Stated Main Idea and the Supporting Details

Only ONE sentence can be the stated main idea of a paragraph.

Stated main idea sentence

1. Must always contain the topic
2. Must make complete sense by itself
3. Must be a general sentence that sums up the details in the paragraph

When you identify the stated main idea in a paragraph, it must be exactly the same sentence without changing the words in the sentence.

It must not be the specific details.

Supporting details in a paragraph can be divided into major and minor details or primary and secondary details

1. Major supporting details explain the main idea.
2. Minor supporting details explain the major supporting details.

How do you differentiate between major and minor supporting details?

You ask yourself if that sentence explains the main idea or major supporting details.

Reread that sentence and ask yourself,

"Does this sentence explain the main idea or the supporting details?"

A sentence that contains statistics and findings is NOT the main idea.

What about implied main idea?