Chapter 9: Evaluating Points of View

Reading 100-710April 16, 2012

Tonight• Turn in quizzes. • Discuss Fact, Opinion, Bias

Wednesday• Make sure to bring your project research

drafts to turn in.• We will be working on identifying fact,

opinion and bias in readings. Bring in two articles from the internet, a magazine, or a newspaper -- one should be fact and one opinion.

Fact, Opinion, and Bias• A fact is an idea that can be verified as

being true.• An opinion is an interpreted fact. People

can and often do disagree with others’ opinions.

• A bias is a preference for a particular viewpoint. Bias can pervade every context, and can be influenced by biology, psychology, and experiences.

Facts• Facts can be verified.• Facts are objective – not influenced by

personal judgment or feelings.• Facts exist separately from you and

outside you. They are independent of you.

Sentence Stems that Introduce Facts

• According to a study by . . . • The research demonstrated . . .• The results of the test showed . . . • Scientists confirmed . . . • The poll discovered . . .

Opinions• Opinions cannot be verified by looking in

dictionaries, newspapers or encyclopedias.• Opinions have to do with the subject, as in

subjective.• Subjective means based on or influenced

by personal beliefs, feelings or tastes.• Opinions are internal – they exist within

the person who holds the opinion.

Sentence Stems that Introduce Opinions

• The defendant claims . . .• The author argues . . .• My point of view is . . .• Police suspect . . .• Many believe . . .

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Facts and Opinions• Working in groups of two, create one

statement of fact and one statement of opinion for each topic on the next slide.• When you are finished, ask another

group to decide which statement is fact and which is opinion.

Food

Children

Money

Words That Can Express Opinion

Adjectives

Qualifiers

Comparatives and Superlatives

• Adjectives are nouns.• Many of the words that tell you when an

opinion is being expressed are adjectives.

abnormal bad definite fashionable juvenileabstract beautiful different finite kitschyacademic big dramatic hierarchical liberalaccurate capable enhanced hip modernadequate classical expert immature normal

Adjectives

• Not all adjectives point to opinions!!• Sometimes they clarify or summarize facts.

Adjectives

• Qualifiers may be used to express an opinion or a fact.

• Often they are used to limit the extent of whatever the writer is describing.

• Qualifiers can – Tell how often or how many– Modify the meanings of the verbs that follow– Indicate degrees of certainty, permission, and

necessity

Qualifiers

Qualifiers that tell how often or how many

a few every never someall frequently none sometimesalways often normally usuallyany nearly rarely

Qualifiers that modify or change the meanings of verbs

can may must shall shouldcould might have to will would

Qualifiers

• Some qualifiers are absolute, such as– all, always, never, none, must, have to

• Statements that use absolute qualifiers are usually not true, so if you see a statement with a qualifier on a test the statement is almost always false.

• The absolute qualifier all is sometimes hidden; it is not in the sentence at all, even though its meaning is.

Qualifiers

• A superlative compares one thing to all other things of the same kind.

• Superlatives usually end with –est or have most before a word, as in most intelligent.

• A comparative is typically used to compare two items: better, greater, stronger, more intelligent.

Comparatives and Superlatives

• Sometimes comparatives and superlatives are used with facts.

• Keep coming back to the question:

Can I verify this statement?

Comparatives and Superlatives

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Working with Comparatives and Superlatives

• Choose a partner.• Compose a fact and an opinion about a

movie you saw recently. Both statements must use superlatives.

• Compose a fact and an opinion about computer software. Both statements must use comparatives.

Sources of Opinion on Knee Injuries in Professional Athletes

Expert

Doctor of Orthopedic

Sports Medicine

Informed Opinion

Athlete recovering from

knee injury

People on the Street

Sports fans

Expert Opinion• An expert is someone who

earns our trust because he or she has gained extensive education and/or experience n a field of study.

• People are experts only in their own fields.

Expert

Doctor of Orthopedic

Sports Medicine

Expert Knowledge

Expert

Doctor of Orthopedic

Sports Medicine

• Experts gain knowledge from other experts and from direct study or experience with facts in their field.

• Experts are not infallible.

Expert Conflicts

Expert

Doctor of Orthopedic

Sports Medicine

• Experts can build opposing opinions or interpretations from the same factual information.

Informed Opinion

Athlete recovering from

knee injury

Informed Opinion• People who are informed

have researched or experienced something we have not and are sharing what they have learned.

• This category includes media people who gather and relay news to the public.

Informed Opinion

Athlete recovering from

knee injury

Informed Knowledge• People who are informed

get their knowledge directly from experts, from the media, and/or from personal experience.

• Informed opinions are often based on fact mixed with emotional experiences.

Informed Opinion

Athlete recovering from

knee injury

Informed Credibility• People who are informed

are often credible, but they don’t have he extensive knowledge of an expert.

People on the Street

Sports fans

People on the Street• Ordinary people whose

expertise is unknown are referred to as “people on the street.”

• These opinions may or may not be based on facts.

Bias for a Viewpoint• A bias is a preference for a particular

viewpoint.• When someone expresses an opinion he

or she is also expressing a bias.• Both opinions and biases include words

that express your values: what is right and wrong.