Finding the Main Idea
Every text is mostly about one big thing. In this lesson you will learn how to find that big idea and tell it apart from the small details.
What you will learn
- Say what a main idea is in your own words
- Find the main idea of a short text
- Tell the main idea apart from the small details
Key words
- Topic
- — the subject — what the text is about
- Main idea
- — the most important point the text makes about the topic
- Detail
- — a small fact or example that supports the main idea
What is a main idea?
When you read a text, it is mostly about one big thing. That big thing is the main idea. It is the most important point the writer wants you to understand.
The topic and the main idea are not the same. The topic is the subject in one or two words, like "dogs"or "rain". The main idea is the full point the text makes about that topic, like "Dogs make good helpers for people."
How to find the main idea
First, read the whole text once. Then ask yourself one question: "What is this text mostly about?"Your answer, said in one sentence, is usually the main idea.
The title often gives a clue. The first sentence and the last sentence are also good places to look, because writers often put the main idea there.
Tip
If you can only keep one sentence from the text, the sentence you keep is most likely the main idea.
Main idea or detail?
Details are the small facts and examples. They are important, but they are there to support the main idea — not to be the main idea themselves.
Read this short text: "Layla loves her garden. She waters the flowers every morning. She pulls out the weeds. She gives the plants new soil in spring."The main idea is "Layla takes good care of her garden."Watering, pulling weeds, and adding soil are the details that show it.
Practice
1. Read this text: "Yousef rides his bike to school. He also walks to the shop near his home. On weekends he likes to run in the park."What is the main idea?
2. In the text about Layla's garden, which sentence is a detail (not the main idea)?
3. In your own words, what is the difference between a topic and a main idea?