CHAPTER 6: MORE ABOUT INFERENCES

INFERENCES IN EVERYDAY LIFE—WHETHER WE REALIZE OR NOT, WE MAKE INFERENCES ON A DAILY BASIS. QUIPS AND QUOTES EXERCISE 1 (316)

IDIOMS—EXPRESSIONS THAT NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS KNOW FROM LONG USAGE BUT WHOSE MEANING NON-NATIVES DO NOT UNDERSTAND BECAUSE THE MEANING CANNOT BE UNDERSTOOD WORD FOR WORD. IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS NEED TO BE LEARNED AND INFERRED. EXERCISE 2 (318)

INCOMPLETE/PARTIALLY COMPLETE TOPIC SENTENCES: SOMETIMES, WRITERS DO NOT INCLUDE A SENTENCE THAT COMPLETELY CAPTURES THE MAIN IDEA OF THE PARAGRAPH. INSTEAD, THE WRITER PROVIDES AN INCOMPLETE TOPIC SENTENCE. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE READER’S JOB IS TO FILL IN THE GAPS IN THE TOPIC SENTENCE TO CAPTURE THE FULL MEANING OF THE MAIN IDEA IN THE PARAGRAPH. EXERCISE 3 (321)

IMPLICATION—SOMETIMES WRITERS DO NOT SPELL OUT THE TOPIC SENTENCE OF A PARAGRAPH; INSTEAD, THE WRITER PROVIDES SUFFICIENT SPECIFIC DETAILS FOR THE READER TO INFER THE UNSPOKEN MAIN IDEA.

INFERENCE—WHEN THE READER MAKES A LOGICAL “EDUCATED GUESS” ABOUT THE MAIN IDEA OF THE PARAGRAPH.

STEPS ON MAKING LOGICAL INFERENCES:

1. UNDERSTAND WHAT EACH SENTENCE HAS IN COMMON AND WHAT MAIN TOPIC IT FOCUSES ON 2. ASK YOURSELF: “WHAT DO ALL OF THESE SENTENCES ADD UP TO SAY ABOUT THAT MAIN TOPIC?” THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION IS THE IMPLIED MAIN IDEA OF THE PARAGRAPH 3. ASK YOURSELF: IS THE IMPLIED MAIN IDEA SOLIDLY BASED ON STATEMENTS IN THE PARAGRAPH? (AVOID MAKING AN INFERENCE BASED ON YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES OR POINT OF VIEW; INSTEAD, RELY ONLY ON THE AUTHOR’S WORDS—LEAVE YOUR OWN OPINIONS OUT.) 4. ASK YOURSELF: “AM I SURE THAT NONE OF THE AUTHOR’S STATEMENTS CONTRADICT THE MAIN IDEA I HAVE INFERRED?”

EXERCISE 4 (326) EXERCISE 5 (329) EXERCISE 6 (333)

FIVE TYPES OF PARAGRAPHS LIKELY TO IMPLY THE MAIN IDEA:

1. JUST THE FACTS 2. QUESTION AND ANSWER 3. COMPETING POINTS OF VIEW 4. COMPARISON AND CONTRAST 5. RESULTS OF RESEARCH

JUST THE FACTS—WHEN THE WRITER DESCRIBES AN EVENT BY LISTING SPECIFIC DETAILS AFTER SPECIFIC DETAILS WITHOUT INCLUDING A MORE GENERAL TOPIC SENTENCE.

QUESTION AND ANSWER—WHEN THE OPENING QUESTION OF A PARAGRAPH IS NOT FOLLOWED BY AN IMMEDIATE ANSWER, BUT RATHER IT IS FOLLOWED BY SPECIFIC DETAILS.

COMPETING POINTS OF VIEW—WHEN THE AUTHOR OFFERS SEVERAL COMPETING VIEWPOINTS BUT DOES NOT TAKE SIDES OR STATES WHICH ONE MIGHT BE MORE VALID.

COMPARISON AND CONTRAST—WHEN THE AUTHOR LISTS SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TWO TOPICS BUT DOESN’T TELL YOU WHAT THOSE SIMILARITIES OR DIFFERENCES MEAN OR HOW TO EVALUATE THEM.

RESULT OF RESEARCH—WHEN THE AUTHOR CITES SOME KIND OF RESEARCH FINDING BUT DOES NOT INTERPRET THE RESULTS OR GIVE ANY OPINIONS ABOUT IT.

EXERCISE 7 (343) EXERCISE 8 (348)

LOGICAL AND ILLOGICAL INFERENCES LOGICAL INFERENCES ILLOGICAL INFERENCES  FOLLOW FROM, OR ARE  GIVE MORE WEIGHT TO BASED ON, WHAT’S SAID THE READER’S FEELINGS IN THE PARAGRAPH OR OPINIONS THAN THEY  DOES NOT DEPEND ON DO THE AUTHOR’S THE READER’S VALUES, WORDS EXPERIENCES, PERSONAL  ARE BASED ON A FEW OPINIONS OR MOOD STRAY WORDS RATHER  ARE NOT CONTRADICTED THAN SEVERAL BY ANY STATEMENTS DIFFERENT SENTENCES APPEARING IN THE  ARE LIKELY TO BE PARAGRAPH CONTRADICTED BY ONE  DO NOT DIVERT THE OR MORE STATEMENTS READER FROM THE APPEARING IN THE AUTHOR’S INTENDED PARAGRAPH MEANING  ARE LIKELY TO SIDETRACK READERS FROM THE AUTHOR’S INTENDED MEANING

EXERCISE 9 (355) EXERCISE 10 (357)