Author's Purpose
Whenever someone writes something, they do it for a reason. This is called the author's purpose. There are three types of author's purpose and you probably already know them, but you just don't really think about them.
Entertain - If an author is writing to entertain someone, then what they'll be writing should be fun, or funny, or enjoyable in some way. For example, the Hunger Games series. A big part of the plot is how the government they live under is bad, and people probably say that we should use this book series as an example of what to avoid. However, the Hunger Games series is a novel, and novels are always written to entertain. Any time what is written is a story, it is written for entertainment. Remember that.
Inform - An author writes to inform if they are wanting to teach someone something. An example of this might be a dictionary. Dictionaries are not written for the reader's fun or entertainment, but to teach or inform the reader about words and what they mean. Remember, teaching = informing.
Persuade - An author is trying to persuade someone if they are trying to get them to change their view on something. An example of this would be if you write a letter to a company because you want them to make one of their products in a certain color or way, you would try to convince them to do this by telling them why it would be better this way. This letter would be an example of persuading. Any time you try to get someone to think a certain way or do something, you're trying to persuade them.
Entertain - If an author is writing to entertain someone, then what they'll be writing should be fun, or funny, or enjoyable in some way. For example, the Hunger Games series. A big part of the plot is how the government they live under is bad, and people probably say that we should use this book series as an example of what to avoid. However, the Hunger Games series is a novel, and novels are always written to entertain. Any time what is written is a story, it is written for entertainment. Remember that.
Inform - An author writes to inform if they are wanting to teach someone something. An example of this might be a dictionary. Dictionaries are not written for the reader's fun or entertainment, but to teach or inform the reader about words and what they mean. Remember, teaching = informing.
Persuade - An author is trying to persuade someone if they are trying to get them to change their view on something. An example of this would be if you write a letter to a company because you want them to make one of their products in a certain color or way, you would try to convince them to do this by telling them why it would be better this way. This letter would be an example of persuading. Any time you try to get someone to think a certain way or do something, you're trying to persuade them.
Topics and Main Idea
What is the topic?
The topic is the very basic thing that something is written about. This is usually a single word or a small phrase.
An example of this is, if you are reading a paragraph about how emperor penguins are going extinct due to their food supply dying off, the topic would be either "penguins" or "emperor penguins".
What is the main idea?
The main idea is what the entire purpose of whatever it is you're reading is. So, going back to the previous example of emperor penguins going extinct due to their food supply dying off, the main idea would simply be "Emperor penguins are going extinct". We'll look at several examples of this a little later as well.
Finding the Main Idea
How Can I Locate the Main Idea?
Once you can find the topic, you are ready to find the main idea. The main idea is the point of the paragraph. It is the most important thought about the topic.To figure out the main idea, ask yourself this question: What is being said about the person, thing, or idea (the topic)? The author can locate the main idea in different places within a paragraph. The main idea is usually a sentence, and it is usually the first sentence. The writer then uses the rest of the paragraph to support the main idea.
Let's use the paragraph below as an example. First find the topic, then look for the main idea.
Summer is a wonderful time to spend at West Beach. It is a beach with light- colored, soft sand. The coastline goes on for a long way and many people enjoy walking along it. Children like to play in the surf and walk along the rocks that are visible at low tide. This is a fun beach for people of all ages.
In this paragraph:
Something you might have noticed is that the main idea for this paragraph is the very first sentence. This is called a "topic sentence." It's common for paragraphs to have the main idea be the first sentence, because this allows the author to set up the rest of the paragraph and explain things immediately after the topic sentence.
Here's another example:
The movie Apollo 13 was a blockbuster for the summer of 1995. It is an exciting story about space exploration. In the movie, the astronauts get in trouble while they are trying to return to Earth. People in the audience are on the edge of their seats waiting to see what happens. What makes it even more excitng is that it is a true story.
In this paragraph:
Again, we see that the main idea is the topic sentence.
For the next example, things are a little different.
While the main idea is usually in the first sentence, the next most common placement is in the last sentence of a paragraph. The author gives supporting information first and then makes the point in the last sentence. Here's a paragraph we can use as an example. Try to locate the topic and the main idea.
Most teenagers and young adults do not know what they want to do for the rest of their lives. It is a big decision. There are a number of things you can do to narrow the choices. For example you can take an interest test, do some research on your own about a career, try volunteer work in the field in which you are interested, or "job-shadow", in which you spend a day with a person who is working in a field that interests you. These are just a few helpful ideas as you begin to choose a career.
In this paragraph:
For this one, the main idea seems a bit odd, as it's not really a solid statement, but more of just an idea. What the author is trying to do with this, is just give the reader some ideas to help them choose a career.
Next, our final example:
Finally, an author might put the main idea in the middle of a paragraph. The author will spend a few sentences introducing the topic, present the main idea, then spend the rest of the paragraph supporting it. This can make the main idea more difficult to find.See if you can find the topic & main idea in the paragraph below.
