ELT365 · Day 175 — Inferencing from Context

Idea — Inference means working out what is implied but not stated. In listening, this includes reading between the lines — detecting sarcasm, implication, or unstated attitude. It is a higher-order skill worth teaching explicitly.

Example — Play a dialogue where a speaker says ‘That was certainly… interesting’ about a meal. Ask: did they enjoy it? How do you know? The word ‘interesting’ alone doesn’t tell us — the pause and stress do.

Try — Find a 30-second clip where the speaker implies something. Ask two questions: what did the speaker say? What did they mean? Discuss the gap.

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