Identifying Main Ideas and Supporting
Writers often use certain words to signal (show) the main idea and the supporting facts
and ideas. These signal words help you notice the pattern and follow the ideas.
In this handout, only some patterns in paragraphs are presented. For each pattern, there is
a lit of common signal words that show the main idea and the supporting facts and ideas.
THE LISTING PATTERN
In this pattern, the main idea tells you about a list of things or ideas. The paragraph tells about
each of the things or ideas on the list.
Common Signal Words for the Listing Patterns
For the main idea: many, several, a lot of, lots of, some, a few
For the supporting facts and ideas: first, third, one, other, another, in addition, last, finally,
second, and, also, too, furthermore, moreover
Exercise I: Read the paragraph. Underline the topic sentences, and supporting details. Write
“TS” above the “topic sentence”. Write “SP” above each “supporting sentence”. Then, write the
summary of the paragraph.
Aluminum cans are common items as they are widely used as soft drink containers.
We usually throw aluminum cans in dustbins after drinking the content. However, we
should make a more concerted effort to recycle these aluminum cans as there are many
benefits gained. One obvious benefit is to the environment. By recycling aluminum cans we
could save natural resources such as bauxite which is the primary ore used in aluminum
manufacturing. In addition, the bulk of our garbage can also be reduced resulting in less
landfill being used to dispose off the garbage. Recycling aluminum cans also has economic
benefits. It is actually cheaper to produce aluminum cans from recycled ones than to
produce them from virgin ores. Furthermore, recycling activities can generate businesses,
which would result in the creation of new jobs. Finally, recycling aluminum cans would
benefit the community. As the industry pays a substantial amount of money for used
aluminum cans, charitable organizations such as the Red Crescent Society would be able to
earn money by collecting aluminum cans and selling it to be recycled. Money earned by
charitable organizations could then be used to implement various community programs.
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THE CAUSE/EFFECT PATTERN
In this pattern, the main idea tells you that something causes something else (or is caused by
something else). The paragraph tells about the causes and/or the effects.
Common Signal Words for the Cause/Effect Pattern
For the main idea: Any of the signal words below may be included in the main idea.
For the supporting facts and ideas:
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When the cause comes first:
so, help, stop, become, result in, reason for, have an effect on, cause, make, lead to, as a
result, the cause of, bring
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When the effect comes first:
Because, be due to, be caused by, result from, because of, be the effect of, be made by,
reason why
Note: Writers may also include a kind of list (of causes and effects) in a cause/effect paragraph.
They may use some listing signal words with the cause/effect signal words.
Exercise II: Read the paragraph. Underline the topic sentences, and supporting details. Write
“TS” above the “topic sentence”. Write “SP” above each “supporting sentence”. Then, write the
summary of the paragraph.
Different types of cancer affect different body tissues. Like many other diseases, there is
no single cause for any one type of cancer. In fact there are many factors contributing to
cancer. One reason could be due to the genetic make up. Studies found that people with a
family history of cancer tend to inherit mutated genes. Thus, with mutation in the cells, such
people have a higher probability of getting cancer. People who have problems with their
immune systems are also more likely to get some form of cancer. Examples of this group of
people include those with the HIV virus as well as those who have undergone organ
transplants. Another possible cause is our daily diet. Eating too much animal fats and
insufficient fresh fruits and vegetables increases the risk of cancer. Finally, cancer can also be
due to the day-to-day environment. For example, continuous exposure to cigarette smoke, the
sun and natural or man-made radiation would result in a higher probability of getting cancer.
Scientists are still trying to put together the many contributing factors leading to cancer. The
best alternative is to avoid those factors that are within our control.
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References
Aziz, A.A. et all. (2006). English for Academic Communication. Malaysia: McGrawHill.
Jeffries, L. & Mikulecky, B. (2009). Reading Power 2. New York: Pearson-Longman.
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