Inferences

Writers do not state all of the facts sometimes. They also do not directly state the main idea. Writers expect you to fill in the missing pieces or to discover the main idea for yourself. A fiction writer may leave some facts out because it is reasonable to expect you to assume certain facts. For example, if it is snowing, then you can assume that it is winter. It would have been a waste of paper for the writer to include a sentence stating that it is winter. Making inferences is like putting a puzzle together which is missing a few pieces. You can still recognize the big picture.

Fiction writers and advertisement writers also expect readers to make inferences. For example, a car company might show an ad where several friends are driving in a car, the friends have expensive clothes on, the friends are laughing and joking, and the pedestrians stare at the car as they speed by. The inference the advertisers want to make is not stated. However, you can infer that if you buy their car you lead an exciting life. This type of inference is based on emotions and desires rather than logic. They want you to infer that you need them. Making good inferences helps you understand and remember information. It also helps you make good decisions.

What are inferences?

Inferences are guesses or assumptions. Making these types of assumptions is sometimes called “reading between the lines”. Writers may expect you to infer the main idea of a paragraph or a story. You may also need to infer what will happen next. Often a character’s personality can be inferred from details the writers give. These types of inferences move from the known to the unknown, or they move from specific details to general qualities.