inference

Everyday

1. An idea or answer you work out from clues or facts, not from being told directly. tree →
2. The act of working something out from what you already know. tree →
3. (formal, maths and science) A conclusion drawn from data or from a set of statements by careful reasoning. tree →

In the lessons

In reading lessons pupils "make an inference" about how a character feels from clues in the text. In science an inference goes beyond what you saw: you see wet ground and infer it rained. In maths and statistics an inference is a conclusion drawn from data. Phrases: make an inference, draw an inference, by inference.

Examples

• From the muddy boots, my inference was that Dad had been in the garden. tree →
• Our teacher asked us to make an inference about why the boy was crying. tree →
• The detective's inference was right: the thief had a key. tree →
• You saw smoke, so the inference is that something is burning. tree →
• It is only an inference, not a fact, so check it. tree →
• The report draws an inference from the survey data (formal). tree →
• By inference, the missing number must be bigger than ten. tree →

Note

Countable noun: an inference, two inferences. Verb: infer (infer, infers, inferred, inferring). Trap: an observation is what you see; an inference is what you decide it means. Do not confuse "infer" (the listener works it out) with "imply" (the speaker hints it). In word problems, an inference is a fact the problem does not state but you must work out.

In Jewish tradition

In reading lessons pupils "make an inference" about how a character feels from clues in the text. In science an inference goes beyond what you saw: you see wet ground and infer it rained. In maths and statistics an inference is a conclusion drawn from data. Phrases: make an inference, draw an inference, by inference.

Examples

• As al- ready demonstrated, the lirst alphabet invented was similar to that still used by the Berbers, whence the inference, that there may have been a time when the Hebrews also used such an alphabet. (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914)) tree →

Note

Countable noun: an inference, two inferences. Verb: infer (infer, infers, inferred, inferring). Trap: an observation is what you see; an inference is what you decide it means. Do not confuse "infer" (the listener works it out) with "imply" (the speaker hints it). In word problems, an inference is a fact the problem does not state but you must work out.