Key learning points

1. A text gives us clues about a character's features and feelings.
2. Some text clues about a character are explicit and some text clues about a character use subtext.
3. We can infer a character's traits by examining their behaviour.
4. Sherlock Holmes is a complex character.
5. 'Shrewd', 'unflappable', 'presumptuous' and 'assertive' are words that can be used to describe Sherlock Holmes.

Keywords

• Explicit - clear and exact

• Subtext - a hidden or less obvious meaning

• Character traits - the special qualities that make a character in a story unique and interesting

• Inference - a conclusion drawn from information and evidence in a text

Common misconception