阅读技巧---Distinguishing Fact From Opinion

ReadingSkills---DistinguishingFactFromOpinionGeneralideaof“fact”and“opinion”•Purpose:•Helpustoachieveadeeperlevelofunderstandinginourreading.•Facts:•Statementsthatcanbeverified---proventobetrue.•Opinions:•---statementsthatdescribesomeone’sjudgment,belief,feelingorwayofthinkingaboutatopic.Questions•Whatfactswerepresentedinthearticle?•Whatevidencedidtheauthorincludetosupportstatementsoffact?•Whathypothesesdidtheauthorpresentintheselection?•Whatopinionswererevealedintheselection?•Can(thisstatement)beproventrueorfalse?•Howdidtheauthorconveythevalidityoftheinformation?•Whatwordsandphrasesdidtheauthorusetoletreadersknowthatanideawasafactoranopinion?Whatisfact?•Factsarestatementsthattellwhatreallyhappensorwhatthecaseis,andtheyareusuallybasedondirectevidences.•Therefore,afactcanbeprovedordisprovedwithdirectevidence.•Facts,onceverifiedortakenfromareputablesource,canbeacceptedandregardedasreliableinformation.•Youcanfindfactsinlegalrecords,scientificfindings,encyclopedias,atlases（地图集）,etc.Whatisfact?•Examples:•1.Hermother,Deborah,allalonghadbeensupportiveofourrelationship,andevenjokedaboutwhenweweregoingtogetmarriedsoshecouldhavegrandchildren.•---apaststateofaffairs•2.Inthethirdandfinalstage,peopleoftenfellweak,tired,andoutofbreath---andexerciseperformanceisseverelycompromised.•---thesentencereportshowpeoplefeelinthefinalstage.Whatisopinion?•Opinionsarenotreliablesourcesofinformationbutstatementsofbelief,judgmentorfeelingandshouldbequestionedandcarefullyevaluated.•Opinionsinvolvesomeone’stasteandpreferenceandshowwhatsomeonethinksorfeelsaboutasubject.•Opinionscan’tbeproventoeveryone’ssatisfaction.Whatisopinion?•Somewordscanserveascluestostatementsofsomekindsofopinion.•1.Ibelieve,Ithink,Ifeel,Isuggest,inmyopinion,inmyview,itislikelythat,seemingly,presumably,oneexplanationisapparently,maymean,itwouldseem,estimates,claims,itisapparentthat,isconsideredtobe,itappears,calculates,areconvincedthat,(experts)believe,likelyto,predicts•E.g.:I’msurethattimewillonlyconfirmwhatwefeeldeeplyabouteachother.Whatisopinion?•2.probably,perhaps,possibly,usually,often,sometimes,onoccasion(areusedtolimitastatementoffactandtoindicatethepossibilityofotheropinions)•Examples:•Maybeourchildrenwillhavesomeproblems,butwhosechildrendon’t?•Ithasoftenbeenremarkedthatthesaddestthingaboutyouthisthatitiswastedontheyoung.Whatisopinion?•3.“qualifierwords”,emotivewordslike:•best,disgusting,good,great,nice,terrible,thebest,beautiful,ugly,thelowest,pretty,theworst,themost…•Examples:•WhenwemetIsawhimasmybeloved,intelligent,charmingandcaring.•CapeTownisthebestcitytolivein,orDurbanisthebestcity.Whatisopinion?•4.emotiveresponse(theuseofexaggerated,emotionalwordstodescribethewriter’sresponsetosomethingmaysignalthatopinion,notfact,willfollow):•horrified,shocked,humiliated,enraged…•Example:•No,itisn’treallymusic.It’sweird.Itisdefinitelyhorriblestuff.Whatisopinion?•5.Confidentassertions(soundslikeprovenfactsbutmayactuallybeopinion):•theproblemis,thesolutionis,it’s…’sfault,certainly,frankly,obviously.•Example:•That’sthewayitshouldbe.OscarWildehaditrightwhenhesaidweoughttogiveourabilitytoourworkbutourgeniustoourlives.MoreExamples•1.Ifironlevelsarelow,talkwithaphysiciantoseeifthedeficiencyshouldbecorrectedbymodifyingyourdietorbytakingsupplements.•---imperativesentences•2.Ingeneral,it’sbettertoundotheproblembyaddingmoreiron-richfoodstothediet,becauseironsupplementscanhaveseriousshortcomings.Thedifficultiesinseparatingfactfromopinion•Mixtureoffactandopinion•Whenwearereadingforinformation,thefirststepistomakesurewhetherthearticlehaspresentedusfactsoropinionsandtowhatextenttheyarereliable.•Examples:•Theywerepeeredatcautiouslyfrombehindcurtainsbythetimid.•---Tostatethefactthatthepersonswerebeingpeeredatfrombehindcurtains.•---thusthesentenceisbasicallyfactual.Mixtureoffactandopinion•Whenwehaveamixtureoffactandopinioninasinglestatement,wemustdecidewhetherthemainpointofthesentenceisessentiallyfactoropinion.Sometimesanopinionispresentedasifitwereafact:•Example:•Butonethingthey’llalwayshave:ourloveanddevotion.•---Onthesurfaceitisastatementoffact,butactuallyitisonlyapromise,somethingyettoberealizedinthefuture.•Makesuretorememberthatfactsareverifiablebysomeoneotherthanthereaderandthatopinionsexpressfeelings,unsupportedbeliefsandpreferences.Sometimesfactslooklikeopinionsandviceversa.Youropinionandthewriter’s•Whenyouagreewiththewriter’sopinion:Whenwebelievesomethingverystrongly,it’seasytomistakeouropinionsforfacts.•1.Sportsmedicineexpertshaveobservedforyearsthatenduranceathletes,particularlyfemales,frequentlyhaveirondeficiencies.•---Thisisafactasitisasentencesimplyaboutsportmedicineexperts’observation.Youropinionandthewriter’s•2.Exercisecanresultinironlossthroughavarietyofmechanisms.•---Anopinion•Thewriter’sattitudetowardsthematterbeingtalkedabout.Guidelines•1.Statementsdealingwithpersons,places,objects,oroccurrencesthatexistordidexist,andthatcanhavetheirtruthorfalsityproved,arefacts.•Example:•Inlastnight’sclass,Dr.JohnspokeonmethodsofteachingEnglish.Guidelines•2.Statementswhosetruthor