The United States seems to be in love with the idea of going out to eat. Because of this, a real variety of restaurants has come about specializing in all kinds of foods.McDonald's is the king of a subgroup of restaurants called fast-food restaurants. Chances are, no matter where you live, there is a McDonald's restaurant near you. There are even McDonalds in the Soviet Union. Now McDonald's is trying something new. It is called McDonald's Express and there is a test site in Peabody, Massachusetts. It is part of a Mobil gas station. This allows you to fill up with gas and fill up on food at the same time. What will they think of next?
In this paragraph:
This one is pretty similar to the first two. The main difference is, the topic sentence has just been placed in the middle of the paragraph. Remember to keep an eye out for sentences that describe what the entire paragraph is about.
The topic is the very basic thing that something is written about. This is usually a single word or a small phrase.
An example of this is, if you are reading a paragraph about how emperor penguins are going extinct due to their food supply dying off, the topic would be either "penguins" or "emperor penguins".
What is the main idea?
The main idea is what the entire purpose of whatever it is you're reading is. So, going back to the previous example of emperor penguins going extinct due to their food supply dying off, the main idea would simply be "Emperor penguins are going extinct". We'll look at several examples of this a little later as well.
Finding the Main Idea
How Can I Locate the Main Idea?
Once you can find the topic, you are ready to find the main idea. The main idea is the point of the paragraph. It is the most important thought about the topic.To figure out the main idea, ask yourself this question: What is being said about the person, thing, or idea (the topic)? The author can locate the main idea in different places within a paragraph. The main idea is usually a sentence, and it is usually the first sentence. The writer then uses the rest of the paragraph to support the main idea.
Let's use the paragraph below as an example. First find the topic, then look for the main idea.
Summer is a wonderful time to spend at West Beach. It is a beach with light- colored, soft sand. The coastline goes on for a long way and many people enjoy walking along it. Children like to play in the surf and walk along the rocks that are visible at low tide. This is a fun beach for people of all ages.
In this paragraph:
- the topic is West Beach
- the main idea (what the writer is saying about the topic) is that summer is a wonderful time at West Beach
Something you might have noticed is that the main idea for this paragraph is the very first sentence. This is called a "topic sentence." It's common for paragraphs to have the main idea be the first sentence, because this allows the author to set up the rest of the paragraph and explain things immediately after the topic sentence.
Here's another example:
The movie Apollo 13 was a blockbuster for the summer of 1995. It is an exciting story about space exploration. In the movie, the astronauts get in trouble while they are trying to return to Earth. People in the audience are on the edge of their seats waiting to see what happens. What makes it even more excitng is that it is a true story.
In this paragraph:
- the topic is the movie Apollo 13
- the main idea is in the first sentence: Apollo 13 was a blockbuster for the summer of 1995
Again, we see that the main idea is the topic sentence.
For the next example, things are a little different.
While the main idea is usually in the first sentence, the next most common placement is in the last sentence of a paragraph. The author gives supporting information first and then makes the point in the last sentence. Here's a paragraph we can use as an example. Try to locate the topic and the main idea.
Most teenagers and young adults do not know what they want to do for the rest of their lives. It is a big decision. There are a number of things you can do to narrow the choices. For example you can take an interest test, do some research on your own about a career, try volunteer work in the field in which you are interested, or "job-shadow", in which you spend a day with a person who is working in a field that interests you. These are just a few helpful ideas as you begin to choose a career.
In this paragraph:
- the topic is jobs or career choices
- the main idea is a few ideas to help the reader choose a career
For this one, the main idea seems a bit odd, as it's not really a solid statement, but more of just an idea. What the author is trying to do with this, is just give the reader some ideas to help them choose a career.
Next, our final example:
Finally, an author might put the main idea in the middle of a paragraph. The author will spend a few sentences introducing the topic, present the main idea, then spend the rest of the paragraph supporting it. This can make the main idea more difficult to find.See if you can find the topic & main idea in the paragraph below.
The United States seems to be in love with the idea of going out to eat. Because of this, a real variety of restaurants has come about specializing in all kinds of foods.McDonald's is the king of a subgroup of restaurants called fast-food restaurants. Chances are, no matter where you live, there is a McDonald's restaurant near you. There are even McDonalds in the Soviet Union. Now McDonald's is trying something new. It is called McDonald's Express and there is a test site in Peabody, Massachusetts. It is part of a Mobil gas station. This allows you to fill up with gas and fill up on food at the same time. What will they think of next?
In this paragraph:
- the topic is McDonald's
- the main idea is in the middle of the paragraph, in the third sentence: McDonald's is the king of fast food.
This one is pretty similar to the first two. The main difference is, the topic sentence has just been placed in the middle of the paragraph. Remember to keep an eye out for sentences that describe what the entire paragraph is about.