Implication & inference : Reading skill

Implication & inference : Reading skills

credit: https://www.really-learn-english.com/imply-vs-infer.html

Imply  / Implication

It means to say something indirectly. When you imply something, you are saying it without actually saying it.

Even though he says he is happy, his expression implies that he is lying.

(He says directly that he's happy, but his frown says indirectly that he isn't telling the truth.)

The newspaper implies that the senator is taking bribes because they do not have enough evidence to directly accuse him yet.

(The newspaper hints indirectly that the senator is taking bribes to avoid accusing him directly without enough evidence to prove their claim.)

Infer / Inference

It means to reach a conclusion based on evidence. When you infer something, you are like a detective bringing together clues.

He told me he was happy, but I infer that he was lying based on his frown.

(I reach the conclusion that he was lying about being happy based on his expression.)

Based on the evidence in the article, I inferred that the senator was taking bribes.

(Based on evidence presented in the newspaper article, it was easy to conclude that the senator was taking bribes, even though the paper never explicitly stated it.)

Conclusion

Imply and infer are opposites, like a throw and a catch. To imply is to hint at something, but to infer is to make an educated guess. The speaker/writer does the implying, and the listener/reader does the inferring.

The text will imply you, then you have to infer.

Let's practice!