Using Facts and Opinions Study Guide

Using Facts and Opinions

In this lesson, you'll discover how facts and opinions are used to persuade you to do something.

A FACT IS a detail that can be proven true. An opinion is what someone thinks, it can't be proven true or false.

You can prove each fact is true. Just look it up in a book or on the Internet. But other people may have different ideas about the Harry Potter books, carrots versus corn, the greatest painter, and the best season!

Authors use facts and opinions to persuade you to think or do something. The author states an idea, and then gives details to convince you to agree. Details may be facts, dates, statistics, or words that affect your feelings. Only you can decide if the evidence is strong enough to convince you. Commercials and print ads are familiar forms of persuasive writing.

The more aware you become of persuasive techniques, the better you can evaluate the truth of what you read. And the better you can "see through" things you hear or see in real-life situations.

Practice exercises for this study guide can be found at:

Using Facts and Opinions Practice Exercises