CHAPTER 6 Making Inferences
Introduction
Making inferences plays an important role in reading. It helps a reader to comprehend or
understand a reading text by combining the reader’s own background knowledge with a context
of a passage. Sometimes an author does not explain or clarify everything to the reader, such as
the topic, the place, and the time of the story. So you have to guess these things. If you often
make inferences, you will become a good reader. Therefore, this chapter aims to provide you
how to make inferences, which is one of the necessary reading skills, in order to correctly infer
the meaning of the text.
The meaning of “inference”
“Inference” means a conclusion or judgment. It is a “hidden” idea. This means that if you infer
that something has happened, you do not see, feel, smell, or taste the actual event. A reader
can make a conclusion from the information given in a passage. Many times an author will infer
or imply a message without directly stating it. The reader need to “read between the lines” and
interpret the message.
Making inference is the ability to draw conclusions by making connections between what is
stated in the text and the reader’s own knowledge. In other words, when you make an inference
you use your own knowledge along with the information that is given or suggested in the text.