Which sentence states a fact?
"The Black Cat" and "The Tell-Tale Heart" are Edgar Allan Poe's scariest short stories. Edgar Allan Poe sold his short story "The Fall of the House of Usher" to Burton's Gentleman's Magazine for ten dollars in 1839.
A fact is something that can be proved by research or observation.
Napoleon Bonaparte was shorter than King Louis XVI.
The statement above is a fact. The statement can be proved by researching the height of each man and comparing them.
An opinion is something that a person believes, thinks, or feels. An opinion cannot be proved.
Napoleon Bonaparte was a better leader than King Louis XVI.
The statement above is an opinion. People can have different ideas about what makes someone a "better" leader, so the statement cannot be proved.
The second sentence states a fact.
Edgar Allan Poe sold his short story "The Fall of the House of Usher" to Burton's Gentleman's Magazine for ten dollars in 1839.
It can be proved by reading a biography of Edgar Allan Poe.
The first sentence states an opinion.
"The Black Cat" and "The Tell-Tale Heart" are Edgar Allan Poe's scariest short stories.
Scariest shows what a person believes, thinks, or feels. Another person might have a different opinion about which of Poe's short stories are the scariest.