... third, in
addition, and most importantly.
Main Idea
By the way, what is the main idea of the two para-
graphs above? Do you see a topic sentence? Write the
main idea of the paragraphs in this space.
You ... other ideas first and build up to the most impor-
tant. You might present the ideas differently, but here
are two versions of the resulting paragraph as examples.
– ORDER OF IMP...
... and factual enough to encompass
the whole paragraph.
5. True. This sentence expresses the main idea.
6. True. This sentence is an opinion. It is debatable.
Someone else might think that altering ... means
a. permanent, impossible to remove.
b. fleeting, brief.
c. troubling, disturbing.
12. The main idea of this paragraph is best expressed
in which sentence in the paragraph?
13. Indicat...
... terrible boss. I really don’t like him. He just
can’t get along with people. And he has stupid ideas
about politics.
Why is the first paragraph so much better?
Because it’s not just opinion. ... rate.”
How Much Context Do You Need?
In the previous example, you would still be able to
understand the main message of the passage even if you
didn’t know—or couldn’t figure out—the meaning of
obs...
... and how.
■
Lesson 2: Find the main idea. You learned about
topic sentences and how they express an assertion
about the subject of the paragraph. You saw how
the main idea must be general enough ... All
Together
LESSON SUMMARY
This lesson reviews what you learned in Lessons 1–4: getting the
facts, finding the main idea, determining what words mean in context,
and distinguishing bet...
... until at last, you reach the president.
Likewise, in writing, ideas may be arranged in order of importance. In this pattern, which idea comes first?
Not the one that happened first, but the one ... in a piece of writing.
7
61
Practice Passage 3
Read the following paragraph, which describes a local community event.
– START FROM THE BEGINNING: CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER–
56
The International Dinne...
... analysis. This reason or
point is the main idea, which is often stated in a topic
sentence.
– SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES: COMPARE AND CONTRAST–
71
Finding the Main Idea
Now that you’ve answered those ... What is the main idea of this passage?
Did you notice that the opening sentence, “Planting
a garden is a lot like having a family,” is the topic sen-
tence that expresses the...
... point out by putting
these two things side by side for analysis. This reason or
point is the main idea, which is often stated in a topic
sentence.
– SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES: COMPARE AND ... encouraged him.
Effect 5: Ed could tear an engine apart by himself.
Cause 6: Ed could tear an engine apart by himself.
Effect 6: He got a job as the chief mechanic.
Variations
When One Cause Ha...
... importance (least important idea
to most important idea) or in order of decreasing importance (most important idea to least important idea) .
■
Lesson 8: Compare and contrast. Ideas are arranged so ... information and ideas:
■
Lesson 6: Chronological order. Ideas are arranged in the order in which they occurred (or in the order in
which they should occur).
■
Lesson 7: Order of importan...
... importance (least important idea
to most important idea) or in order of decreasing importance (most important idea to least important idea) .
■
Lesson 8: Compare and contrast. Ideas are arranged so ... information and ideas:
■
Lesson 6: Chronological order. Ideas are arranged in the order in which they occurred (or in the order in
which they should occur).
■
Lesson 7: Order of importan...