Tom became very angry at his teammates, clenching his fists until they turned white. He then stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him, leaving his teammates in stunned silence. Hannah received a present that she had been wanting, evidenced by her excited giggling and hands clapping as she tore away the wrapping paper. Fred hobbled to the counter of a shop on a shaking leg. Seeing a picture of his late wife in his wallet made him sad to be spending another night alone watching TV after buying some chocolate.

1. Inference detectives: Looking for clues
Read the excerpts and write your inferences in the box below.
Think about . . .
• Who the character might be (old, young, sporty, brainy etc) •
• What kind of person the character is (kind, thoughtful, nasty, selfish, etc) •
• How the character is feeling at that moment and why
• Where and when this action is taking place
1 Tom clenched his fists until the knuckles were white. He sighed deeply, stood up and
stormed toward the door without saying another word. He opened the door and slammed it behind
him. His ten team mates sat staring at each other in stunned silence.
-He must be angry at his team mates.
-His team mates might have kicked him of the team.
-Toms mum might have called him at the wrong time.
2 Hannah’s eyes grew as big as saucers and she began to clap her tiny hands together. As
soon as the present was within reach, she grabbed it and began ripping off the paper. She was
giggling and squealing with delight.
-It might be her birthday or some thing.
-she must have got something she wanted.
3 Fred hobbled toward the counter. He reached into his pocket and with a shaking hand pulled
out his old leather wallet. As he got his money out, he noticed the picture of his wife Molly. All of a
sudden his eyes became sad and after paying for his chocolate he quickly put his wallet back into
his pocket. Thanking the shop assistant he left the shop and headed home for a lonely night in
front of the television.
-He is an old man
-His wife might of died