Implied Meaning page… · Implied Meaning The clues you need to make up your mind about a character are all in the text. Look for the following: •what the character says •what

Implied Meaning

L.O: To understand what implied meaning is and how to use it.

Implied Meaning

Something that is implied is inferred - it is suggested, by the way it is said/written.

Writers know that to entertain their readers they need to draw them into their texts. Implied meaning works because it causes the reader to

feel that they have made up their own mind about something, such as a character, rather than having to accept the writer’s word for it.

Implied Meaning

The clues you need to make up your mind about a character are all in the text. Look for the following:

• what the character says

• what the character does

• what others say about them

• how others react to them

Example

Have a look at the extract below from Holes by Louis Sachar. In this extract, Stanley has just arrived at the prison camp and meets a character you learn later is a 'Mr Sir' (the man in the cowboy hat).

What do you learn about this mysterious character by 'reading between the lines', that is, by implication? Certain parts of the text have been put in bold to give you some clues

Mr Sir

• The extract gives a lot of physical detail about the character. You can use this detail to form an opinion about his personality.

• By 'reading between the lines' you will get an idea of what the writer is trying to tell us about the character. Even though you are looking at a character’s physical details, you will still begin to form an opinion about his personality.

• Looking at the text, you can tell that the character likes to make an impression and wants to be seen to be in charge. He is sitting 'with his feet up on a desk' which suggests he feels powerful and he knows that he can behave as he likes. He has made his appearance even more striking by wearing sunglasses and a cowboy hat indoors.

Cont on next slide…

• When you consider the can of cream soda, you could say that the fact that the character fails to offer either Stanley or the bus guard anything to drink suggests that he is a selfish man. He keeps his drink in full view of Stanley and the bus guard which further suggests that he is cruel and likes to see other people's discomfort.

• The character has a tattoo of a rattlesnake - a dangerous reptile

that is supposed to have a bad temper - on his arm, which adds to the impression of this man. You are led to believe that the sunflower seeds are there to help him as an alternative to cigarettes, but you don't get the optimistic feeling that they'll be successful.

In conclusion, the character appears to us, through implication only,

to be powerful, bad-tempered and selfish.

Implied meaning

Show not tell!

Sadness

How can you act to show you are sad?

How do you know someone is sad?

Sadness

Her eyes glistened with tears. She lowered her

head and sighed.

Anger

How can you act to show you are angry?

How do you know someone is angry?

Anger

His eyes scowled and he clenched his fist. He

rapidly spun around and stamped away.

Fear

How can you act to show you are scared?

How do you know someone is scared?

Fear

He sat quietly, lost in thought. His hands shook and his eyes widened as the lieutenant shouted

“Charge!”

Confidence

How can you act to show you are confidence? How do you know

someone is confident?

Confidence

She stood tall and straight. She looked

directly into his eyes and grinned as she pranced

back into the house.

Task 1: Write implied meaning sentences for each of the emojis

How to use implied meaning in your descriptive writing :

Tell Sentence:

Mr. Smith was an overweight, grouchy old man.

Show sentence:

Mr. Smith heaved his heavy frame out of his well-worn armchair, huffing and puffing as he

reached for his walking stick.

Tell Sentence: Joey was afraid. There was a storm and the lights

went out. Show sentence:

The lights suddenly went out. In the darkness, the wind and rain grew louder and closer. Joey sat still, heart beating out of his chest. As he chewed on his

bottom lip, beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead.

Tell sentence:

Brian was angry.

Show sentence:

Brian pursed his lips and clenched his fists into tight balls. Try as he might, he could not contain

himself. Within seconds, he erupted like a volcano.

Tell sentence:

He felt sad.

Show sentence:

An ache started deep in his stomach. He turned away as his eyes welled up with tears

Task 2: Fill these columns with ideas you could use if you were writing these emotions as implied meaning. I’ve added some examples to help .

Try and get at least 6 for each one. You could ask someone to help if you struggle.

Excited Amused/Happy Fear

Talkative Pacing around

Smiling Eyes wide

Dry mouth Biting lip

Angry Shocked/Surprise Sadness

Breathing deeply Picking fights

Stiff posture Sudden feeling of cold

Downcast eyes Red eyes

Task 3 – Could you write a descriptive paragraph about this man – focussing

on implied meaning

Embarrassed Nervous Tired

Cheeks are red

Biting your lip Droopy eyes