Craft and Structure: Distinguishing Fact and Opinion and Author's point of view

What is important to know when distinguishing fact and opinion?

Readers must always be conscious of the distinction between fact and opinion

What is meant by the term fact?

it can be subjected to analysis and can either proved or disproved

What is meant by the term opinion?

merely conveys an author’s personal thoughts or feelings, which may not be based on or even affected by research or evidence

What is an example of a fact?

“The distance between New York and Boston is about 200 (two hundred) miles.”

What is an example of an opinion?

“New York is too crowded.”

• Counts as opinion because there is no objective standard for too crowded

What words is an opinion often signaled by?

• Believe

• Think

• Feel

What is something to keep in mind about opinions?

Opinions can also be stated by the author as though they were facts. Readers should also be aware that opinions may be supported by facts

How could an opinion be masked as a fact?

For instance, the author might cite the population density of New York as evidence of an overcrowded population. An opinion that is supported by fact tends to be more convincing than an opinion that is stated without support or that is supported by other opinions. In these latter cases, readers should not be persuaded by the argument to any degree.

What is considered another element that impacts a text?

The author’s point of view

What is the point of view of a text?

is the perspective from which the passage is told. A writer will always have a point of view about a story or topic before he or she begins planning a composition

What is meant by the term first-person point of view?

It allows for narrators to express their inner feelings and thoughts, in correspondence, narratives, fiction, or informal writing. Words like I, me, my, mine, myself, we, us, our, ourselves

What is meant by the term second-person point of view?

allows the writer to address the reader or audience, second person is characterized by the use of pronouns that directly address the audience, like you

What is meant by the term third-person point of view?

is another point of view that does not reference the writer or the writer’s audience; it most likely uses the pronouns, like he, she, and they

What are the different types of third-person points of view?

• Third-person omniscient

• Third-person limited

What type of point of view is regarded as the most formal type?

Third-person point of view, as it removes the subjectivity of the first person and the direct audience address of second person

Third-person writing places all of the focus on the meaning of the text, and does not clearly share the writer’s personal thoughts or feelings. Even in third person, bias or prejudice can be detected in the writing, but they will not be as clearly or directly communicated as they would in first person

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