The fact that vs The possibility that

The fact that is a common expression that we use when we talk about, quite obviously, facts, as in Copernicus first established the fact that the earth revolves round the sun. 

However, sometimes people erroneously use it when they make non-factual statements. Consider the following examples:

Was Woodrow Wilson oblivious of the fact that German nationalism might rise and create dire consequences...

How can I come to terms with the fact that I might never be in a romantic relationship?

The fact that if the price of milk, butter or cab rides increases, people might switch to soy milk, margarine, or the bus...

Now I am 23 and it is difficult to let go of the fact that maybe I'm wasting my potential as a good athlete.  

All these statements express possibilities or probabilities, as is apparent by the use of might and maybe; a fact is something about which there is no doubt. So, in these cases it would have been more accurate to say the possibility that or the probability that instead of the fact that. 

Interesting tweets - 1

Here are some interesting tweets that I came across recently.

5 language arguments you can stop having: http://t.co/6Y0jLtasw3 pic.twitter.com/hYVA9JkWVs

— Oxford Dictionaries (@OxfordWords) abril 30, 2015

Should 'impact' ever be used as a verb? http://t.co/avQXKNp3aG pic.twitter.com/VjuKp9nUxQ

— BBC News Magazine (@BBCNewsMagazine) junio 22, 2015

What's the difference between 'among' and 'between'? http://t.co/WfeOMvdw9E

— Oxford Dictionaries (@OxfordWords) junio 30, 2015

Do you know when to use 'disinterested' and when to use 'uninterested'? Our video explains all: https://t.co/En7BEA02kL

— Oxford Dictionaries (@OxfordWords) junio 18, 2015

Where did common punctuation marks get their names? http://t.co/CsxYwyrYhK pic.twitter.com/UnxDITqiTi

— Oxford Dictionaries (@OxfordWords) junio 30, 2015

The Mysterious Case of the Beaut Damsel

In May 2008, 14-year-old Arushi and her family's 45-year-old servant, Hemraj, were found murdered in mysterious circumstances. In November 2013, a court held her parents responsible for the murders and sentenced them to life in prison. 

Like many others, I closely followed news reports about the case. So, when the court passed the sentence and published the judgement (pdf) online, I thought I'd take a look at it. 

And this is what I found.

Run-on sentences

The following article was written by Martin Cutts, the research director of Plain Language Commission (http://clearest.co.uk/pages/home), and it appeared in their newsletter, Pikestaff. You can download their newsletters and free guides about plain language -- all in pdf format -- from this page: http://clearest.co.uk/pages/publications.

 
An error common in business English – but rare in professionally edited work – is the run-on sentence or comma splice, where a comma is placed between two statements that should stand alone as complete sentences. Here’s a typical example in a marketing leaflet:

School buses, watch out!

71 school buses fined for flouting SC guidelines, said the headline in the Times of India. That came as a surprise to me. So, what will happen if a bus 'refuses' to pay the fine? Will it be sent to jail?

The fact is that the schools, to which those buses belonged, were fined. Similarly, if you don't pay property tax on the house that you own, you will be fined, not your house.