The Main Idea and Supporting Sentences

The Main Idea and Supporting Sentences

In this course, you will practice writing analytical paragraphs in which you state the main idea clearly in a topic sentence and support the main idea with evidence and examples. Read this lecture and complete the included activities, in which you identify the main ideas and supporting details of different paragraphs. When you are done, check your work against the Answer Key .

Last time we covered what a main idea sentence is: a sentence that tells the reader what the paragraph is about. The rest of the sentences in the paragraph support the main idea sentence. "Support" means that the sentences either explain a detail of the main idea or give an example. Read the paragraph below. The main idea is underlined. The "support" that explains is bolded, and the "support" that offers an example is in italics. 

Let's examine this paragraph.

The first sentence (1) presents the main idea: "my parents were very strict". The second sentence (2) explains what I consider "strict" by saying that my mother frequently corrected my behavior. The third sentence (3) offers an example of how she would correct my behavior. The fourth sentence (4) explains further that my father was strict when it came to schoolwork, and the fifth sentence (5) offers an example of how he was strict. 

If we were going to diagram the paragraph, it would look like this:

One way to talk about whether sentences directly support the main idea (as the second level does), or indirectly support the main idea (the bottom level) is to call them MAJOR detail sentences and MINOR detail sentences. Major details directly explain something about the main idea. Minor details offer examples that illustrate major details.

Practice I: Read the paragraphs, and then identify each sentence as a main idea, a major detail, or a minor detail.

Paragraph 1:

Paragraph 2:

Practice II: Below you will find several main idea sentences. Write your own supporting sentences by using major and minor details.

1. It is not a good idea to watch a lot of television.
   Major:
   Minor:
   Major:
   Minor:
   
   
2. Coaches have good reasons to be firm with the players on their team.
   Major:
   Minor:
   Major:
   Minor:
   
   
3. Many people believe it is a bad idea to spank children.
   Major:
   Minor:
   Major:
   Minor:
   
   
4. There are several steps I can take to be successful in college.
   Major:
   Minor:
   Major:
   Minor:

Source: Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, http://opencourselibrary.org/eng-9y-pre-college-english/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Answer Key

Practice I: Read the paragraphs, and then identify each sentence as a main idea, a major detail, or a minor detail.

Paragraph 1:

Sentence #1: main idea

Sentence #2: major detail

Sentence #3: minor detail

Sentence #4: major detail

Sentence #5: minor detail

Sentence #6: major detail

Sentence #7: minor detail 

Paragraph 2: 

Sentence #1: major detail

Sentence #2: minor detail

Sentence #3: main idea (Note that in this example, the main idea is not the first sentence in the paragraph)

Sentence #4: major detail

Sentence #5: minor detail

Sentence #6: major detail

Sentence #7: minor detail

Practice II: Below you will find several main idea sentences. Write your own supporting sentences by using major and minor details.

The following are examples of appropriate responses. Keep in mind that there are many possible details to support these main ideas. In these examples, the major details explain something about the main idea, and the minor details offer examples to illustrate the major details.

1. It is not a good idea to watch a lot of television.
   Major: People who watch a lot of television tend to be more sedentary.
   Minor: If you're inside watching tv, it means you're not outside getting exercise.
   Major: Some researchers even say that watching television can make people violent.
   Minor: With so many violent shows on tv these days, people who watch a lot of television come to think that violence is normal or even okay.
   
   
2.  Coaches have good reasons to be firm with the players on their team.
   Major: Many players are young, and young people sometimes lack patience and diligence.
   Minor: Players may not want to run laps, which isn't a lot of fun, but players whose coaches force them to run laps have better physical fitness.
   Major: Young players also need to learn the value of teamwork.
   Minor: Lots of players want to be the star of the team, but the coach has to do what's best for the whole team.
   
   
3.  Many people believe it is a bad idea to pay children to do household chores.
   Major: They argue that everyone in a family needs to contribute to the household.
   Minor: If parents pay children to take out the trash or mow the lawn, children will only want to do chores when they get a reward, rather than to help out the family. 
   Major: While some may say that paying children to do chores teaches them to be enterprising, it's not a good idea for children to work too much.
   Minor: Children also learn important values from playing sports, learning an instrument, or exploring their creative sides."
   
   
4. There are several steps I can take to be successful in college.
   Major: Most important is developing good study habits.
   Minor: I am going to set aside time every night to study and create a schedule for completing my homework for each class.
   Major: There are many resources on campus that can help me succeed.
   Minor: In addition to talking with my professors in office hours, I plan to visit the writing center to improve my papers.