Inference
Inference
Everyday Inferences
Inference is something people use every day. It is the process of drawing conclusions based on evidence
or lived experience. It involves using available information to make an educated guess about something
that is not explicitly stated. It is often used to make decisions or solve problems when all the relevant
information is not available.
The mind is a very clever thing. Every day you are filling in gaps using both evidence and lived
experience. Think about these examples.
You are busy baking. The dog is resting by your
You wake up and open the curtains.
feet. Ingredients get dropped. You go to get a
Garden furniture is upturned, tree branches
cloth to clean them up but when you turn back
are broken and there is a fence panel missing.
around, they are no longer there. The dog is
What has happened?
now on its feet. Where did the mess go?
You are getting changed for an outdoor sports session. There are no windows in the changing rooms.
You hear a steady pitter-patter on the roof above. It gets progressively louder. The session leader
enters, looking frustrated. What do they say?
You don’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to work things out and it doesn’t require a big imaginative leap.
However, you do have to take a small step of ingenuity based on the evidence before you. This is called
inference and it is a key reading skill.
Definition
Summarise the meaning of inference in your own words.
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Inference
Implied Power
Read the following passages. In one of the passages, the writer has been explicit, spelling everything
out for the reader. In the other passage, the writer has been implicit, showing rather than telling the
reader what to think.
Can you identify which is explicit and which is implicit?
Tom closed the door slowly behind him; he couldn’t muster the energy to
slam it. ‘Life’s so unfair!’ - the mantra of sixteen-year-olds over-played in his
head. He rested his head on his pillow but the caress of soft cotton around his
Explicit / Implicit
ears irritated rather than soothed him. Sitting up, he fished the well-worn
headphones from his pocket and plugged them into his phone. A blast of his
favourite music band was just what the doctor ordered.
Tom was a sixteen-year-old boy who was feeling fed up so put on music to
Explicit / Implicit
make himself feel better.
Which is the better read and why?
What other questions might an active reader ask?
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Inference
The Language of Inference
The writer The reader
implies... infers.
Being able to infer is a critical reading skill so you will want to showcase
your inferences when writing analytical essays. synonym:
The following terms are often used in exam questions so it is important A word that means
to understand what exactly you are being asked to do. Each word is a exactly or nearly the
synonym for either ‘implies’ or ‘infers’. Can you match them with the same as another word
correct meaning?
Implies Infers
shows deduces understands insinuates concludes
indicates suggests surmises reasons symbolises
Drawing Conclusions
It is often said that a picture paints a thousand words. Take a look at the pictures on the following page.
What inferences can be drawn from each one?
• What might the characters in the
• What is happening in each scene?
pictures be thinking or feeling?
• Is there anything else you could
• What time of day or year is it?
deduce from the pictures?
Remember to give evidence for your inferences (how can you tell?).
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Inference
Picture Inferences
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Inference
Show, Don’t Tell
Select your favourite picture from the above. Now paint a word picture: describe the scene so that your
words imply one or more of the inferences that you have made.
The Implications
Next, compose your own short scenario (approximately 150 words) in which you imply that something
has happened. Don’t tell anybody about your ideas.
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Inference
Show your written scenario to a friend or family member. Ask them what they think it is about.
Did they make the inferences you were intending? How could you improve this next time?
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Inference
Inference Answers
Implied Power
Tom closed the door slowly behind him; he couldn’t muster the energy to
slam it. ‘Life’s so unfair!’ - the mantra of sixteen-year-olds over-played in his
head. He rested his head on his pillow but the caress of soft cotton around his
Explicit / Implicit
ears irritated rather than soothed him. Sitting up, he fished the well-worn
headphones from his pocket and plugged them into his phone. A blast of his
favourite music band was just what the doctor ordered.
Tom was a sixteen-year-old boy who was feeling fed up so put on music to
Explicit / Implicit
make himself feel better.
The Language of Inference
Implies Infers
shows deduces
suggests surmises
indicates understands
symbolises concludes
insinuates reasons
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Inference
Drawing Conclusions
Answers will vary, but may include references similar to:
Picture Inferences
• Woman celebrating
• Red/white colours imply that it is Christmas.
• Snow, scarf, gloves suggest it is winter.
• Woman seems happy; holding her hands up in the air to touch
the snow, smiling, face looking up to the sky.
• A boy is taking a dog for a walk in the woods.
• Fallen leaves and woolly hat suggest it is autumn.
• Boy and dog appear to be looking at something, feeling curious
or interested.
• Some young people are skateboarding on the beachfront.
• It is summer because the sky is blue, there are lots of people on
the beach and some people are wearing shorts.
• Young people are excited, joyful or fearful; implied by the extreme
height of the skateboarder.
• A young person has their head down on a desk with a laptop
computer in front of them.
• The coffee could imply that it is either very late or very early.
• The young person is feeling very tired, stressed or unhappy.
This is implied by the fact they have their head down on the
table. There are many pieces of paper pinned to the noticeboard
and an open laptop suggests that they are feeling overworked.
• A woman is jumping off a fallen tree.
• Green vegetation and the woman’s clothes suggest it is summer.
• The woman’s posture, shoulders and arms back, chest pushed
forward, suggest that she is feeling joyous and embracing nature.
• Lots of people are standing in groups next to a fairground ride.
• It is dark with bright lights on, implying it is night-time
• There is a fir tree with what appears to be snow close to the ride,
suggesting that it is winter.
• People are huddled close together with hands in pockets implying
that they might be cold.
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Inference
Show, Don’t Tell
Learner’s own responses.
Accept any reasonable description based on inferences made.
The Implications
Learner’s own responses.
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