MAIN IDEAS

         Learning Assistance center University of                                     Hawaii,Manoa.

                      -MAIN IDEAS-

   * Chief point * an author is making about a topic it sums up the author's primary massage.

Topic sentence

     Statement of the main idea.it is statement under which all other material ,in the paragraph . Examples. Reasons,facts, details and other evidence - can fit.

Example : (refer to above example )

    Notice that information is offer the first sentence is about ways to reduce noise pollution.The first sentence is the most general it states that there are ways to reduce noise pullution.it summarizes the other statement in the paragraph.

Example : within a paragraph

    Preceded by one or more introductory sentence that may relate the main idea to the previous paragraph,arouse the reader's interest or give background for the main reason.

    Main idea : "Third sentence"

The two sentence before the topic sentence introduce the question of sentence gives the  writer's main idea on the topic. the. Last two sentence devolop the main idea by giving specific details of the relevant research.

      Example : "Begining and of the paragraph.

We are on our way to becominga cashless ,checkless society ,a trend that began with the credit .card.

Now some banks are offering "debit cards"

Instead of the cards.that costs of purchases made with these cards are deducted from the holder's bank account instead of being added the a mountainly bill.

And checking accounts,which are mainly used for paying bills.are going electronic,now some people can make camputer transcoition over their push button phones to pay bills by transferring money from their account to the account of whowewer they owe. Soon we may be able to conduct mast of aur bussines without signing a check or actually seing the money we earn and spend.

MAIN IDEAS THAT ARE INFERRED.

         • sometimes aselection lacks a topic sentence but that does not mean that it lacks,a main idea.The author simply let's the details of the selection suggest the main idea. You must figure out the implied idea by deciding the points of all the details.

        No sentence is a good topic sentence that covers all other sentence.we must ask ourselves."what is the main point the author is trying to make up with these details?"

Does all or most of the material support this idea?

In this case ,the details show that /people have explained metal illness in man different ways over the years /.

    Although this is not stated,it is a broad enough summary to include all other material in the paragraph -it is the main idea.

From: Tens Steps To Advancing college reading skills by John Langen and Lynn Jenkins P,14-37.