Inference

Drawing Inferences to Write

When writing an essay, you might need to make inferences about your sources. Authors do not always directly say what they mean. Sometimes they use clues to help the reader come to their own conclusions. When writing a synthesis essay, put on your detective hat. What points is the author making without saying so?

To make inferences from a source, you have to find clues. Pay close attention to what the author writes AND what the author does not write. What information did they put there subconsciously? What is the author really trying to say?

Types of Inferences

The main types of inference are inferences drawn from context, tone, and examples. Each type of inference looks to different clues for meaning.

Examples of Inferences

Examples of inferences can show you how to infer meaning in different ways, based on context and tone. Here are a few.

Example of Inference from the Context

You are writing an essay comparing arguments about standardized testing in schools. Each author makes compelling points, but you want to understand where each point of view is coming from. You find out a little more about the authors. You find out Author A is a teacher. Author B is a celebrity.

When re-reading both articles, you also notice that Author A's article was published this year. It is fairly new. Author B's article was published ten years ago.

When comparing these arguments, you note how Author B's research might be outdated. You also explain how Author A's position as a teacher affects their point of view. Although Author B makes compelling points, you infer that Author A's arguments are more valid.

Example of Inference from the Tone

You are writing an essay about the impact of social media on children. You find a source that states a lot of facts about social media. However, this source doesn't seem to indicate whether social media is good or bad for children.

Since the author doesn't directly state whether social media is good or bad for children, you look for clues to their opinion. You notice the author sounds sarcastic when discussing the benefits of social media for children. You also notice how angry the author seems when discussing children using social media.

Based on the author's tone, you infer they believe social media is bad for children. You agree with the author. So, you use some of their particularly well-worded quotes to back up your inference.

Fig. 1 - Infer using a writer's tone.

Example of Inference from Examples

You are writing an essay on the history of libraries. You are hoping to learn why libraries treat their books so carefully. After all, they're just books! You find an article discussing how important it is to keep books in the right conditions. This article discusses temperature controls and storage instructions. But it never states why this matters.

You notice the article uses a lot of examples about older books that were handled incorrectly. They all deteriorated and were destroyed! Most importantly, some of these books were very old and rare.

By looking at these examples, you infer why it is essential to treat books so carefully. Books are sensitive, especially old ones. And once old books are lost, they are lost forever.

Steps for Making an Inference

The steps for making an inference are: read the source to identify the genre, come up with a question, identify clues, make an educated guess, and support that guess with evidence. Together, these steps will help you make inferences for your writing.

1. Read the Source and Identify the Genre

To make inferences, it helps to read the source. Read your source carefully and take notes on the following features:

• What is the genre?
• What is the purpose?
• What is the main idea?
• What effect does the author intend to have on the reader?

Genres are defined by their purpose and features. For example, a news report aims to convey facts and up-to-date information. Therefore, news reports include facts, statistics, and quotes from interviews.

However, another journalistic genre, the opinion-editorial (op-ed), has a different purpose. Its purpose is to share an opinion about a subject.

When reading a source, try to identify the genre, purpose, and intended effects. This will help you draw inferences.

Fig.2 - Understand your source to make a solid inference.

2. Come Up with a Question

What is it you want to know about your source? What information or ideas were you hoping to get from it? Consider this carefully. Then, write out your question.

For instance, in the previous example, you wanted to know whether social media was good or bad for children. You might have asked: Is social media more harmful or helpful for children?

If you don't have a specific question to ask, you can always start with general questions.

Here are some general questions to start with:

• What are the goals of the source?
• What does the author think about ____?
• What is the author trying to imply about my subject?
• What does the author think is important or irrelevant?
• Why does the author think ____ happens/happened?

3. Identify Clues

To answer your question, it's time to put on that detective hat! Read the source closely. Identify clues along the way. Look for the context, tone, or examples used by the author. Do they give any clues to answer your question?

Write down anything you learn from your clues. For instance, in the example above, you might have identified descriptive words that showed the author's tone and written them down.

4. Make an Educated Guess

Try to answer your question. Examine your clues carefully and use them to develop a tentative answer.

For instance, in the above example, your tentative answer might have been: Social media is more harmful than helpful for children.

5. Explain and Support Your Inferences

You have an answer! Now explain how you got there—select evidence (the clues you found) from the source. You can also select evidence from other sources for context.

For instance, in the above example, you might use a direct quote from the source to show the author's tone.

Fig. 3 - A quote tells you who thinks what.

Inference in a Sentence

To write an inference in a sentence, state your point, support it with evidence, and bring it all together. Your sentences should make clear what you have inferred from the text. They should include evidence from the source to show how you made the inference. The connections between the evidence and your inference should be clear.

State the Point

The first thing you need to do is state your point. What did you infer from your source? State it plainly. Make sure it connects to the point you are making in your essay.

Support with Evidence

Once you have stated your point, you need to back it up. How did you infer this point? Where did you get your inference from? Your reader needs to know to believe you.

Add any evidence that demonstrates your inference. This might mean discussing the context of the source, the author's tone, or quotes that demonstrate what you are talking about. Write out your thoughts on the evidence you used. How did you infer your conclusions?

Bring it all Together

You have your inference. You have your evidence. It's time to bring them together in 1-3 sentences! Make sure the connections between your inference and your evidence are clear.

Fig. 4 - Create an inference sandwich.

It helps to create an inference sandwich. The bottom bread is your main inference. The middle ingredients are the evidence. You top it all off with an explanation of the evidence and how it illustrates your inference.

¹ Dawn Neeley-Randall, "Teacher: No longer can I throw my students to the ‘testing wolves,’" The Washington Post, 2014.