ELT365 · D175 — Inferencing: Reading Between the Lines

Idea — Inferencing is reading or listening for what is implied but not stated. A critical higher-order skill — and the one that separates B1 from B2.

Example — ‘The room was quiet when she walked in.’ Not stated: the room was noisy before; people went quiet when they saw her. The reader infers both.

Try — Find one sentence in a text where meaning is implied. Write an inference question: ‘What does this suggest about…?’ Test it: does the answer need the text or just common sense?

Independent project; not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Confers no qualification.