Fact and opinion · Grade 7
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).