Key learning points

1. Robert Louis Stevenson was a Victorian writer of novels and travel books.
2. John Steinbeck was a 20th century American writer of novels and travel books.
3. Both Stevenson and Steinbeck wrote books about travelling with animal companions.
4. When writers describe someone or something, they are also conveying information about themselves.
5. We use inference to understand the more hidden information they are telling us.

Keywords

• Intuitively - in a way that is based on feelings not facts

• Perceptive - good at noticing and understanding things that other people may miss

• Compassionate - feeling or showing sympathy for the suffering or bad luck of others

• Euphemism - a word or phrase used to avoid saying something unpleasant or offensive

• Daunting - making you feel nervous about your ability to achieve something

Common misconception