1. Chapter 3: Thesis, Main Ideas, Supporting Details, & Transitions
Reading Across the Disciplines: College Reading and Beyond, 1/e Kathleen McWhorter
PowerPoint by JoAnn Yaworski, 2001
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2. In this chapter you will learn how to:
Identify a thesis
Find main ideas
Find implied main ideas
Recognize supporting details
Recognize transitions
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3. Identifying the Thesis
The thesis is what the entire reading selection is about; it is the one most important idea that the entire article is written to explain.
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Main Ideas
A paragraph is a group of related sentences that express a single idea about a single topic—the main idea.
Main Idea
Detail
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5. The topic sentence is the one sentence that expresses the main idea.
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6. The Topic Sentence First
The author first states his or her main point and then explains it.
Main Point
Detail
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Topic Sentence Last
The author leads up to the main point and then directly states it at the end.
Detail
Main Point
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8. Topic Sentence in the Middle
Some details lead up to or introduce the main idea while others follow the main idea to further explain or describe it.
Detail
Main Point
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9. Topic Sentence First & Last
Writers may emphasize an important idea at the beginning and then again at the end. Or, the first and last sentence together express the paragraphs main point.
Main Point
Detail
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10. Finding the Implied Main Idea
Recognize the supporting details in a reading.
Based on those details, decide what the main idea is.
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11. Recognizing Supporting Details
Identify the topic.
Identify the main idea.
List supporting points for main idea.
Use Roman numerals to signal broad categories.
Use capital letters to show supporting details under those categories.
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12. Recognizing Transitions
Transitions are linking words or phrases used to lead the reader from one idea to another.
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Common Transitions
Time-Sequence—first, later, next
Example—for instance, such as
Enumeration —first, second, next
Continuation—also, in addition
Contrast—however, in contrast
Comparison—similarly, like
Cause-Effect—because, therefore
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14. Visit the Longman English Pages
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