Imply and Infer 推測、猜想
Imply and Infer 推測、猜想
Hello, I am confused by the two words imply and infer. Could you tell me how to use them appropriately? Thanks a lot.
Jing
收聽與下載
The verbs to imply and to infer are often confused and not just by learners of English.
Native speakers can have problems with these two verbs as well.
One is something a speaker does and the other is something a listener does.
They are also used in situations where speaking isn't involved.
This example about Loch Ness Monster 尼斯湖怪獸 hunting comes from the BBC:
Does this imply or infer there is something under the water?
A violent commotion of the water, mostly, and they say they couldn't really see a beast in the water but they infer the beast was there because there was a large commotion.
All this and more in the programme!
Do you have a question about learning English? 你有沒有英語學習上的問題？
Then email us at chinaelt@bbc.co.uk.
