Major and Minor Supporting Details

Learning Objectives:
*Identify major supporting details in a reading.
*Identify minor supporting details in a reading.

LESSON
When you read an academic article or any other type
of academic reading, you will notice that in addition to having
a thesis statement, the document will also have points that
support that thesis.
The thesis provides the author's topic and purpose for writing.

The supporting details help the author make that topic and

purpose clear to the reader.The supporting details of a reading
can be divided into major supporting details and minor
supporting details, and they are found in the
supporting paragraphs, or body paragraphs, of an article
or essay.

Distinguishing between major and minor supporting details

will help you break down the paragraphs in a reading, making
it easier to understand. In this lesson, you will learn how to
identify both major and minor supporting details in a reading.

When looking at a full reading such as an article or essay,

the major and minor details relate to the thesis statement
like this:
 Major supporting details: topic sentences in each body
paragraph that support the thesis statement.
 Minor supporting details: sentences that support the major
supporting details.
When reading a longer essay, the Thesis Statement is
included in an introductory paragraph and the major
supporting details become topic sentences for distinct
supporting paragraphs.

However, if the essay is only one paragraph long, the thesis

becomes a topic sentence. When looking at an individual
paragraph, the major and minor details relate to the topic
sentence like this:

 Major supporting details: support the topic sentence.

 Minor supporting details: support the major supporting
details.

Let's look at an example.

Sample essay thesis: Students should consider many variables

when choosing classes.

Major supporting details:

1. Time of day
2. Whether it is required or not
3. How much reading/writing may be involved

Minor supporting details:

1. Time of day: You can choose classes that meet early in the
morning, mid-morning, early afternoon, mid-afternoon, early
evening, or evening.
2. Whether it is required or not: You may not want to take
classes that do not qualify as credit toward your degree.
3. How much reading/writing may be involved: You may not
want to take several classes at the same time that will involve
a lot of reading, such as novels, or that require writing
multiple papers.
- PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Knowing how to find a thesis statement, major supporting
details, and minor supporting details will help you in all of
your communication. When you can find these items, you will
see how they play a large part in how a document, speech, or
advertisement is organized; as a result, they will help you
better organize the documents you write.
For example, when writing papers in colleges, you will need
to plan your paper and organize the ideas so they support your
thesis. As a professional in your career, the same principle
applies. Every audience wants to read a document that is well
organized and written so that the major and minor details
clearly support the thesis.
- EXAMPLE
For this example paragraph and its topic sentence, notice how
the major and minor supporting details support the topic
sentence.

Steps to Positivity in the Classroom

Success in college depends on many things, but one of the

most important is having a positive attitude. There are many
ways to develop a positive outlook. You can try using
encouraging self-talk to motivate yourself. For example, if
you tell yourself that you are smart and can be successful, you
are more likely to do well in your classes. Helping others to
be successful is also a way of maintaining a positive attitude.
 When you see that college is not a competition, you will see
success come to you and those who work closely with you.
Finally, you can develop a positive attitude by viewing
difficult situations as opportunities to grow. For example, if
you are struggling in a class because the material is
challenging, don't let yourself feel down about it. Instead, take
action! Visit with your professor or form a study group.
Getting help will enable you to learn the material and
therefore do better in your class. By using encouraging self-
talk, helping others, and utilizing difficult moments as an
opportunity to grow, you will have the optimistic outlook that
will enable you to succeed in college—and in life!

Topic Sentence: Success in college depends on many things,

but one of the most important is having a positive attitude.

Major supporting details:

1. Using encouraging self-talk

2. Helping others to be successful
3. Viewing difficult situations as an opportunity to grow

Minor supporting details:

1. Using self-talk: tell yourself you are smart.

2. Helping others be successful: don't see college as a
competition.
3. Viewing difficult situations as an opportunity to grow: visit a
professor or form a study group. -V-
PRACTICE:

For this exercise, review the following paragraph and its topic
sentence, and then identify the major supporting details and
minor supporting details.

The Benefits of Forming a Study Group

Forming a study group is a great way to improve your grades

and make friends. Studying with others helps you review what
you know about the course content, allows you to re-teach the
content to your group members, and lets you work with others
to determine what the instructor wants you to know. All of
these items reinforce your classroom experience and your
knowledge of the material. Forming a study group is also a
great way to make friends on campus. Often when people are
new to a college setting they don’t know many people. Study
groups can help you make new friends by using your common
interest in the course to bring you together. That can make it
much less scary to approach others about getting together.

Topic Sentence:
Forming a study group is a great way to improve your grades
and make friends.

1) What are the major supporting details?

improve your grades

great way to make friends on campus

2) What are the minor supporting details?

 improve your grades : helps you review what you know
about the course content, allows you to re-teach the
content to your group members, and lets you work with
others to determine what the instructor wants you to know

great way to make friends on campus : using your common

interest in the course to bring you together

Q/A:
#When finding a reading's major and minor supporting
details, what should you do or look for first?

I would like to find the thesis statement due to this paragraph

is included as an individual paragraph. And then, I will to
summarize the supporting details into one sentences or word.

#How does knowing how to find major and minor supporting

details in a reading help you as a writer?

When looking at an individual paragraph, the major and

minor details relate to the topic sentence like this:
- Major supporting details: support the topic
sentences
- Minor supporting details: support the major
supporting details.
Name: Saskia Putri Sukmana ATT #: ______________ DATE: 10 March 2022

TOPIC & MAIN IDEA IDENTIFICATION

1. A trade union is an organization which represents employees in negotiations with

employers. It organizes through its branches at places of work, and at regional and
national levels. It seeks to improve the wages, conditions of service, and other
interests of workers whether they are members of the union or not. It negotiates with
managements, and occasionally at national level with governments. It encourages all
employees to join, since it is only by effective collective action that a trade union can
succeed in its objectives.

TOPIC: Trade union

MAIN IDEA: A trade union is an organization which represents employees in
negotiations with employers.

2. Saudi Arabia is a country rich in oil, but poor in one of a country’s most critical
resources, fresh water. Without it, agriculture becomes extremely difficult and costly.
Many areas are removing the salt from the seawater that surrounds the Arabian
Peninsula. Other efforts might be floating of an ice cap all the way from the North
Pole and digging of wells to reach water that is underground.

TOPIC: The effort of Saudi Arabia to provide fresh water.

MAIN IDEA: Saudi Arabia is a country rich in oil, but poor in one of a country’s
most critical resources, fresh water

3. In recent years, Brazil has greatly increased its Gross National Product (GNP).
Several factors have caused this change. First, Brazil has favorable climate, abundant
useful land, an excellent coastline, and many other natural resources. Second, it has a
large number of workerr available for employement in industry. Finally, Brazilian
business and economic planners have encourage investment.

TOPIC: Brazil’s GNP has greatly increased

MAIN IDEA: Brazilian business and economic planners have encourage investment.

4. In some industrialized countries, people are retiring from work at an early age. This is
especially true in Europe, where many workers retire at age 55. In 1970, about half
the men aged 55 continued to work. Now, only about 10-30% of that age group
continue to work. The reason for this trend is economic. Some European government
wanted people to retire early so that their jobs could go to younger people. But early
retirement has created new economic problems. Governments are having trouble
paying the pensions and health costs for all the additional retired people.
 TOPIC: Retiring in early age
MAIN IDEA: In some industrialized countries, people are retiring from work at an
early age