2016-08-04 Writing: fact and opinion transitions

Greg Malivuk
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http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk
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Transition signals for facts and opinions (p. 173)

Opinions:

In my opinion, [sentence].
In my view, …
From my point of view, … / From my perspective, …
In my mind, …
For me, …

I believe (that) [sentence].
I think (that) …

Sources of facts or opinions:

According to [source], [sentence].
	According to the 2010 US Census, there were 617,680 people living in the city of Boston.
	According to research, …
Based on [source], [sentence].

opinion: According to critics, it was the best movie of 2015.
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Remember: people can lie or be wrong about whether something is a fact or an opinion.

“In my view, the sun rises in the east.” - “in my view” doesn’t make this an opinion. It is a fact.
“According to research, yesterday’s sunset was beautiful.” - this is an opinion, not a fact
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true fact: The sun rises in the east.
“false fact”: The sun rises in the west.
unverified fact: It is 20 degrees in London right now.
conjecture/guess: It is probably about 20 degrees in London right now.
opinion: It is too cold to go swimming right now.
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Conclusion transitions (for an opinion essay):
For these [number] reasons, I believe …
Given these reasons, I believe …
Given these facts, I think …
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Is there research I could use to support my conclusion that the water is too cold to go swimming?
- How the body responds to water at this temperature. (Health effects of cold water.)

What facts can support the opinion, “Everyone should vote.”?
- The percentage of eligible voters who actually vote.
- Benefits of voting / problems with not voting.