Fact and opinion

A fact is something that can be checked and proved true: ⟦Cairo is the capital of Egypt.⟧ An opinion is what someone thinks or feels; other people might disagree: ⟦Cairo is the best city in the world.⟧ Good readers notice which is which, especially in adverts, reviews and articles.

Key facts

  • You can check a fact by looking, measuring, counting or looking it up: ⟦A spider has eight legs.⟧
  • An opinion is a belief, a feeling or a judgement: ⟦Spiders are scary.⟧
  • Opinion signal words: ⟦I think⟧, ⟦I believe⟧, ⟦in my opinion⟧, ⟦should⟧, and judging words like ⟦best⟧, ⟦worst⟧, ⟦beautiful⟧, ⟦boring⟧, ⟦delicious⟧.
  • Numbers and dates often show a fact: ⟦The park opened in 2015.⟧ (but check it).
  • Writers mix facts and opinions to persuade: ⟦The museum has 300 paintings (fact) and is a wonderful day out (opinion).⟧

Worked examples

Example 1

Fact or opinion? ⟦The library opens at nine o'clock.⟧

  1. You can check the opening time on the door or the website.
  2. So it is a fact.

Answer: fact

Example 2

Fact or opinion? ⟦Summer is the best season.⟧

  1. ⟦best⟧ is a judgement.
  2. Someone else may prefer winter, so it is an opinion.

Answer: opinion

Example 3

Which word shows an opinion? ⟦The ending of the story was amazing.⟧

  1. ⟦amazing⟧ tells us what the writer feels.
  2. Another reader might not agree, so it signals an opinion.

Answer: ⟦amazing⟧