The Main Idea and Supporting Details

A paragraph is a group of related sentences about a single topic:

TOPIC: the subject of the whole
paragraph

MAIN IDEA: the point that the whole

paragraph makes

SUPPORTING DETAILS: the sentences

that explain the main idea

TRANSITIONS: words and phrases to

connect the ideas

a. coffee

b. tea

c. water

Main Idea Vs supporting details

Main idea and details are not the same. The main idea is general. Details are specific. Examples are always details. The supporting details are the things that describe the main idea. Details are often presented in a bulleted, numbered, or lettered list. Details are often introduced by In addition, also, moreover, another, next, then, last, finally, etc. The main idea may give a clue about the number of types of details

General Vs Specific
See if you can identify the general word in each group. a) b) c) d) e) jealousy, hatred, emotion, worry spiders ,cockroaches ,mosquitoes, insects chemistry, science, physics, biology Soda, coffee, beverage, wine Sociology, social sciences, anthropology, psychology

The common forms of questions concerned with the main idea in reading comprehension: What is the main topic of the passage? What does the passage mainly discuss? Which of the following best describe the subject of this passage? What is the main idea of the passage? What is the main topic of the passage? What is the subject of the passage? What is the main idea expressed in the passages? What is the main idea of the first paragraph?

How to get the main idea of a paragraph?

Pay attention to structure a paragraph! a the sentence toof tell the reader Generally speaking, there are three different what the paragraph is types of sentences in a paragraph written in mainly about. the form of an argumentation():

1.Main Idea; 2.Supporting sentences; 3.Concluding sentence. sentences to give more detailed information about the topic sentence. a sentence to end a paragraph or to summarize the ideas.

Please analyze the sentences in the following paragraph and tell apart the three different types of sentences :

Main idea Technology is making people lazy. Now when doing laundry, we switch on the washing machine instead of using our hands. We move on wheels instead of on foot. To calculate, we use the electronic calculator instead of our brains or abacus. Before the invention of TV, people walked miles in order to see a movie. But now we lie in bed enjoying TV programs right at home, showing no interest in the theater. Washing machines, cars, TV and some other modern inventions are keeping us away from exercise. Concluding sentence

Supporting sentences

Different Types Of Paragraph Structures

type The position of the main idea
At the beginning of a paragraph At the end of a paragraph In the middle of a paragraph No clear topic sentence

Work in groups of four and find the topic sentence of each paragraph !

1 Smoking cigarettes is harmful to your health. Experiments show that cigarette smoking can cause cancer. Besides the most serious and terrible disease(illness) ---- cancer, cigarette smoking can also cause other health problems. For example, it can give one a smokers cough. Finally, studies have shown it is easy for cigarette smokers to catch colds. Whether you get an unimportant cold or terrible killer, cancer, smoking is harmful. Is it worth it?

Often no one looks more guilty than the innocent. On the other hand, nobody may look more innocent than a professional criminal. And the man who knows everything may really only be trying to hide his own weakness. So, it is foolish to try to judge a person only by his appearance.

Every bride wants her wedding to be the most wonderful day of her life. But perfect weddings require careful planning , whether the bride and bridegroom are planning a traditional wedding or just a registry office ceremony. Paying for the wedding, which is always a problem, will partly decide the choice.

Tom studied for four years at the University of Paris and decided to leave before his graduation. He transferred to the University of Berlin and graduated with honors. Harvard Law School and, later, Boston College provided him with an excellent legal background. He is presently a corporation lawyer in Miami, Florida.

The main idea of this paragraph is that ______.

A. Tom, who had studied at Paris Universities for four years, moved to another university. detail B. Tom became a lawyer since his graduation from Harvard Law School and later from Boston College. detail C. Tom was an excellent student when he studied at Berlin university. detail D. Tom received an excellent education.

Conclusion 1
How can we get the main idea of a paragraph

(1) We can get the main idea of a main sentence paragraph by finding the _______________ which may appear at the beginning of in the middle of or at the end of a paragraph ; (2) If we cant find a topic sentence from the paragraph, well have to generalize the main idea from the whole paragraph ourselves.

Conclusion 2How to get the main idea of a passage (an argumentation )? 1To get the main idea of a passage, we should pay more attention to the structure of a passage. 2Sometimes, we can get the main idea of an argumentation by finding the main sentence . 3But in many cases, if we cant find the topic sentence, we may have to Generalize the main idea from all the _________________________________ details of the passage ourselves ________________________________ .

How to get the main idea ?

Supporting sentences(details)

Paragraph ideas
Tip: Pay more attention to the structure of a paragraph or a passage!

Main idea

Passage idea

Thank you for attending learning and co-operation !