What does inference mean?

Inference means to reach a conclusion or to make an assumption about information and evidence that you have been given. Inference means to 'read between the lines'.

Inference is where you 'read between the lines'. You form an opinion based on the information provided.

A really good example of this which I have used is to show an image of a broken window. Standing beside the window is a person holding a bat. Generally, the inference you would make would be that the person holding a bat broke the window. You haven't seen it happen but you've used the evidence to help form your opinion.

An inference is something the text suggests, but you are not directly told. For example:

If a person was described as having ripped and dirty clothes, but the text doesn’t tell you exactly who the person is, you infer it’s someone whose homeless or someone whose had a really hard and difficult life.

In an Inspector calls the Inspector is described as having "a disconcerting habit of looking hard at the person he addresses before he speaks". It doesn’t tell us anything more than the way he looks at people, but when you use inference, you infer he is a person of strength. Not physical strength as such but intelligence and mental strength. He is so powerful that when someone looks at him they break and admit the truth, they fear the inspector.

It does not tell us this, but you are breaking up the key words from the evidence and zooming in. Inference is your point of view and opinion from what is being suggested in the text.

Interence is a conclusion reached based on evidence and reasoning.

Making an inference is when you look at a quote and begin to pick apart the information that you can gather from it. You would be looking to make inferences on details like adjectives, verbs etc that give you connotations about the character or setting

An inference is a conclusion or opinion that is formed because of known facts or evidence.

Hi Melvin! An inference is a conclusion you draw about something based on the information you already have about it. I hope this helps! Anna.

Basically Inference is when you read "between the lines" and look for clues to work out what is really happening in the text. They are steps in reasoning and carrying forward your findings in a logical way. To infer is to look beyond the obvious. For example, when answering questions it's a bit like taking on the role of a detective looking for clues in the text to work out any hidden information. For Key Stage 2 in EnglishYou could be reading a text and a characters body language is one where they are smiling and waving or clapping. The text hasn't said the character is happy but you can work it out from the clue. For key Stage 3 and 4 inference is an important feature when answering questions in GCSE.

Inference refers to reading between the lines to understand a point or argument that is being made. In other words, the point is not stated explicitly or directly, so we have to use evidence to justify our inferences.

An opinion or guess that you form based on information that you have. For example, if your friend is crying you can infer that they are upset.

It is a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence or reason or reasoning.

something that you think is true, based on information that you have

It's coming to our own conclusion with the context clues given in the text.

Inference is coming to a conclusion based on the evidence you have. It is sometimes referred to as 'reading between the lines'. To infer is to ask yourself what you know that you have not explicitly been told.

The example I like to use to help students remember inference is...

Otis goes outside and puts up his umbrella.

What can you infer? It is raining.

Why? Because based on your past experiences when someone puts up an umbrella it's usually raining.

An inference is a conclusion based upon reasoning.