YILDIZ TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
2015 - 2016 FALL, WEEK 14 (December 14 - 18)
READING CAFE 3
(B & C Levels)
TEACHER’S COPY
DISTINGUISHING FACTS FROM OPINIONS
Keeping Fact and Opinion Apart
The information in a text consists of facts and
opinions. Distinguishing between the two different
types of statements is a critical reading skill which
helps comprehension. When you read critically, you
need to identify the author’s point of view-or way of
thinking- and consider how it affects the facts or
arguments that are presented.

Read the following sentences.
1. The man leaning against the fence had
brown eyes and black hair touching his
shoulders.
2. A handsome man leaned against the fence.
 Facts are statements that you can prove. In
other words, they are general truths and are
agreed to be true by everyone. Examples of this
kind of information are statistics, proper
names, dates, true stories, experiment or
survey results.
In the first sentence we have details that describe
facts without any evaluation. In the second
sentence, its writer’s opinion that such a man is
handsome and the writer interprets the details for us.
Words that interpret are countless such as pretty,
ugly, dangerous, evil, attractive, well-dressed, goodlooking and so on.
 Opinions are the writer’s personal ideas. You
cannot prove opinions because they show
beliefs, conclusions or judgements, which
can change from person to person.

The following sentences are examples of facts:
All living things need water to exist.
Air pollution causes acid rain.
Light, like heat, is a form of energy.
sentences
are
Look for words that serve as clues that serve as
statements of opinion. Some words like
probably, perhaps, maybe, usually, often,
sometimes, on occasion are used to limit a
statement of fact and to indicate the possibility
of other opinions.
Other words say clearly that an opinion will
follow; these are words like I believe, I think, I
suppose, I feel…
A can is a metal container.
The following
opinions:
Look for words that interpret.
examples
of
 Test the writer’s opinion by asking whether a
different opinion is possible. You do not have to
agree with the different opinion (or with the
author’s, for that matter). You just have to be
able to see if there is another point of view.
People believe that computers are good for
children’s coordination.
We’ll probably have enough coal for another 400 year.
Electric cars may replace today’s cars in the near
future.
I don’t think people can learn Japanese from CD.
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PRACTICE
A. Read the following sentences about dancing and their explanations.
1. The history of ballet began in Italy during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
Fact
Explanation: Historical documents prove this.
2. Dancing is a safe and healthy activity.
Opinion
Explanation: Some people might believe that dancing is dangerous.
3. It is hard to dance without the right kind of music playing.
Opinion
Explanation: Some people think that it is easy to dance to any song or no song.
4. Tap dancing shoes have a piece of metal called a "tap" attached to the heel and toe.
Fact
Explanation: This can be proven by examining a tap dancing shoe.
5. Choreography is an important part of the music industry.
Opinion
Explanation: Some people might believe that choreography is not important to the music industry.
6.The longest that anyone has played a dancing video game in one session is 24 hours and 2 minutes.
Fact
Explanation: World records can prove this.
B. Read the following sentences. Write O (opinion) or F (fact) near the sentences and explain Why?
_O__ 1. “Death on the Nile” was the most exciting movie of one of Agatha Christie’s stories.
_F__ 2. The astronomical evidence proves that the Universe was created 20 billion years ago in big eexplosion.
_F__ 3. The Pacific Ocean is three times bigger than Asia, the biggest continent on Earth.
_O__ 4. In six years’ time, you may be able to cruise the sky in luxury planes. The planes will probably have
everything a person could want while travelling long distances.
_F__ 5. Iceland has 200 volcanoes and Indonesia has more than 600.
_F__ 6. According to statistics, almost a million earthquakes occur every year.
_O__ 7. Children who sit around a table in a group learn more easily and better than ones sitting in rows.
_O__ 8. It may be possible to breed cows weighing 5 tons, about the size of an elephant, in the near future.
_O__ 9. There seems to be too much standardized testing in public schools.
_O__ 10. There is widespread concern about the possible negative effects on behaviour of listening to
certain types of music, particularly in adolescents.
_F___ 11. High-tech machines can detect very small amounts of radiation from mobile phones.
__O__ 12. It’s annoying when people talk loudly on their mobile phones in restaurants and shops.
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C. Read the letter to the editor. For each numbered sentence, write fact or opinion below.
Is the Mobile Phone Industry being Honest?
Dear Editor,
(1)
My name is Dr. Karl Nussbaum, and I work at a scientific research laboratory in Kansas City,
Missouri. (2) I believe that there should be more research about the potential health problems caused by
mobile phones.
(3)Although mobile phone industry has told that their products are not dangerous, I don’t agree.
(4) It’s well-known that mobile phones give off a lower level of radiation than many other electronic products.
(5) However, a new study by researchers in Sweden shows that even these low levels of radiation have killed
brain cells in rats.
(6) As scientists, we should keep doing more research on this topic. (7) Mobile phone use has grown
to over 2 million customers around the world. (8) If we don’t do something about this problem, we could see
an increase in certain kinds of cancer and other diseases in the future.
(9) We are currently doing research in our lab, trying to copy the results of the Swedish study.
(10) We will complete our study next May, and we will publish our results then. In the meantime, if any other
scientific groups are doing research on mobile phone use , please contact me at knussbaum@lab.tech.org.
1. Fact
2. Opinion
3. Opinion
4. Fact
5. Fact
6. Opinion
7. Fact
8. Opinion
9. Fact
10. Fact
In a text, recognizing the author’s point of view-or way of thinking- about
the topic of his writing and facts from different sources help the reader
answer the comprehension questions such as






