How to Make Inferences in Reading

Comprehension
Inference in reading is the ability to understand the
meaning of a passage of text without all the information
being spelled out. From context clues within a passage,
the author gives information about plot, characters,
Written by Patti Richards setting, time period and other elements of story by the
things he or she infers. Word choice and word order give
clues about the story as it unfolds to the reader. Readers take the clues they are
given and draw conclusions based on their own worldview and personal
experiences.

Cloze Technique
The cloze technique for teaching inferences is based on the psychological
theory of closure. According to the online professional learning community,
Thinkfinity, the cloze theory supports the idea that a person attempts to
complete any pattern that is not complete. Activities using the cloze theory can
teach students to infer the meaning behind text by recognizing and completing
patterns within the reading. In one such activity, students choose a passage of
about 250 words in a book of an appropriate reading level. From this selection
students should include the first and second sentences completely. Students
then delete every fifth word after the first two sentences from the passage and
replace these with blank lines. Students exchange papers and try to fill in the
blanks from their peersʼ reading selection, looking for patterns or meanings from
the words that remain to help them fill in the blanks. Students then compare the
words they have chosen to the original text to see how close their choices are to
the original meaning.

General Sense
The concept of general sense helps students infer the meaning of words or
passages of text based on context clues. According to Cuesta College, general
sense activities help students understand implied word meanings even though
the words themselves may be new or unfamiliar. One way to teach this is to give
students a sentence with a new vocabulary word that then lists the meaning of
the word within the remaining text. For example, in the sentence “Murderers are
usually incarcerated for longer periods of time than robbers,” students may not
be familiar with the word “incarcerated”, but they most-likely will be familiar with
the word “robbers.” Students know that robbers who are caught usually spend
time in jail for their crimes. Thus they can infer that the word “incarcerated”
means “to spend time in custody for crimes committed.”

Examples
Using examples that mean the same as the word a student is trying to
understand is a way to infer meaning. According to literary coach, Catherine M.
Wishart, inference helps students use their own background knowledge to find
out what they do not know. Using examples from personal experiences in the
following sentence helps students infer the meaning of the word “gregarious.”
Ex: Those who enjoy belonging to clubs, going to parties and frequently inviting
friends to their homes for dinner are gregarious. Because students associate
certain personality traits in those who enjoy social gatherings and having others
in their homes, they can infer that gregarious is a word used to describe this
type of person.

Opposites and Contrasts

Opposites and contrasts help students take information they already know to
infer meaning to other words. According to Cuestra University, when the
meaning of a word is not implied by context or a general sense, it can be
inferred by using a word that is opposite or in stark contrast to the meaning of
the word in question. For example, if one person is "fearless" and the other is
"timorous" in a sentence, it can be inferred that "timorous" means "frightened,
afraid or timid" since the sentence is attempting to show the difference between
the two.

References

Cuesta College: Making Inferences and Drawing Conclusions

Easy Literary: Catherine M. Wishart, Literary Coach, Inferences: The
Hidden Meanings Behind the Words
Thinkfinity.org: Strategies to Help Readers Make Meaning Through
Inferences
Alcorn State University: How to Make Inferences in Reading
Comprehension

About the Author

Patti Richards has been a writer since 1990. She writes childrenʼs books and
articles on parenting, women's health and education. Her credits include San
Diego Family Magazine, Metro Parent Magazine, Boys' Quest Magazine and
many others. Richards has a Bachelor of Science in English/secondary
education from Welch College.

Photo Credits

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