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Listening Skills — Set 6: Listening and Understanding Inferences
TEACHER'S COPY
Set 6

Listening and Understanding Inferences

Understanding meaning not directly stated — speaker attitude and implied meaning
👩‍🏫 Teacher notes
Teacher Notes
Aim: Students infer attitude, feeling, and implied meaning from tone, hesitation, and word choice.
Tip: Play each conversation TWICE — first for general mood, second for specific clue words.
Key teaching point: indirect negative language (e.g. 'It was certainly thorough...').
Challenge (Work conversation): Focus on what is NOT said. Good for discussion: 'Why doesn't the employee explain more?'

Learning Objectives

• Understand what a speaker means even when it is not directly said.

• Use context and tone to guess meaning.

• Recognise feelings and attitudes from language choices.

What Is an Inference?
A speaker says: "Oh... the weather today. Again."
The speaker does NOT say: 'I am annoyed about the rain.'
But you can INFER (guess) that the speaker is unhappy about the weather.
You use CLUES: the words chosen, the tone of voice, and the situation.
Listening Strategy: Understanding Inferences
STEP 1 — Before you listen: Think about the situation. What relationship do the speakers have?
STEP 2 — While listening: Notice what the speaker does NOT say directly.
STEP 3 — Listen for clues: hesitation (“well...”), vague answers, or unusual word choice.
STEP 4 — Ask yourself: “What does the speaker really mean? How do they feel?”
STEP 5 — After listening: Match your inference to the evidence — tone, words, context.

Key Vocabulary — Feelings and Attitudes

WordMeaning
nervous (adj)worried that something bad might happen
confident (adj)feeling sure about yourself, your abilities, or something that will happen
excited (adj)very happy and interested about something
worried (adj)thinking that something bad may happen
disappointed (adj)sad because something was not as good as you hoped
reluctant (adj)not wanting to do something; unwilling or hesitant
relieved (adj)happy because a problem or worry has ended
6A

Short Conversations

Speed:
Exercise 1

Exercise 1. What can you INFER? Circle the best answer.

1
In conversation 1, Speaker B feels ___.
2
In conversation 2, Speaker B thinks the food was ___.
3
In conversation 3, Speaker B is ___.
4
In conversation 4, Speaker B feels ___.
Exercise 2

Exercise 2. Write the key words from each conversation that helped you infer the meaning.

1
Conversation 1 key clue words:
2
Conversation 2 key clue words:
3
Conversation 3 key clue words:
4
Conversation 4 key clue words:
Inference Tips
Listen for HOW something is said, not only WHAT is said.
A pause (...) or slow answer can show hesitation or uncertainty.
Excited answers are usually fast and use strong words.
When a speaker avoids answering directly, they may be politely negative.
6B

Conversations with Hidden Meaning

Speed:

What does Speaker B really mean? Choose A, B, or C.

What does Speaker B really mean? Choose A, B, or C
1
Conversation 1 — Speaker B ___.
2
Conversation 2 — Speaker B thought the lecture was ___.
3
Conversation 3 — Speaker B is ___.
4
Conversation 4 — Speaker B is ___.
5
Conversation 5 — Speaker B feels ___.
6C

A Difficult Conversation at Work

Speed:
Exercise 1

Exercise 1. Choose A, B, or C.

1
The employee's attitude to the project suggests they ___.
2
The manager's feeling when saying 'Thursday. That's two weeks late.' is ___.
3
Why is the report late?
4
The manager's overall attitude to the employee is ___.
Exercise 2

Exercise 2. Write True, False or Not Given (T, F, or NG).

1
The report was due last Monday.
2
The employee has been working overtime.
3
The manager has spoken to the finance team about the data.
4
The client gave positive feedback about the employee's presentation.