Generalization
When you generalize, you extend meanings beyond the specific ideas you read about. Generalizing allows you to apply information you’ve learned in a border, less spesific sense. Generalizing carries you a step beyound a conclusion you can draw about a specific set of details.
FORMING GENERALIZATIONS
A generalization is a judgment.For a generalization to be valid, it must be based on evidence.
Generalizations are not guesses.Valid generalizations often use words such as many, often, and some.
· Rain falls in many southern states in spring.
Generalizations that are not valid often make statements that are too broad and use words such as all,always, every, and never.
· Every student has read Tom Sawyer
How to generalize:
· Make sure that you understand the main idea and key details from the reading.
· Make sure that you can draw conclusion or predict outcomes based upon information you have read.
· Think about how you might apply the writer’s ideas in different situations.
· Don’t go too far beyond the information the writer gives when you try to generalize. Otherwise you face the problem of making statements that are too abroad in shape.
· As you state a generalization, be particularly careful of words that do not allow exceptions. Words like always, never, must, certainly, absolutely, and definitely can rule possibilities for any challenge to the general statement.
Facts and opinions
Facts are statements that tell what really happened or really the case. A fact based on direct evidence. It is something known by actual experience or observation.
Opinions are statements of belief, judgment, or feeling. They show what someone thinks about a subject. Solid opinion, of course, are based on facts. However, opinions are still somebody’s view of something and are not facts themselves.
Keeping fact and opinion apart
· Look for words that interpret.
· Look for words that serve as clues to statements of some kind of opinion. Some words like probably, perhaps, usually, often, and sometimes. On occasion are used to limit a statement of fact and to indicate the possibility of other opinions. Other words say clearly that opinion will follow; these are words like I believe, I think, in my opinion, I feel, I suggest.
· Before you accept the statement of fact and before you agree with a statement of opinion, question the skill of the author. Is he or she reliable? Why should you take his or her word?
· 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 for the matter). You just have to be able to see if there is another view.
· Some authors gives us statements from other writers or authorities in order to illustrate their own idea. Make sure you can tell the source of any statement that appears in what you read.
Look at the statements below:
a) In 1848 gold was discovered in California. (fact)
b) Now, in an age without heroes, the Indian leaders are perhaps the most heroic of all Americans. (opinion)
Another definition of facts and opinion
A fact is a statement that can be proven true (or false) with some objective standard.
For example:
· The biology students are in Science Lab 3A.
This is a “provable” statement. It can be determined that there are people, who study biology, who are in a room that has scientific lab equipment for scientific laboratory work. The room number (3A or otherwise) can also be proven.
An opinion is a statement that a person believes to be true but it cannot be measured against an objective standard. Opinions are often personal interpretation and cannot verified with evidence. Opinions are often (though not always) preceded with terms such as ‘I think’ or with adjective, comparative and superlative, such as ‘good’, ‘better’, ‘the best’.
For example:
· Science Lab 3A is too small for the biology class.
The first statement depends on a number of factors, and many people may agree, but there is no “standard” for the appropriate size of a science lab.
A fact is a statement that can be proven true or false. An opinion is an expression of a person’s feelings that cannot be proven. Opinions can be based on facts or emotions and sometimes they are meant to deliberately mislead others. Therefore, it is important to be aware of the author’s purpose and choice of language. Sometimes, the author lets the facts speak for themselves.
The following is an example of a fact:
§ With fewer cars on the road, there would be less air pollution and traffic noise; therefore, the use of mass transportation should be encouraged.
Sometimes the author may use descriptive language to appeal to your emotions and sway your thinking.
The following is an example of an opinion:
§ Do you like looking at a smoggy view from a congested highway? How do you feel about fighting road hugs and bumper to bumper traffic every day? Mass transportation is the solution to all these problems.
Emotional language is neither right nor wrong, but the way in which it is used can be positive or negative; it is up to you to make reasonable judgment about the material you are reading and to draw your own conclusion.
Therefore, when you read, it is important to judge facts and opinions carefully in order to come to the right conclusion. Ask yourself, “are the facts reliable?” or “are the opinions based on the facts?” Once you answer these questions, you may be on the right track for finding and sticking to the facts; you be the judge.
