READING FOR MAIN IDEAS

Identifying Topics, Main Ideas, and Supporting Details

Identifying the Topic The first thing you must be able to do to get at the main idea of a paragraph is to identify the topic – the subject of the paragraph.  Your strategy for topic identification is simply to ask yourself the question, "What is this about?" Keep asking yourself that question as you read a paragraph, until the answer to your question becomes clear. Sometimes you can spot the topic by looking for a word or two that repeat. Usually you can state the topic in a few words. The bulk of a paragraph is made up of supporting sentences (major and minor details), which help to explain or prove the main idea. These sentences present facts, reasons, examples, definitions, comparison, contrasts, and other pertinent details. They are most important because they sell the main idea.

Identifying the Topic The last sentence of a paragraph is likely to be a concluding sentence. It is used to sum up a discussion, to emphasize a point, or to restate all or part of the topic sentence so as to bring the paragraph to a close. The last sentence may also be a transitional sentence leading to the next paragraph.

Grasping the Main Idea A paragraph is a group of sentences related to a particular topic, or central theme. Every paragraph has a key concept or main idea. The main idea is the most important piece of information the author wants you to know about the concept of that paragraph.   When authors write they have an idea in mind that they are trying to get across. An author organizes each paragraph's main idea and supporting details in support of the topic or central theme, and each paragraph supports the paragraph preceding it.

Grasping the Main Idea A writer will state his/her main idea explicitly somewhere in the paragraph. That main idea may be stated at the beginning of the paragraph, in the middle, or at the end.  The sentence in which the main idea is stated is the topic sentence of that paragraph.   The topic sentence announces the general theme (or portion of the theme) to be dealt with in the paragraph. Although the topic sentence may appear anywhere in the paragraph, it is usually first – and for a very good reason. This sentence provides the focus for the writer while writing and for the reader while reading. 

The Statement of the Main Idea When the most relevant information of the text is identified, it is used to develop a statement that expresses what is perceived as the main. This is the statement of the main idea. This statement should be a lean sentence or two. The process of composing this statement starts with asking questions about the text. Not all questions will apply to every text, but they will provide a good starting point for extracting the main idea from any piece of writing.

The Statement of the Main Idea Who? — the person or people the text is about What? — the topic or underlying theme of the text When? — a specific time or period Where? — a specific place or a setting Why? — a reason or explanation for what happens in the text How? — a method or theory in the text These questions, and variations of these questions, can help draw out what the text is about. The two most important questions of those above are who and what. These will be sufficient to elicit the information required to identify the main idea in most circumstances.

Strategies for Success in Identifying the Main Idea 1. Look at the title — Often the title provides a good indication of the topic of the text, or at least helps to orientate the reader in the direction of the main idea. 2. Look at the first and last sentences / paragraphs of the extract — Often the main idea will be introduced and summarized respectively in these parts of the text. 3. Look for repeated words and phrases in the extract — The frequency with which they occur will be a strong indicator of their relative importance and will point students in the direction of that elusive main idea. 4. Ask, “What does the writer want me to know?” — Answering this question successfully will require to uncover the main idea of the text.

How to Locate the Main Idea When it is Implied If the main idea is not stated explicitly in a sentence or paragraph, then it is implied, and it’s necessary to uncover it by inferring. Look for patterns in the details as you read to achieve this goal.

To Sum Up The main idea is the central, or most important, idea in a paragraph or passage. It states the purpose and sets the direction of the paragraph or passage. The main idea may be stated, or it may be implied. When the main idea of a paragraph is stated, it is most often found in the first sentence of the paragraph. However, the main idea may be found in any sentence of the paragraph.

To Sum Up The main idea may be stated in the first sentence of a paragraph and then be repeated or restated at the end of the paragraph. The main idea may be split. The first sentence of a paragraph may present a point of view, while the last sentence presents a contrasting or opposite view. To find the main idea of any paragraph or passage, ask these questions:   1. Who or what is the paragraph about? 2. What aspect or idea about the ‘who’ or ‘what’ is the author concerned with?

Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don’t see any. - Orson Scott