REA 0002
Chapter 4
Implied Main Idea
What You Already Know!
• How to find a main idea!
• Topic – Who or what is this about?
• (Main Idea) What is the point the
author is trying to make?
• Supporting Details – Explain the
main idea.
Implied Main Idea
• What is it?
• The main idea that is not stated but
only suggested by the supporting
details.
• Figure it out by considering the
supporting details.
Practice
• Page 132 – Read the paragraph at
the top of the page.
• Who or what is it about?
• What is the main point the author is
trying to make?
• Does all or most of the material
(supporting details) support this
idea?
The Answers Are…
• Topic – swordfish
• What are your supporting details?
–
–
–
–
–
Slice as many as possible
Fight nonstop
Pulled fishermen to death
Severe and instantaneous infections
Attacks boats too
• What then is your implied main idea?
• D. Swordfish are aggressive, dangerous
fish.
More Group Practice
• Practice 1 – page 134 – 136
• How did you do?
• Can you infer the implied main idea?
Putting the Implied Main
Idea into Your Own Words!
• Making an educated guess…in your
own words.
• Inferring – figuring out on your own.
• Come up with a statement that will
cover all or most of the details in the
paragraph.
• Gee, there are those addition words
again! (page 139)
• What is the paragraph at the bottom
about? (topic)
• Non-verbal messages
• What is the implied main idea of this
paragraph?
• Nonverbal messages have several
advantages over verbal ones.
Let’s Do Practice Together!
• Topic?
• Hurricanes and tornadoes
• Implied Main Idea?
• Hurricanes and tornadoes are quite
different kinds of storms.
• Excellent!!!!
OK, A New Term(s)!
• Central Point? Central Idea? Thesis?
• What is it all about?
• Just another name for the main idea!
• However, it is usually given for a
longer selection. It covers more than
one paragraph.
• It can be stated or implied.
How Do I Find a Central
Point?
• Use the same process you used to find an
implied main idea.
• What is the point that the author is trying
to make?
• Usually stated…in the first paragraph!
• However, it too can be anyplace in the
selection.
• Find the central point in Practice 4! P 144.
• Let’s look at Practice 5 too. P 146 - 147
Chapter Review
• At times authors imply or suggest, a main
idea without stating it clearly in a
sentence. In such a case, you must figure
out the main idea by considering the
supporting details.
• To find central points – which may be
stated or implied – in longer reading
selections, you must again look closely at
the supporting material
Homework
• Review Test #1 page 148
• Review Test #4 pages 153 – 157
• Any of the rest of the exercises that
you want to do will be for extra
credit! I would encourage you to
practice these skills!