What is Inference?
Inference is a reading comprehension strategy that involves making educated guesses or logical interpretations based on evidence from the text. It requires using clues from the text, along with your own background knowledge, to draw conclusions that are not explicitly stated by the author.
How to Make Inferences
To make inferences, readers need to:
- Pay attention to details in the text
- Use their own knowledge and experiences
- Consider the author's tone and the characters' actions and feelings
- Ask questions about what is not directly stated
Example of Making an Inference
For example, if the text says "The sky was dark, and the wind was howling," a reader might infer that a storm is approaching, even if the word "storm" is not explicitly mentioned.
Study Guide for Inference
Here are some tips for practicing inference:
- Read a variety of texts and discuss them with others to share and compare inferences.
- Look for descriptive details, character actions, and dialogue that can provide clues for making inferences.
- Practice making predictions about what might happen next in a story or article based on evidence from the text.
- Consider the author's purpose and point of view to help make inferences about the text.
By practicing inference skills, readers can deepen their understanding of texts and become more critical thinkers.
[Inference] Related Worksheets and Study Guides:
.◂English Language Arts Worksheets and Study Guides Third Grade. Inference
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Inference 
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Inference Worksheet/Answer key
Inference Worksheet/Answer key
Inference
Worksheet/Answer keyWorksheet/Answer keyWorksheet/Answer keyThe resources above cover the following skills:
Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics). (NCTE)
Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts. (NCTE)