Finding The Main Idea
Every paragraph carries one main idea. The rest of the sentences are details, examples, or repetitions of that one idea. If you cannot say the main idea in one sentence after reading, you have not really read the paragr…
There is more than one way to understand this. If you have only been taught one, you have been taught less than you deserve.
There is more than one way to understand this. If you have only been taught one, you have been taught less than you deserve.
Every paragraph carries one main idea. The rest of the sentences are details, examples, or repetitions of that one idea. If you cannot say the main idea in one sentence after reading, you have not really read the paragraph. You have only watched your eyes move across the lines.
Newspaper editors in Pakistan know this rule. That is why headlines in Dawn, Jang, Express, and The News all try to compress one whole article into one short line. Atta prices rise in Karachi. PIA cancels three flights. Lahore air quality worst in region. Each headline is the main idea of the article in compressed form.
Three small questions help you find the main idea every time. First, what is the paragraph about, in one or two words. Second, what does the paragraph say about that thing. Third, can you put the answers to one and two together in one sentence. That sentence is the main idea.
The main idea sentence in both Urdu and English usually has two parts: a topic, and a claim about the topic. Topic alone is not enough. Karachi water is a topic. Karachi water supply is short and getting more expensive is a main idea. The verb in the middle does the real work.
Today's habit. Pick one news headline from any Pakistani paper or website. Read the first paragraph below the headline. Now write the main idea in one sentence in your own words, in both Urdu and English. Compare your sentence to the headline. If yours is close, you read well. If they are far apart, find which one is wrong, the headline or your sentence.
Estimated time: 12 min