Thesis, Main Ideas, Supporting Details, and Transitions The Nuts and Bolts of Comprehending What We Read

Understanding the IDEAS in a reading passage You should be able to read an assignment and be able to determine the most important ideas presented within it. These ideas are derived from: The thesis Main ideas Supporting details Transitions that link ideas together

THESIS The thesis is what the entire reading selection is about. A selection is often thought of as a chapter or particular assigned reading section. The thesis could be an article in a magazine The thesis can be stated in a single statement (sentence).

MAIN IDEA A reading assignment will have a general thesis, but each paragraph will have a MAIN IDEA. A paragraph is a group of sentences that support a main idea. Often, but not always, the main idea be stated in a single sentence, called a topic sentence

How to Find the Topic Sentence Often-times a topic sentence will be the first sentence in the paragraph, especially in textbooks. Sometimes the topic sentence will be last in the paragraph. Also, the topic sentence can be in the middle of the paragraph. Sometimes there could be two topic sentences (beginning and end).

IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS Sometimes the author does not provide a clearly written topic sentence. There are only “details” or “specifics” that when taken together point to a main idea. More thought must be used to identify the topic. You must try to decide what the author by answering these questions: What seems to be the one thing that the author is discussing in the paragraph? Read the details and decide on the larger idea the author is trying to explain. Express this idea in your own words.

SUPPORTING DETAILS The main idea is explained by “supporting details.” Supporting details vary on importance. While reading a paragraph the KEY details should be identified. Some supporting details actually apply to the important details.

TRANSITIONS Transitions are Linking Word or Phrases used to lead the reader from one detail to another. The Table 3.1, p. 63, list common Transitions as well as examples and what they tell the reader.