For the second, you could infer that the first car should have started moving or was waiting too long at the corner and holding up the second car. You are walking down the street, and all of a sudden a dog comes running out of an opened door with its tail between its legs.įor the first example, you probably came up with something simple, such as that there was a baby in the stroller.You are at a corner and see two cars stopped at an intersection.You see a woman pushing a baby stroller down the street.Imagine you witness each of the following – what can you infer about each situation? Other examples of inferences are when a doctor makes a diagnosis about why you are sick or when a mechanic figures out what is wrong with your car. You don't know what exactly happened, but you can infer enough and don't need to ask any more questions to know that you do not want to sit there. Further, you know that the reason to not sit there is related to the fact that Cindy just visited with her baby. For example, if you go over to a friend's house and they point at the sofa and say, 'Don't sit there Candy came over with her baby again', what could you logically conclude?įirst, you know there must be a reason not to sit where your friend is pointing. You already make inferences all of the time. Watson has a tan and makes a conclusion about where Watson has recently traveled. This tactic is similar to what Sherlock Holmes does when he sees that Dr. When you make inferences you are 'reading between the lines'. Making inferences while reading is a strategy that will help you learn, remember, and apply what you have read. This allows for active interpretation on the part of the reader and makes the reading dynamic rather than passive.Īn inference is a conclusion you reach by applying logic to the evidence you are given. What is an inference? What's the difference between an inference and a guess? And what does any of this have to do with reading literature? Literature works largely on 'showing' rather than 'telling.' The author shows through literary devices such as imagery, tone, figurative language and leaves it up to the reader to infer the meaning. Building on Your Knowledge of Inferences.Making Inferences from Reading Material.

Antetype in literature