MAIN IDEA
IT INCLUDES A TOPIC AND A
COMMENT SUBJECT +
PREDICATE. IT’S ALWAYS A
COMPLETE SENTENCE ABOUT
WHAT THE WRITER WISHES
TO EXPRESS ABOUT A
TOPIC.
MAIN IDEA
•WHAT IS A TOPIC?
•WHAT IS A TOPIC
SENTENCE?
MAIN IDEA
• TOPIC:
• POSIBLE MAIN IDEAS:
• A. CATS.
• B. TRAVEL.
• C. GETTING
MARRIED
• A. CATS ARE CLEAN
ANIMANLS.
• B. CATS HAVE VERY
EXPRESSIVE FACES.
• C. CATS ARE VERY
ADAPTABLE ANIMALS.
MAIN IDEA
• TOPIC SENTENCE:
• POSIBLE
MAIN IDEA.
• A. CATS ARE
CLEAN ANIMALS.
• B. CATS HAVE
• CATS HAVE
VERY EXPRESSIVE
VERY
FACES.
EXPRESSIVE
FACES
• C. CATS ARE VERY
ADAPTABLE
ANIMALS.
MAIN IDEA
• TOPIC
SENTENCE
FIRST.
• THE AUTHOR
STATES MI
THEN GOES
TO EXPLAIN
IT
MAIN IDEA
• TOPIC SENTENCE
LAST.
• THE AUTHOR
BUILDS A
STRUCTURE OF
IDEAS & OFFERS
THE TOPIC
SENTENCE AS A
CONCLUDING
STATEMENT
MAIN IDEA
• TOPIC
SENTENCE IN
THE MIDDLE:
• IT’S DIVIDED IN
TWO PARTS:
• 1. INTRODUCE
THE MI.
• 2. PROVIDE
FURTHER INFO.
MAIN IDEA
• TOPIC SENTENCE
FIRST AND LAST.
• IT IS USED TO
EMPHASIZE OR
CLARIFY
SKIM FOR MAIN IDEAS
• HOW TO SKIM:
• 1. THE TITLE:
• IT OFTEN ANOUNCES THE
SUBJECT OF THE MATERIAL AND
PROBIDES CLUES ABOUT THE
AUTHOR´S APPROACH.
SKIM FOR MAIN IDEAS
• 2. THE SUBTITLE OR BYLINE:
• STATEMENT UNDERNEATH
THE TITLE THAT FURTHER
EXPLAIN THE TILTE OR TO
CATCH READER´S
ATTENTION.
SKIM FOR MAIN IDEAS
•3. THE HEADING:
• IT ANNOUNCES THE TOPIC
THAT WILL BE DISCUSSED IN
THE PARAGRAPH THAT
FOLLOWS.
SKIM FOR MAIN IDEAS
• 4.1ST. SENTENCE OF EACH
PARAGRAHPH:
• MOST COMMON POSITION
FOR THE M.I.
SKIM FOR MAIN IDEAS
• 5. KEY WORDS:
• WORDS THAT ANSWER:
• WHAT, WHO, WHEN, WHERE.
• NAMES, NUMBERS, DATES,
PLACES, CAPITALIZED OR
ITALICIZED WORDS AND
PHRASES.
SKIM FOR MAIN IDEAS
• 6. GRAPHICS.
• IT SUGGESTS WHAT
IMPORTANT EVENT, IDEA OR
RELATIONSHIP IT´S
INTENDED TO EMPHASIZE.
SKIM FOR MAIN IDEAS
• 7. THE LAST PARAGRAPH:
• IT PROVIDES A CONCLUSION
OR SUMMARY FOR THE
ARTICLE
TYPES OF
SKIMMING
THERE ARE THREE TYPES.
1. PREVIEW SKIMMING
• TO BECOME GENERAL
FAMILIAR WITH THE
ORGANIZATION AND
CONTENCT OF THE MATERIAL
BEFORE READING IT
(PREREADING)
2. OVERVIEW SKIMMING
• TO GET AN OVERVIEW OF THE
CONTENT AND ORGANIZATION
WITHOUT READING THE
MATERIAL COMPLETELY. SKIMREADING, USED WHEN YOU
DON´T INTENT TO RETURN TO
READING THE MATERIAL FOR
2ND.
3. RIVIEW SKIMMING
• TO GO BACK OVER THE
MATERIAL YOU HAVE ALREADY
READ TO REVIEW THE MAIN
POINTS OF THE MATERIAL. YOUR
PURPOSE IS TO BECOME
REACQUAINTED WITH THE BASIC
CONTENT AND ORGANIZATION
OF THE MATERIAL.
POINTS OF REFERENCE
• WORDS AND SENTENCES ARE
RELATED TO EACH OTHER IN THE
TEXT SO THAT THERE IS CLEAR
IDENTITY BETWEEN WHAT IS
BEING SAID AND WHAT HAS
BEEN SAID. THIS INDENTITY IS
SIGNALED BY SPECIAL
REFERENCE AND SUBSTITUTION
WORDS.
REFERENTS
• PRONOUNS
• 1. MANY MORE YOUNG PEOPLE
ACQUIRE A UNIVERSITY
EDUCATION TODAY THAN EVER
BEFORE. TEHY HOPE IT WILL
GIVE THEM INTELLECTUA
SATISFACTION AND A WELLPAYING CAREER.
REFERENTS
• THIS, THESE, THAT, THOSE
• 2. TO MARK THESE TWO
FEATURES OF THE UNIVERSITY,
ITS INTELLECTUAL OBJECTIVES
AND ITS INHERENT CLASS
STRUCTURE, I PREFER TO
CHARACTERIZE THE UNIVERSITY
AS AN ARISTOCRACY OF
INTELLECT.
REFERENTS
• ONES, ONES
• 3. WHICH COURSE SHOULD I
REGISTER FOR? I DON´T
WANT TO TAKE THE ONE
GIVEN LATE IN THE
EVENING.
REFERENTS
• SUCH + NOUN
• 4. CHILDREN´S LANGUAGE
MAY VARY IN COMPLEXITY
OR SIZE OF VOCABULARY.
SUCH VARIATIOS, HOWEVER,
ARE OF MINOR IMPORTANCE
REFERENTS
• SO
• 5. THE POLITICIAN IS
WORRIED ABOUT THE
PRESENT ECONOMIC
SITUATION. HE THINKS THE
RATE OF INFLATION WILL
RISE. I THINK SO, TOO
REFERENTS
• THE FORMER, THE LATTER
• 6. POLITICAL AUTHORITY
AND EDUCATION ARE
COMMON SOURCES OF
SOCIAL STATUS. THE LATTER,
HOWEVER, IS USUALLY
EASIER TO ACHIEVE.
REFERENTS
• THERE, THEN
• 7. IT IS AT AGE OF 6 TO 9 MONTHS
THAT THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN
TRUSTING AND MISTRUSTING THE
WORLD COMES TO A CLIMAX, FOR IT
IS THEN THAT CHILDREN FIRST
PERCEIVE CLEARLY THAT THEY AND
THEIR ENVIRONMENT ARE THINGS
APART.