Lesson 5: More Kinds of Writing
Fact or Opinion
Fact and Opinion
One of the things you will need to be able to do in order to write good persuasive essays is to be able to distinguish between fact and opinion.
A fact is just that - something that is factual and can be verified. "There are 250 students in our school" is a fact because the numbers can be checked and verified. Statements found in textbooks, encyclopedias and newspapers can be facts.
Opinions are statements of how someone feels about something. "The hamburgers in the cafeteria are delicious" is an opinion. It tells how one person feels about the hamburgers, but it is not a fact. I might think the hamburgers are not at all delicious - also my opinion.
When you first attempt persuasive writing, you might want to use your opinions alone to support your arguments. While this can be done, I've found that the best persuasive writing uses some facts along with logical statements of opinion to support the argument.
Here are some examples of fact and opinion:
1. Mount Everest is 29,028 feet tall. (fact)
2. There were more snowstorms this year than last year. (fact)
3. Skiing is exhilarating. (opinion)
4. His hair is red. (fact)
5. The restaurant was very costly. (This one is tricky since the prices can be verified - but someone's opinion of what is costly can vary!)
