Tom stormed out of a room angrily after clenching his fists tightly, leaving his ten teammates staring silently. Hannah was excitedly ripping wrapping paper off a present she had received, giggling and squealing. Fred sadly paid for chocolate at a shop after noticing a picture of his late wife in his wallet, preparing for a lonely night at home without her.

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 was annoyed of his mates.
they might of lost a game.
his mates could of been mean.
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.
she was happy.
having lots of excitement.
she might of been putting the paper in to something.
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
he wanted her back.
he was lonely.
he missed her.