College Composition / Unit 31 CMP 0759 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Inference
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The idea
An inference is a conclusion a reader draws from evidence in the text when the writer does not state it directly.
In practice
Readers often infer a theme from details, or a writer's position from word choice; a sound inference rests on an accumulation of evidence.
Where people slip
An inference must be supported by the text; a guess that goes beyond it is not an inference.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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