Inferences, Conclusions, & Generalizations

1. Inferences, Conclusions, & Generalizations Standard 2D

2. What are inferences and Conclusions? Inferences and conclusions are special kinds of guesses.

3. How to Make Inferences and Conclusions To make inferences and conclusions, you have to come up with your own ideas, answers, and thoughts about what you have read. Good readers can make inferences and conclusions based on what a passage says.

4. Authors Show, Not Tell The author of a passage may not tell you everything directly. Some authors may "show" something by using special details. As the reader, you have to look carefully and find clues in the story. Then, you have to use your knowledge of real life to make guesses about what the clues mean. Like a detective, look for clues in a story.

5. To Make Inferences and Conclusions: • Read a passage carefully. • Look for details about what a person does. What do the person's actions tell you? • Look for details that describe a place or event. Based on real life, what do those details tell you? • Make a guess (inference or conclusion) about a character or item in the passage. • Check to see if you can find a detail or sentence that led to your guess. If you cannot find something to support your guess, then your guess might be wrong.