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THE ADVANCED READING-WRITING CONNECTION

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THE

ADVANCED READING-WRITING

CONNECTIONJohn Langan


Main Ideas and Supporting Details in Writing

3


Main Ideas and Supporing Details in Writing3

A Review of Paragraphs and EssaysParagraphs


A Review of Paragraphs and Essays


ParagraphsA paragraph is a series of sentences about a main idea, or point. A paragraph typically starts with a point (often called the topic sentence), and the rest of the paragraph provides specific details to support and develop that point.


A Review of Paragraphs and Essays/ Paragraphs


Some people struggle with “hard” addictions like alcohol or nicotine. But many others have to deal with everyday bad habits that have also become known as “soft” addictions. One soft addiction is drinking coffee. For some people, getting a cup of coffee is the first thing they think about when they wake up in the morning. Until they’ve had their coffee, they may be grumpy and not want to talk to anyone. Chances are that during their day, they will feel compelled to get and drink more coffee, even taking time away from work or school or people in their lives. Another soft addiction is television. Most people now watch, on average, over four hours of television a day! Their attention will stay half tuned in to a TV show even when they’re eating or on the phone or listening to music or talking with other family members. But the most widespread and growing soft addiction today is the Internet. Even more now than with television, people spend hours staring at the screen of their laptop or smartphone. They’re on Facebook; they’re playing video games; they’re reading and sending email; they’re browsing almost nonstop on different sites. People carry their laptops or smartphones with them all during the day, take them along on their vacations, and keep them by their bed at night. If not watched carefully, even a “soft” addiction can interfere with having a happy and normal life.

Read this paragraph, written by a student named Ben.





What is the point of Ben’s paragraph?





What is the point of Ben’s paragraph?

Ben begins his paragraph with an introductory comment. He then states his main idea, or point, in the second sentence.





What are the three supporting details Ben has provided?





Ben names and describes three soft addictions. These three specific details effectively support the author’s point.

What are the three supporting details Ben has provided?

2

1

3




An effective paragraph must not only make a point but also support it with specific evidence—reasons, examples, and other details. Such specifics help prove to readers that the point is a reasonable one.




EssaysLike a paragraph, an essay starts with a point and then goes on to provide specific details to support and develop that point. However, a paragraph is a series of sentences about a main idea. An essay, on the other hand, is a series of paragraphs about a main idea. The main idea in an essay is called the central point or thesis.




An Overview of the Essay


A Review of Paragraphs and Essays/ An Overview of the Essay


Here is the traditional structure of an essay:

Second Supporting Paragraph(Supporting point 2 + evidence)

First Supporting Paragraph(Supporting point 1 + evidence)

Third Supporting Paragraph(Supporting point 3 + evidence)

Introductory Paragraph(Introduction + thesis)

Concluding Paragraph(Summary and/or closing thought)

Title




There is no set number of paragraphs that an essay should contain. This structure is for a traditional five-paragraph essay.






Title

/ An Overview of the Essay









But there might be only two supporting paragraphs.

Title

There might also be four or more supporting paragraphs.

/ An Overview of the Essay




The Parts of an EssayTitle




Title

/ The Parts of an Essay

The title may summarize the topic of the essay in several words. It may also serve to create interest in the topic.




Introductory Paragraph

Gain the reader’s interest by using one of several common methods of introduction.

Present the thesis statement. The thesis statement expresses the central point of an essay, just as a topic sentence states the main idea of a paragraph.

A well-written introductory paragraph will normally do the following:





/ The Parts of an Essay / Introductory Paragraph

Four common methods of introduction are:

1 Telling a brief story

2 Asking one or more questions

3 Shifting to the opposite

4 Going from the broad to the narrow






These questions may be ones that you intend to answer in your essay. They may also indicate that your topic is relevant to readers—it is something they care about.






If Ben had used this approach, here is how his introductory paragraph might have looked:

What is addiction? You probably instantly think of addiction to substances like heroin, nicotine, and alcohol. But can you become addicted to other, less harmful substances, and even activities? If addiction is defined as “the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice,” the answer is definitely yes. Such less widely recognized addictions are known as “soft addictions.”






Broad, general observations can capture your reader’s interest; they can also introduce your general topic and provide helpful background information.






Ben used this method of introduction for his essay:

Everyone has heard of people whose lives have been damaged and even ruined by addictions to alcohol, nicotine, or drugs. Such addictions are known as “hard addictions,” because the substances cause actual physical dependence. But there is another kind of addiction—“soft addiction.” That term describes everyday habits that have gotten so strong that they interfere with normal life. Three very common “soft addictions” include drinking coffee, watching TV, and using the Internet.




Supporting Paragraphs


Each supporting paragraph should have its own main idea (also called a topic sentence) stating the point to be developed in that paragraph.

The traditional school essay has three supporting paragraphs. But some essays will have two supporting paragraphs, and others will have four or more.




/ The Parts of an Essay / Supporting Paragraphs

But for many, coffee has become a soft addiction.

Like drinking coffee, watching television is another extremely common soft addiction.