What’s the main idea of the text?
What’s the author’s purpose to write this text?
Does the author agree / disagree with X (opinion) stated in the text?
Which of the followings does the author firmly support?
In the X paragraph, the author implies that ………………. .
After reading this text, you can infer that the author would probably
approve of ……….
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READING
GETTING INTO THE TOPIC
Look at the photographs below and then discuss the following questions with a partner.
1. What do you know about the companies or products in the photographs?
2. Why do you think companies chose those names for their businesses?
3. Do you think the name of a company or product is important?
BEFORE YOU BEGIN TO READ
TASK
 Divide the class into groups. Get the students to skim the whole passage.
Distribute one paragraph to each group.
 Get each group to work on their own paragraph to state:
1. the facts and opinions given in the paragraph.
2. the main idea of the paragraph.
 One student from each group will visit the other groups and share his
group’s work, so each group will be aware of other parts of the text.
 Each group explains the main idea to the teacher and the teacher writes
them on the board. Looking at the board, the whole class tries to find out
the author’s purpose to write that text.
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NAMES IN BUSINESS
I. The Importance of Names
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The names of companies and products have many different origins. Older
companies often got their names from people. Car companies are a good example. Many car
companies, such as Ford, Toyota, and Tata, all have the names of the men who started them.
Other car companies, such as SAAB, FIAT, and BMW have names that are initials. For
example, BMW are the initials for Bavarian Motor Works. Today, most new companies do not
choose names like these. They want more interesting names, because they know that company
and product names are very important.
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A new company must choose its name cautiously. It must also think carefully
when it names its products. A name can influence what people think about a company or a
product. People will recall a good name. They may choose that company or product because of
its name. This means that a company or a product with a good name may not need many
advertisements. This can save the company a lot of money.
II. Connecting A Name to A Company
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Some companies choose their own name. However, because this is a very important
decision, other companies hire professionals to assist them. There are specialists that do just one
thing: they think of names for new companies and products. They research names and give advice
about how people will respond them. If it is an international company, they consider international
factors. Companies want to know how people all over the world will respond to their company or
product name. International companies have to be cautious. Sometimes a good name in one language
could also mean something bad or embarrassing in another language.
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Companies consider many things when they choose a name. They want a name that
customers will connect with the company. If a company makes shoes for running, it should consider
names that are related to feet or shoes. "Green Moon" or "Crazy Cow" would not be good names for
shoes. It is commonly accepted that a good name should also be easy to remember. However, the
name should not be too ordinary. It is probably not a good idea to choose a name like "Shoe Store" or
"The Shoe Company". These names are boring and don’t show how unique the company is.
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A good name for a company should be easy to say and easy to spell. Correct spelling is
especially important, because customers often look for the company on the Internet. If the company
sells cheese, the name should use the correct spelling of "cheese". It should not use a name like
"Chees Pleez".
III. Emotional Response to Names
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Perhaps the most important factor that a company must consider is the emotion that
people will feel when they hear the name of the company. What will they think about when they hear
the name? A good name tells a story. If a shoe company chooses a name like "Fast Feet", this explains
the business to the customers. There is an apparent connection between shoes and feet, but the name
is a little ordinary. Two companies that make running shoes chose names that are more interesting:
"Nike" -the Greek goddess of victory - and "Reebok" - a large animal from Africa that runs very fast.
These names tell good stories. The companies hope their customers will think about victory and
