Notes on Finding the Main Idea in a Piece of Writing
Finding the Main Idea
Paragraph: A group of sentences organized around a topic, a main idea about the topic, and details that support the main idea.
Topic: The overall subject of a paragraph.
Main Idea: A statement that tells the author’s point about the topic. The main idea provides the message of a given paragraph or the argument that is being made about the topic.
Details: The specific information about the main idea or support for the main idea.
Main Idea = Topic + Author’s Point about the Topic
How to Find the Topic
Ask yourself the question:
What or who is this paragraph about?
How to Find the Main Idea
Ask yourself the question:
What is the overall message or argument being made by the author about the topic of this paragraph?
How to Find Supporting Details
Turn the main idea into a question by asking who, what, when, where, why, or how? The answer will give a set of details.
Hints
Boldfaced headings or titles may contain the topic and/or main idea
First and last sentences in the paragraph are usually helpful
Look for repeating words, these often indicate the topic
Remember
Topics, main ideas, and supporting details work together. The main idea tells the author’s point about the topic, and the details offer support for the main idea.
Finding the Main Idea
May 2009; g: ASC Eng/Read
The main idea is the overall idea of the paragraph. It is supported by details throughout the paragraph much like the frame of a house supports the roof.
Topic
Main Idea
Supporting
Detail
Supporting
Detail
Supporting
Detail
Florida
Vegetation
Florida is full of beautiful scenery, but the vegetation is exceptionally exquisite. The royal palm is one of the most majestic types of vegetation in
Florida.
Hibiscus plants, with their picturesque flowers, are a pleasing addition to any landscape. Though it has a harsh sounding name, the saw palmetto works well as a buffer between roads
and
Paragraph: A group of sentences organized around a topic, a main idea about the topic, and details that support the main idea.
Topic: The overall subject of a paragraph.
Main Idea: A statement that tells the author’s point about the topic. The main idea provides the message of a given paragraph or the argument that is being made about the topic.
Details: The specific information about the main idea or support for the main idea.
Main Idea = Topic + Author’s Point about the Topic
How to Find the Topic
Ask yourself the question:
What or who is this paragraph about?
How to Find the Main Idea
Ask yourself the question:
What is the overall message or argument being made by the author about the topic of this paragraph?
How to Find Supporting Details
Turn the main idea into a question by asking who, what, when, where, why, or how? The answer will give a set of details.
Hints
Boldfaced headings or titles may contain the topic and/or main idea
First and last sentences in the paragraph are usually helpful
Look for repeating words, these often indicate the topic
Remember
Topics, main ideas, and supporting details work together. The main idea tells the author’s point about the topic, and the details offer support for the main idea.
Finding the Main Idea
May 2009; g: ASC Eng/Read
The main idea is the overall idea of the paragraph. It is supported by details throughout the paragraph much like the frame of a house supports the roof.
Topic
Main Idea
Supporting
Detail
Supporting
Detail
Supporting
Detail
Florida
Vegetation
Florida is full of beautiful scenery, but the vegetation is exceptionally exquisite. The royal palm is one of the most majestic types of vegetation in
Florida.
Hibiscus plants, with their picturesque flowers, are a pleasing addition to any landscape. Though it has a harsh sounding name, the saw palmetto works well as a buffer between roads
and