Ben’s essay on soft addictions (pages 83–84 in the textbook) has main ideas for each of the three supporting paragraphs.

A newer addiction than drinking coffee or watching television is the ever-increasing dependence on the Internet.

Topic sentence for Supporting Paragraph 1:









Topic sentence for supporting paragraph 1:


/ Transitional Sentences

The sentence for the second paragraph introduces a second soft addiction—watching television.

watching television









/ Transitional Sentences

The sentence for the second paragraph introduces a second soft addiction—watching television.

watching television

It also refers to the topic of the first paragraph—coffee. This makes it

a transitional sentence.

coffee

coffee




/ The Parts of an Essay / Supporting Paragraphs / Transitional Sentences

Now look at the topic sentences for Ben’s second and third supporting paragraphs.













How is the topic sentence for supporting paragraph 3 a transitional sentence?









The sentence introduces a third soft addiction—the Internet.

dependence on the Internet









The sentence introduces a third soft addiction—the Internet.

dependence on the Internetdrinking coffee

drinking coffee

watching television

watching television

It also refers to the addictions described in the previous paragraphs This makes it a transitional sentence.




Concluding Paragraph


The concluding paragraph often summarizes the essay by briefly restating the thesis and, at times, the main supporting points. It may even provide a closing thought or two as a way of bringing the paper to a natural and graceful end.




/ The Parts of an Essay / Concluding Paragraph

Here is the concluding paragraph of the essay about soft addictions

While “hard addictions” to drugs or alcohol are clearly very serious, “soft addictions” can be far from harmless. Whenever any activity— even drinking coffee, watching TV, or using the Internet—gets out of control, it can upset the balance that people should aim to have in everyday life. For this reason, we should think seriously about any activity that is taking up significant time in our lives. We might all benefit from asking whether any of our everyday habits have become soft addictions.






Which sentences summarize the essay?






Summary






Summary

Which sentences provide a closing thought?






Summary

Closing Thought



A Review of Topics and Topic Sentences

As you have learned, the topic is a general subject.A good reader looks for the topic of a selection and then the idea that is expressed about that topic.

A good writer starts with a topic and then decides what idea to advance about that topic.


A Review of Topics and Topic Sentences


Here are some examples of topics and possible topic sentences:

Topic Topic sentence (main idea)Cold versus flu The flu has some very specific symptoms that

make it different from a cold.Texting

College stress Attending college can be more stressful than many incoming students realize.

There are certain times when one should definitely not text.



Staying on Point

One common mistake in writing a paper is to go off point.


Staying on Point


Think of your point as the bull’s-eye in a target.

Every sentence and detail in a paper should be relevant, meaning that it hits the bull’s-eye—it supports your point.

Relevant

to point


Staying on Point


Otherwise, your paper will not be convincing. Instead of hitting the target and proving your point, your “support” will be irrelevant. In other words, it will miss the point completely.

Relevant

to point

relevant

Not

relevantNot



Another common mistake in writing a paper is not providing enough specific details. Truly specific details excite the reader’s interest; they show what

the writer means. They are the opposite of dull, wordy writing that provides thin support for a point.

Providing Enough Support



Specific details provide solid support for a point.





Thin and vague details do not provide solid support.

Point

THIN, VAGUE SUPPORT




PointPointPointPointPointPointPointPointPoint

P oin t

THIN, VAGUE SUPPORT

Lazy writers are content to produce undersupported paragraphs . . .




. . . but good writers are willing to take the time needed to think carefully about and to build a solid paper.




The point below is followed by two items of support. Choose the item that is specific and clearly shows us the writer’s point. By contrast, the other item will be vague, dull, or wordy and lack sharp details.

Point: My grandmother had a hard childhood.

Instead of going to school, she was forced to do hard work when she was only ten years old. She didn’t have the everyday comforts most of us take for granted today. Because her family was unusually poor, there was often not enough to eat. What there was to eat was often not very healthy.

She worked in a textile mill for ten hours a day at an age when most girls were playing with dolls and going to grade school. She slept on a mattress made of pine straw and used an outhouse for a bathroom. Sometimes, the family ate greasy roasted squirrel when there was no other food available.

A.

B.







A.

B.

Item A lacks sharp details. It is vague and dull. You should not have chosen this item.






A.


B.

Item B contains specific details about a hard childhood.






A.


B.

You should have chosen this item.


Main Ideas and Supporting Detailsin Writing–Summary


A paragraph is a series of sentences that support a main idea, or point.

An outline is a helpful way to plan an essay or to analyze one.

An essay is a series of paragraphs about a central point or thesis. An essay consists of a title, an introductory paragraph, two or more supporting paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph.

Providing enough support—Specific details provide strong, solid support for a point

Staying on point—Every sentence and detail in a paper should be relevant, meaning that it hits the bull’s-eye—it supports your point.

The topic is the general subject of a selection. The topic sentence states the writer’s idea about the topic.


These slides are optimized for PowerPoint versions 12 (2007/2008) and 14 (2010/2011). If viewed in earlier versions of PowerPoint, some slides may not.

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