Chapter 5: The Function of Supporting Details

 Every paragraph contains a main idea (which is called a

Topic Sentence when the writer spells it out).
 The main idea of a paragraph is supported by details—
facts, statistics, personal testimonies, analyses—that can
be categorized into two groups: Major Details and Minor
Details.

Exercise 1: Recognizing Supporting Details (p. 244)

Ex. 2: Distinguishing Between Supporting Details and
Topic Sentences (p. 246)
Ex. 3: Identifying Irrelevant Details (p. 249)

Major Details
 are examples, reasons, statistics, and studies that help
make the main idea clear and convincing.
 Are PRIMARILY in charge of supporting the main idea
 Answer readers’ questions about the topic sentence/main
idea.
 Must be included in reading notes.
 Are often introduced in the paragraph with transition
words (e.g., for example, for instance, first, second, in
addition, finally, similarly, therefore, etc.)

Minor Details
 May or may not be important enough to include in
reading notes.
 Further explain major details.
 Repeat key points and add colorful details.

See Exercise 4: Diagramming Major and Minor Details (p.

258)

Exercise 5: Diagramming Major and Minor Details (p. 258)

Topic Sentences Help Identify Major Details

Pay attention to words and phrases in topic sentences that

help readers identify major details.

Ex: 1. Child abuse can take several different forms.

Ex: 2. Psychologists have identified three styles of
parenting.
Ex: 3: Even when identical twins are reared in different
homes, they show many similarities.
Ex: 4: There are a couple of reasons to be a renter than a
homeowner.
Ex: 5: Schizophrenic delusions take place in distinct stages.

Topic Sentence Clues to Major Details

Among the causes, results Numerous cases, people,

A number of ways Studies
Categories Problems
Classes Similarities, differences
Components stages, steps, strategies
See P. 261 for more clue words
Transitions and Major Details:
In addition to topic sentences that tell readers what type or
kind of major detail they need to look for, transition words
such as furthermore, in addition, moreover, also can alert us
to the location of the next Major detail.

Transition Words that Signal Addition or Continuation

Also, And, As a matter of fact, Finally, First, Second, Next,

First of all, For example, For instance, For one thing, For
this reason, Furthermore, In addition, Last, Lastly,
Moreover, One example of this, similarly, Then, Therefore

See Shaded Box on P. 262 for more examples

Exercise 6: Using Topic Sentences and Transitions to

Identify Major Details (p. 264)
Ex. 7: Identifying Topic Sentences and Major Details (p.
267)
Ex. 8: Identifying Topic Sentences and Minor Details (p.
271)

Reader-Supplied Supporting Details

Sometimes writers will not spell out everything about the

supporting details; when this happens, it is the job of the
reader to fill in the blank and make an educated guess—
inference—about what the supporting details are and HOW
they support the topic sentence.
Ex. 9: Drawing Inferences About Supporting Details (p.
276)

Concluding Sentences – appear at the very end of the

paragraph. Unlike the supporting sentences, concluding
sentences do not directly develop the topic sentence or
affect a major detail. Instead, they may
 describe the result or outcome of some problem or event
referred to in the paragraph.
 Try to predict the future based on the information
provided in the paragraph.
 Tie up loose ends, and provide the paragraph with a
sense of closure

NOTE: Not all paragraphs contain concluding sentences.

To test whether the last sentence or two of a given
paragraph is a concluding sentence, ask yourself, “What
new information or support does this sentence provide to
support the main idea?” If the answer is NONE, it is
probably the concluding sentence and NOT a supporting
detail.

See Exercise 10: Recognizing Concluding Sentences (p.

283)
Ex. 11: Recognizing the Function of Every Sentence (p.
285)
 Chapter 8: Moving Beyond the Paragraph

Paragraph vs. Essay

 Whereas a paragraph consists of a group of related

sentences that all work together to support one main
idea, an essay is made up of a group of paragraphs that
all work closely together to support one main idea called
the THESIS.

 The main difference between a paragraph and an essay is

that an essay contains MORE SUPPORTING DETAILS
—meaning, longer major details and longer minor
details. For example, whereas a paragraph might contain
say, 3 major supporting details within itself, in an essay,
each of these major supporting details would get an
entire paragraph to itself.

 Whereas in a paragraph, a TOPIC SENTENCE is the

written expression of the author’s main idea, in an essay,
the THESIS STATEMENT is the author’s written
expression of the main idea.

 Like the paragraph that may or may not contain a TOPIC

SENTENCE, an essay may or may not contain a written
 THESIS STATEMENT. As you do in paragraph reading,
when there is no expressed THESIS STATEMENT, you
must still INFER the Main Idea of the entire essay.

 Similar to the paragraph that could contain concluding

sentences, essays can also contain a concluding
paragraph. Like concluding sentences, concluding
paragraphs can explain the outcome or result of an
incident or event described in the reading; they can also
make predictions about the future or offer a solution to a
problem mentioned in the essay. Like concluding
sentences, concluding paragraphs DO NOT offer any
new major or minor supporting details, but rather they
try to create a sense of closure to the reading and tie up
any loose ends.

Two Goals to Keep in Mind While Reading an Essay:

1. Focus on understanding the main idea expressed in each

paragraph.

2. Try to figure out how each paragraph fit together into a

unified whole. That is, WHAT MAIN IDEA OR THESIS
DO THE PARAGRAPH ALL WORK TO SUPPORT?

TO FIND THE OVERALL MAIN IDEA OR THESIS

STATEMENT, ASK:

 What idea is developed in more than one paragraph?

 What general statement sums up the message of the
entire reading? (This general statement would be the
 THESIS STATEMENT which usually appears near the
beginning of the essay, but could theoretically appear
anywhere in the essay.)
 If there is no general statement that sums up the reading,
what statement can I infer?

For Each Paragraph Contained within an Essay, Ask:

1. What’s the main idea?

2. How does that main idea relate to the larger point of the
essay?
3. What supporting details developing the main ideas in the
paragraph are also essential to understanding or
explaining the overall main idea?

See Exercises 1 (337), 2 (342), Exercise 3 (352), Exercise 4

(356), Exercise 5 (364)