Authors don't tell you everything. Read between the lines — mix the clues in the text with what you already know.
➕The Inference Formula
🔎Text Evidence
The exact words & clues the author put on the page.
+
🧠What You Know
Your background knowledge about how the world works.
=
💡Inference
A smart educated guess the author hoped you'd figure out!
🕵️Detective Time: A Worked Example
“Sarah stomped her foot and slammed the door.”
🔎 Text EvidenceShe stomped her foot and slammed the door.
🧠 What I KnowPeople act loud and rough when they feel mad.
→
💡 My InferenceSarah is ANGRY 😠
✏️ Notice: the author never wrote the word "angry" — you inferred it from the clues!
📖Read Between the Lines
🔍 The meaning hides in the gaps
The gray lines are what the author actually wrote.
The orange line is what you infer — never printed, but clearly there.
A good inference can be backed up with evidence — it's not a random guess!
🔑Key Terms
💡InferenceA conclusion from text clues PLUS what you already know.
🤔InferTo figure out something the author hasn't stated outright.
🤫ImplyTo strongly suggest something without saying it directly.
🔎Context CluesSurrounding words that help you understand a new word or idea.
📌EvidenceSpecific words or sentences from the text that support an inference.
🧠Background KnowledgeWhat YOU already know about the world — adds to the text clues.
⭐Remember: an inference = text evidence + your background knowledge. If you can point to the clues that prove it, it's a smart guess — not a random one!