You’ll notice that in the paragraph about the postal service, the main idea is expressed clearly in the fi rst sentence: “Today’s postal service is more effi cient and reliable than ever before.” A sentence, such as this one, that clearly expresses the main idea of a para-graph or passage is often called a topic sentence.
In many cases, as in the postal service paragraph, the topic sentence is at the beginning of the paragraph.
You will also frequently fi nd it at the end. Less often, but on occasion, the topic sentence may be in the middle of the passage. Whatever the case, the topic sentence— like
“Today’s postal service is more effi cient and reliable than ever before”— is an assertion, and it needs “proof.”
The proof is found in the facts and ideas that make up the rest of the passage. (Not all passages provide such a clear topic sentence that states the main idea. Less obvi-ous passages will come up in later lessons.)
Practice in Identifying Topic Sentences
Remember that a topic sentence is a clear statement of the main idea of a passage; it must be general enough to encompass all the ideas in that passage, and it usu-ally makes an assertion about the subject of that pas-sage. Knowing all that, you can answer the following question even without reading a passage.
Practice 1
Which of the following sentences is general enough to be a topic sentence?
a. The new health club has a great kickboxing class.
b. Many different classes are offered by the health club.
c. Pilates is a popular class at the health club.
d. The yoga class is offered on Saturday mornings.
The answer is choice b, “Many different classes are offered by the health club.” Choices a, c, and d are all specifi c examples of what is said in choice b, so they are not general enough to be topic sentences.
Practice 2
Now look at the following paragraph. Underline the sentence that expresses the main idea, and notice how the other sentences work to support that main idea.
Erik always played cops and robbers when he was a boy; now, he’s a police offi cer. Suzanne always played school as a little girl; today, she is a high-school math teacher. Kara always played store; today, she owns a chain of retail clothing shops. Long before they are faced with the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” some lucky people know exactly what they want to do with their lives.
Which sentence did you underline? You should have underlined the last sentence: “Long before they are faced with the question ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ some lucky people know exactly what they want to do with their lives.” This sentence is a good topic sentence; it expresses the idea that holds together the whole paragraph. The first three sentences— about Erik, Suzanne, and Kara— are spe-cifi c examples of these lucky people. Notice that the topic sentence is found at the end of the paragraph.
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Practice 3
Among the following eight sentences are two topic sen-tences. The other sentences are supporting sensen-tences.
Circle the two topic sentences. Then write the numbers of the supporting sentences that go with each topic sentence.
1. Finally, there is a concierge on duty 24 hours a day.
2. Some duties, like writing reports, have no risk at all.
3. For example, there is a pool on the top fl oor.
4. Not all police duties are dangerous.
5. Others, like traffi c duty, put police offi cers at very little risk.
6. Tenants of the luxury apartment building enjoy many amenities.
7. Still other duties, like investigating accidents, leave offi cers free of danger.
8. In addition, the lobby has a dry cleaner, an ATM, and a coffee shop.
Sentences 4 and 6 are the two topic sentences because both make an assertion about a general subject.
The supporting sentences for topic sentence 4, “Not all police duties are dangerous,” are sentences 2, 5, and 7.
The supporting sentences for topic sentence 6, “Tenants of the luxury apartment building enjoy many ameni-ties,” are the remaining sentences 1, 3, and 8.
Here’s how they look as paragraphs:
Not all police duties are dangerous. Some duties, like writing reports, have no risk at all. Others, like traffi c duty, put police offi cers at very little risk. Still other duties, like investigating accidents, leave offi -cers free of danger.
Tenants of the luxury apartment building enjoy many amenities. For example, there is a pool on the top fl oor. In addition, the lobby has a dry cleaner, an ATM, and a coffee shop. Finally, there is a concierge on duty 24 hours a day.
You might have noticed that the supporting sen-tences in the fi rst paragraph about police duties begin with the following words: some, others, and still other.
These words are often used to introduce examples. The second paragraph uses different words, but they have the same function: for example, in addition, and fi nally.
If a sentence begins with such a word or phrase, that is a good indication it is not a topic sentence—because it is providing a specifi c example.
Here are some words and phrases often used to introduce specifi c examples:
If you’re having trouble fi nding the main idea of a paragraph, you might try eliminating the sentences that you know contain supporting evidence.
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Summary
Now you can answer the last question— the why. What is the writer’s motive? What’s the main idea he or she wants to convey? By fi nding the sentence that makes an assertion about the subject of the paragraph and that encompasses the other sentences in the paragraph, you can uncover the author’s motive.
To identify the main idea in a story it can be helpful to create a story map or graphic organizer. In separate boxes in your graphic organizer, you should include
■ the names of major and minor characters.
■ major and minor settings.
■ confl icts occurring between characters.
■ key events.
■ major resolutions.
■ author’s purpose. (Is the author’s goal to entertain, teach, inform, or persuade readers to embrace a particular philosophical view-point or concept?)
TIP
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LESSON
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ometimes in your reading, you come across words or phrases that are unfamiliar to you. You might be lucky and have a dictionary handy to look up that word or phrase, but what if you don’t? How can you understand what you’re reading if you don’t know what all of the words mean? The answer is that you can use the rest of the passage, the context, to help you understand the new words.L E S S O N S U M M A RY
An active reader looks up unfamiliar words. But what if you don’t have a dictionary? In a testing situation (or, for that matter, if you’re reading on the bus), you almost certainly won’t be able to look up words you don’t know. Instead, you can use the context to help you determine the meaning.
Language is the dress of thought.
—Samuel Johnson, English author (1709–1784)