The main idea sentence (or topic statement) can be anywhere in the paragraph: beginning, middle, end; it can even be split into two or more locations. Learn how to determine the main idea and where the main idea sentence may be located in the paragraph. Each paragraph has a main idea, even if the main idea is implied (that is, it has no main idea sentence because the paragraph is clear enough for you to understand it).
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THIS PLAYLIST:
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The main idea... kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qMx9jc6Lu5_Ng58.html
Supporting details... kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ntePapRqsOC2Z2g.html
Location of the main idea... kzfaq.info/get/bejne/i5apjZurnNLYY4U.html
Implied main ideas... kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rd-Ud7WXmL6pkmw.html
"ABOUT LITERACY" PLAYLIST:
kzfaq.info/sun/PLS9dE7WMFmJhsfgoIfpQ3mGAXiXh1Cxsm
MORE CONTEXT
As you read a passage, you must focus on patterns of information. Each sentence in the paragraph gives you new clues as far as what the writer wants you to understand. You get the main points from those ideas or details. These are called the supporting details. If you want to know how to find the main idea in a paragraph, stop looking for that one sentence. Instead, focus on understanding the information the writer put in the paragraph and look for patterns. The main idea of the paragraph will become clear once you start "seeing" those details.
Sometimes readers think that the main idea is always the first sentence in the paragraph. *Not necessarily!* The main idea sentence, if there is one, could be anywhere that the writer thinks is a good location for it. It could be the first sentence. It could be the third or fourth sentence after a short introduction. It could be the last sentence, which then becomes sort of a conclusion that summarizes the whole paragraph. It can also be split and, therefore, in two location. How do you know what's the location of the main idea. Well, focus on understanding the paragraph and you will be able to see it from the pattern of information.
Don't forget that sometimes the writer does not write that one sentence, which we call the main idea sentence in the paragraph because the main idea is clear enough. That's another reason not to spend too much effort looking for that "magic sentence" because it may not be there. It's implied or an implied main idea. But that is another video in this series.
FURTHER READING and REFERENCES
gnuckx (on Flickr). Etna Volcano Paroxysmal Eruption October 26 2013 (image) - Creative Commons 2.0. www.flickr.com/photos/gnuckx/10492088893/in/photostream/
The Volcano Information Center (VIC), UCSB (web site). volcanology.geol.ucsb.edu/
The Volcano Information Center (VIC), UCSB (web site). Soils from Volcanoes. volcanology.geol.ucsb.edu/soil.htm
USGS. Volcanic Ash: Effects and Mitigation Strategies (web page) volcanoes.usgs.gov/ash/agric/index.php
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