As we learned in 6-01, when we are attempting to persuade a reader, we need to use a variety of techniques. We present opinions to the reader and try to persuade them to agree with these opinions. We use facts as evidence to show that our opinions are logical. The problem is that sometimes writers accidentally or deliberately mix these two things up. Let’s take a look at how they differ.
Facts vs. Opinions
Fact
A fact is a statement about the world that can be proven true with evidence, documentation, observation or measurement. Here are some examples:
- The United States has the largest economy in the world.
- The human genome contains 3 billion base pairs of DNA.
- Indian became independent from Britain on August 15th, 1947.
- The moon orbits the Earth every 27.3 days.
The basic way to tell if something is a fact is to ask, does it conform with experience? Can we verify it by checking the real world? It must also be true regardless of our own feelings about it.
Opinion
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