Fact or Opinion
BasicFacts can be proved; opinions are personal.
- Facts can be checked: Hong Kong has seven million people.
- Opinions are personal judgements: the best city, I think it is fun.
- Warning words: best, amazing, I think, should.
文體小知識：What can be proven.
§Text Passage
1Hong Kong is a busy city with over seven million people. There are many tall buildings, and the harbour is a famous natural feature. Hong Kong Island is south of the harbour, and the Peak offers a great view of the city. The MTR carries about five million passengers every day. These are facts because we can check and prove them.
2But some sentences are opinions. 'Hong Kong is the best city in the world' is an opinion, not a fact. We cannot prove it because people have different ideas. It is fine to believe it, and many people agree with it, but some people disagree. The food in Hong Kong is delicious, especially dim sum — that is also an opinion.
3How can we tell the difference? Ask yourself: can I check this? If the answer is yes, the sentence is probably a fact. If the sentence tells us someone's feeling or judgement, it is an opinion. Remember that opinions are never true or false; they are just personal ideas. A good reader can spot both facts and opinions in a news report.
§Sentence-by-sentence translation Sentence-by-sentence translation
Hong Kong is a busy city with over seven million people.
香港是一個繁忙的城市，有七百多萬人口。
There are many tall buildings, and the harbour is a famous natural feature.
這裡有很多高樓大廈，而維多利亞港是著名的天然景觀。
Hong Kong Island is south of the harbour, and the Peak offers a great view of the city.
香港島在海港以南，山頂可以看到整個城市的美景。
The MTR carries about five million passengers every day.
港鐵每日接載大約五百萬名乘客。
These are facts because we can check and prove them.
這些都是事實，因為我們可以查證同證明。
But some sentences are opinions.
但是有些句子是意見。
'Hong Kong is the best city in the world' is an opinion, not a fact.
「香港是全世界最好的城市」是一種意見，不是事實。
We cannot prove it because people have different ideas.
我們沒有辦法證明，因為每個人都有不同看法。
It is fine to believe it, and many people agree with it, but some people disagree.
你信這句話沒有問題，很多人同意，但亦有人反對。
The food in Hong Kong is delicious, especially dim sum — that is also an opinion.
香港的食物很好吃，尤其是點心——不過這句也是意見。
How can we tell the difference?
怎樣分辨兩者？
Ask yourself: can I check this?
問一問自己：這句話我可不可以查證？
If the answer is yes, the sentence is probably a fact.
如果答案是「可以」，那句多數是事實。
If the sentence tells us someone's feeling or judgement, it is an opinion.
如果句子講的是某人的感受或者判斷，那就是意見。
Remember that opinions are never true or false; they are just personal ideas.
記住，意見沒有真假之分，只是個人的看法。
A good reader can spot both facts and opinions in a news report.
好的讀者可以在新聞報道裡面分辨出事實同意見。
1Summary 重點摘要
Facts can be proved; opinions are personal.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
Can be proven.
Personal view.
Show true.
Think.
Say yes.
Say no.
Correct.
Wrong.
3Step by step Steps
- FactA fact is a statement that can be checked: data, history and science. Example: Hong Kong has over seven million people. A fact stays true whether we agree or not, and books, statistics or experiments can verify it.
- OpinionAn opinion expresses personal likes and judgements: good, bad, like, think, believe. Example: I think this film is exciting. Opinions differ from person to person and cannot be proved right or wrong.
- TellThe test is simple: provable means fact, unprovable means opinion. Example: Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius is a fact; Summer is the best season is an opinion. The word best almost always signals a judgement.
- ExampleThe same day can be stated as fact or opinion. Example: Today is Monday is a fact, easy to check; Today is a terrible day is an opinion, because terrible is a feeling. Swap the adjective for a number or a date and it becomes a fact.
- The testAsk yourself: can this sentence be checked? Example: Hong Kong has about seven million people can be checked, so it is a fact; Hong Kong is the most exciting city cannot, so it is an opinion. Watch for superlatives such as most and best.
- Warning wordsSome words usually signal an opinion: best, amazing, wonderful, I think, should. Example: You should visit the Peak. Should gives advice and I think gives a thought; when they appear, the sentence carries a personal stance, so circle them while reading.
5Worked example Example
Question: The passage introduces Hong Kong. Which sentences are facts and which are opinions? Apply the checkable test and watch for warning words.
- Step 1: Circle the data sentence — Hong Kong has over seven million people. The population figure can be checked, so it is a fact.
- Step 2: Circle the judgement sentence — the harbour is a famous natural feature. Famous is an evaluating word, so it is an opinion.
- Step 3: Apply the checkable test — The Peak offers a great view. Great is a personal feeling and cannot be proved, so it is an opinion.
- Step 4: Watch for I think and should — these words signal a personal stance and usually an opinion.
- Step 5: Sum up the mix — informative passages are mostly facts, while reviews and advertisements contain more opinions.
- Answer: Sample answer: Hong Kong has over seven million people (fact — the figure is checkable); the harbour is a famous natural feature (opinion — famous is an evaluation); The Peak offers a great view (opinion — great is a personal feeling). The key: checkable means fact, and judgement words mean opinion.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1Fact or opinion?
Q2Ice is cold.
Q3Ice cream is delicious.
Q4How to tell?
Q5I like red.
Q6Water boils at 100°C.
Q7Fact: Dogs have four legs?
Q8Opinion: Dogs are the best pets?
Q9Fact: Dogs can run fast?
8Recap Recap
- Facts can be checked: Hong Kong has seven million people.
- Opinions are personal judgements: the best city, I think it is fun.
- Warning words: best, amazing, I think, should.
- Test: provable = fact; debatable = opinion.
- In information texts, separate what is true from the writer's view.