Reading Between the Lines

Drawing inferences from texts seems to have become a

daunting task for many students. To infer means to come to
an understanding or to arrive at a conclusion after having
studied the available evidence and reasoning. Writers often
choose to paint pictures in our minds, showing us the
important ideas rather than explicitly telling us about them.

Here are some tips on how you can unlock the meanings
behind the images writers are showing us in their stories.

1. Visualize. There’s no better way to do this than to

imagine what the writer is trying to describe to you in the
story. Visualizing will help you activate your senses,
evoking in you the right emotions to feel while reading
the story. Putting yourself into the situation of the
characters will also help you understand what it feels like
to be going through their pains, joys, sacrifices, and
what have you. As a result, you will arrive at an
understanding — an inference.

2. Ask questions. Pay attention to details and allow yourself to wonder. Asking questions will
keep you active and focused. It also pushes you to speculate and think of good reasons why
things are described in a certain way.

3. Use your Prior Knowledge. Combining what you already know with what the writer is
suggesting or showing you (context clues) will help you arrive at a conclusion. Using your
prior knowledge goes hand in hand with visualizing and asking questions. Without prior
knowledge, it would be extremely difficult to visualise the events in the story. Obviously, you will
also find it difficult to formulate the right questions that lead you to the important ideas in the
story.

When your teacher asks you to infer or show

understanding of the story given to you in class, it’s not
enough to make a wild guess. Your answer needs to
be well informed, and you need to show your teacher
that your answer is well thought out. Here’s a strategy
you can use.

1. State your point — your inference, perception, or understanding.

2. Give your reasons — personal explanation of your point.
3. Refer back to the text and give examples. Examples can also be in the form of a connection.
4. State your point again in another way or give a message, reflection, realization, or insight.

Example

Here’s an excerpt from a story:

Finally, it was all over. I decided to visit it one last time. I sat there alone on one side and noticed that the paint had
started to peel off and the edges have lost its smoothness. The waves could have crashed violently beneath the cliffs and
the sound of thunder roaring from a distance, but it felt awfully quiet. It wasn’t the same — they joy had all vanished.
Memories flickered as the sea breeze carried me, slowly into nothingness. I closed my eyes and breathed my last.