MAIN IDEAS

FINDING MAIN IDEAS AND SUPPORTING IDEAS

Previewing a Book

How to Study
Practical Tips for Students

profound wisdom and sound advice for any

students reader
John Cowen (Prof. of learning Development, the
Open University)

Blackwell Publishing
 Will You Read this Book?

IT and Education for the Poorest of the Poor:

Constraints, Possibilities, and Principles
Daniel A. Wagner1

Daniel A. Wagner is Professor and Director of the

International Literacy Institute (ILI) at the
University of Pennsylvania UNESCO, Philadelphia,
PA 19104-3111. The ILI website is
http://www.literacy.org. Dr. Wagner can be
reached at wagner@literacy.upenn.edu.
 Objectives

Able to find main ideas from paragraph

Explanation
Looking at samples
Reading activity

Reflection
 Main Idea Whats the Big Idea?

The purpose of the paragraph or text

All information in the paragraph should connect to

the main idea
Some information is not as important
Good readers identify key ideas
 Identifying Main Idea

1. Read the whole text.

2. Ask, What is the author doing here?
 What are main ideas?

Main idea is the subject of the paragraph.

Two kinds of main ideas:
1. A directly stated main idea
The writer tell about it in the topic sentence.
2. An implied main idea
 Where do writers place their ideas in a
paragraph?
The main idea first in the paragraph
The topic sentence (a sentence that carries the main
idea) opens the paragraph. The supporting sentences comes
next.
The main idea last in the paragraph
Supporting sentences open the paragraph, the topic
sentence comes next.
The main idea within the paragraph
The writer starts with some of the supporting ideas. Then,
s/he puts in the main idea. Next, s/he gives some more
supporting sentences.
 How do you find supporting ideas/sentences in the
paragraph?

If a question is given as the topic sentence, then

the supporting sentences come in the answer to
that question.
If a problem is given as the topic sentence, then the
supporting sentences are in the solution to that
problem.
If a topic is stated in a sentence, then the
supporting sentences are in the discussion of that
topic.
 How to find directly stated main ideas in a
paragraph

Look for headings. The writers may put all or part

of the main idea in a heading.
Look at the relations among the sentences. The
topic sentence is the most general statement.
Use the linking devices.
Use place cues.
 How to find implied ideas

Look at the sentences together. Find the idea that

all the sentences share.
Make a direct statement of your own. Directly
state the implied main idea as a paragraph heading
or as a topic sentence.

Examples >>>>
 What is the pattern of the following paragraph?

Many superstitions are so widespread and so old that they must have
risen from a depth of human mind that is indifferent to race or creed.
Orthodox Jews place a charm on their doorposts; so do (or did) the
Chinese. Some peoples of Middle Europe believe that when a man
sneezes, his soul, for that moment, is absent from his body, and they
hasten to bless him, lest he should be seized by the Devil. How did the
Melanesians come by the same idea? Superstition seems to have a link
with some body or belief that far antedates the religions we know
religions which have no place for such comforting little ceremonies and
charities.
A. Question-answer B. Topic-discussion
C. Problem-solution
 Which of the following is the best main idea for the paragraph?

There are some differences between basket ball and soccer. In

scoring, for example, basket ball players use their hands to throw the
ball. They must use their hands. They can also throw the ball to other
players. It is necessary for them to be able to jump high for the ball and
throw it high. For this reason, good basketball players are usually very
tall. In contrast, soccer players can score by kicking the ball or by hitting it
with some other part of their body or head, but they cannot throw the
ball for a score. Soccer teams also move the ball with their feet.

Which of the following is the best main idea for the paragraph?
A. Basket ball players can throw the ball to other players.
B. Throwing the ball high is allowed in basket ball.
C. Soccer teams also move the ball with their feet.
D. Soccer is different from basket ball in several ways.
 In the morning and evening skies, Venus shines more brightly than any other celestial
objects except the Sun and the Moon. There are two main reasons for the brilliance of
Venus: its closeness and its reflectivity. One reason that Venus seems to shine so brightly
from our perspective on Earth is its relative nearness to us. It is only 26,000,000 miles
away from Earth at its closest point, so all the other planets are farther away. Because of
this, it appears to shine more brightly to us than the other planets. The second and more
important reason that Venus shines so brightly is its albedo, or its ability to reflect light.
Some celestial bodies have very weak albedos; they are very poor reflectors of light. The
Moon is an example of a celestial body with a weak albedo. The Moon reflects only about
12 percent of the light that reaches it. Venus, on the other hand, has a very strong albedo.
Venus is covered with clouds that are highly effective in reflecting the light of the Sun.
Unlike the Moon, which has an albedo of 12 percent, Venus has an extremely strong
albedo of 75 percent.
Which of the following best expresses the topic of the passage?

A. The reasons for the brightness of Venus

B. The morning and evening skies
C. The nearness of Venus to the Earth
D. The albedo of Venus
Groupwork