speed when they buy their shoes.
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The names of some electronic products and medicines also provide good examples of
responses to products. The names for these products should make people think about modern
science and technology. Sometimes this choice relates to sounds. For example, words that begin with
e- or i, like "e-mail" and "iPhone", make people think about technology. In English, words that begin or
end with x, such as "x-ray", often sound very scientific or technical. A good example of a product name
is "Xerox". It sounds very technical, but it is also easy to remember. Another good example is the
company name "Google". This name comes from the word "googol", which means a very large number:
10100. The company chose "Google" because it makes the company sound scientific and
powerful. Today, "Google" is a very successful company.
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Finally, sometimes businesses want to find a new name. As understood by its name,
"Kentucky Fried Chicken" sells lots of fried chicken. Today, those customers who eat too much fat
are getting worried about their health. A few years ago "Kentucky Fried Chicken" didn't want its
customers to just think about its fried food. Thus, the company decided to change its name to "KFC".
"KFC" wanted customers to think about its other products, which are not fried. A company may also
change its name when something bad happens. For example, there was an airplane crash İn Florida In
1997. The company that owned the airplane, "Valuiet", wanted its customers to forget the crash, so it
changed its name to "AirTran".
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Choosing and changing names is an important part of any business. Names can have a
powerful influence on customers. With a good response from customers, a company can make a lot of
money. With a bad response, a company may lose a lot of money.
Task 1: Main Idea Check
Here are the main ideas of each paragraph in the reading text.
__2____ A A name can have a strong influence on the success of a product.
_1_ B Company and product names are chosen in different ways.
Paragraph 3 - 5
__5____ C Companies should be careful that their product names aren’t misspelled.
__4____ D A name should have a close connection to a product, but not ordinary.
__3____ E Many companies employ experts when they need to choose a name.
Paragraph 6 - 9
__7____ F Many electronic products and medicines have names that sound scientific.
__9____ G Product names can influence how much money a company makes.
_8_ H Companies sometimes need to change their name.
__6____ I Different names result in different emotional responses.
 What’s the author’s main purpose to write this text?
to explain the importance of choosing names for companies and products by giving facts and examples
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Task 2: What do the following words refer to in the passage?
(Par. 2) This
that a company or a product with a good name may not need many
advertisements
(Par. 3) They
specialists
(Par. 4) It
that a good name should also be easy to remember
(Par. 5) It
the company
(Par. 6) These names
"Nike" and "Reebok"
(Par. 7) It
"Google"
(Par. 8) Those customers
customers who eat too much fat
Task 3. Finding Synonyms
Look at the passage again and try to guess the meaning of each boldly written word. Then, complete the
sentences with those words given in the table that are synonyms of the phrases in the parentheses.
cautiously
related to
assist
response
consider
apparent
recall
influence
1. The scientists are doing experiments (very carefully) cautiously about using enzyme therapy on humans.
2. There was a good (reaction) response to my idea. Everyone said they liked it very much.
3. The public is urgently requested to (help) assist the police in tracing the murderer.
4. She wanted to call his son, but couldn’t (remember) recall his number.
5. The school has an interest in action-learning techniques and this is (clear) apparent in its programme and
assessment system.
6. The parents (thought about) consider it for a long time before they made a decision about what to name
their baby.
7. Discrimination is sometimes (connected to) related to a person’s religion or ethnic group.
8. Van Gogh had a major (effect) influence on the development of modern painting.
Task 4:
Note to the Teacher: After completing all the tasks above, you may get your students to do the following as an
extra activity if you have time.
In groups, students may write a short paragraph about the topic below.
“Imagine you start a new business and you need to choose a name for your company.

State what kind of name you choose and why?

How do you think it will help increase your sales?”
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