue everywhere, not just inside our heads.
If we argue, we can find a correct side and an incorrect side.
A: I have three pencils.
B: Yes, you do.
A: Vancouver has over 1,000,000 people.
B: Does it? Let’s check Wikipedia. Oh, it does!

14. Fact – Can Be Proven
We can use science, math, and our senses to prove a fact.
This chair is wet.
If you touch the chair, you learn that it is true.
This game is popular.
If we look at how many copies sold, we can see how popular it is.

15. Opinion – Background Experience
Opinions come from our background culture and experience.
This experience affects how we see things.
We call this prejudice.
When Sam was young, she was bitten by a dog.
Sam says: “Dogs are dangerous”.
Joe comes from a country where boys don’t marry.
Joe says: “Boys shouldn’t marry.”

16. Fact – What’s Around Us
Facts come from what we can see or feel for yourself.
They are often connected to science and math.
This driver got in a crash.
The sky is cloudy.
Canada can be cold, but today is warm.

17. SO… A fact can be TRUE or FALSE. We can find the ONE correct answer!
An opinion is what someone BELIEVES or THINKS.
Everyone believes their opinion is correct!
There is no 100% TRUE or FALSE!

18. BE CAREFUL: Sometimes, people will disagree if it’s fact or opinion.
A: It’s warm today! B: That’s your opinion! I think it’s cold!