Inference

Video Inference is not guessing, predicting or giving an opinion. It is finding exact clues from the text and using your own background knowledge to come up with an idea not stated obviously in the text. Making an inference is like assembling the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Once all of the pieces are together you can see the full picture.

Definition: Etymology:

a conclusion reached, from sixteenth-century based on reason and Latin, meaning ‘bring in’ evidence or ‘carry in’ Inference

Example:

The boy slammed the door as he left the room, so his friends made the inference that he was upset. Why do we need inference skills? As a student of English, one of your most important reading tasks will be making sense of poems, short stories, plays and novels. In order to figure out the deeper meaning of these texts, you will need to develop your inference skills. The process is straightforward – first skim and scan the text to look for clues. Then connect these clues with your own background knowledge, before reaching a conclusion about what the text might be trying to say.

My mother is a witch

My heart is like a singing bird My mother is a witch My heart is like a singing bird Witch = evil and scary Heart – associated with love/feelings Singing bird –uplifting, beautiful

The text Clues from the text This person’s mother is a scary and evil person This person is experiencing great happiness that is uplifting

Your own background knowledge

Your inference ©The Educational Company of Ireland