fact, in fact, in point of fact, the fact is, the fact of the matter is, the fact that. The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993

Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993.

fact (n.), in fact, in point of fact, the fact is, the fact of the matter is, the fact that


The noun fact functions often as an inexact name for an idea, a hope, a wish, or some other vaguely conceived “thing” and often simply as a grammatical placeholder stuck into the sentence until the speaker or writer can figure out a destination and a way to approach it. In fact and in point of fact are also used to attempt to focus a scattered argument or discussion. In all these locutions fact is also frequently used presumptuously, and even more often unconsciously, to give factual status to something actually far from factual. In the prosecutor’s “Do you deny the fact that…?” the first thing the witness needs to consider before answering is whether it is in fact a fact. Best advice: omit the fact in honest exposition and argument, in favor of a direct question or statement, unless you are deliberately distinguishing between facts and nonfacts. See POINT IS; TRUE FACTS.	1