How to Find the Main Idea When You Read
In anything that you read, there is a central message or theme that connects all the specific details and
facts. When you are able to identify and understand this main message, your comprehension of what
you read increases and you are able to use Link to critical thinking. There are two main parts of any
paragraph that must be dissected in order to find the main idea. When you are able to identify and
then dissect these parts in a reading assignment, you will find and understand the main idea more
quickly (Fry, 2000, p.47).
1. Topic Sentence: The sentence that summarizes what a paragraph is about and contains the
main idea. This is usually the first or last sentence in a paragraph. Topic sentences will often tell
who the paragraph focuses on (a person or group of people). It may begin with the word
“when” and be concerned with a particular period of time or be oriented around a particular
place or location and tell the location (where) you are reading about. The topic sentence will
answer why an event happened or why something is true or identify the way something is done
or the way it works (how) (Fry, 2000, p. 49).
2. Summary, Support, and Transitional Sentences: Identify what purpose these sentences serve
in the paragraph. This is a process of elimination that will help lead you to the main idea.
• Summary sentences state a general idea or concept. A topic sentence is one type of
summary sentence. It expresses the general intent of the paragraph.
• Support sentences provide specific details and facts that give support to the author’s
points of view. They give examples, explain arguments, offer evidence, or attempt to prove
something as true or false. They are specific in nature, not general.
• Transitional sentences help the author move from one point to another. They are like
bridges connecting the paragraphs in a text, suggesting the relationship between what you
finished reading and what you will read next. Transitional sentences often begin with a word
such as “first, next, finally” or “then” to indicate connections. They also alert you to what
you should have learned from the paragraph and provide direct clues to help you identify
the topic sentence (Fry, 2000, p.50).
How can you be sure that you have found the topic sentence and main idea? Switch the sentence
around until it forms a question and then see if the other sentences in the paragraph answer that
question. If they do, then you have selected the main idea! 
Sources
Fry, R. W. (2000). Improve Your Reading (4th ed.). Delmar Thomson Learning.
This document was compiled by Shirley “Mandy” Sexton, Ph.D.