Reading: comprehension
Reading between the lines
Work out what a passage implies but does not state outright.
Writers leave things out on purpose. They show you a full dog bowl and let you work out that nobody has been home. An inference is a conclusion you reach from the evidence on the page — not a guess, and not something the writer said.
Stated or inferred
If the words are on the page, it is stated. If you had to put two details together to reach it, it is inferred. "It is raining" is stated; "the roof is leaking" is inferred from the bucket and the wet patch.
An inference needs evidence
"Somebody left in a hurry" is supported by the plates and the open door. "The house was on fire" is not supported by anything. An inference the passage cannot back up is just a guess.
How to answer
Find the detail that made you think it, and point at it. If you cannot name the evidence, choose a different answer.
Worked example
What can you infer from: "The tiffin box came home untouched for the third day running"?
Note the details: untouched, and three days in a row.
A single day means nothing; three in a row is a pattern.
Try it together
Work one inference through to its limit.
The passage is: "The gate stood open, the porch light was still burning, and the newspaper lay unread on the step." Write the words each step asks for.
1.Does the passage state anywhere that nobody has been home? Write yes or no.
Have a go
Read: "He checked the address twice, then rang the bell of the next house instead." What can you infer?
Ready to practise?
Eight questions on what you have just read. Nothing is timed, and you can play as many times as you like.