Purpose, Main Idea, and Supporting Details

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Purpose, Main Idea, and Supporting Details

• Nonfiction reading

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Terms to know

• PURPOSE the reason the author has for writing
• TOPIC the subject of the whole text/paragraph
• MAIN IDEA the most important thought represented
  in a paragraph or longer text segment.
• DETAILS support and explain the main idea
• TRANSITIONS words and phrases to connect the
  ideas

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Purpose

• 1. To inform To tell you about a topic such as
  the Civil War, historical sites you can visit in
  Georgia, or about the first World Series game.
  Even biographies can be written to inform you
  about someone.

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Purpose

• 2. To entertain To tell you an exciting story.
• 3. To reflect To reflect involves careful
  thought and serious consideration of past events.

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Purpose

• To persuade When an author tries to persuade, he
  or she wants you to take his or her view on
  something. For example, you could write a letter
  to the school principal about school uniforms.
  You could also persuade people your age to eat
  more vegetables. You could write a persuasive
  letter to the school newspaper or even the St.
  Petersburg Times trying to convince others to
  take your view on something.

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Identify the Purpose

• Tobacco companies should be forced to pay
  lucrative settlements to anyone who has become
  addicted or adversely affected by the use of
  their products. Anyone who has a loved one who
  has succumbed to the temptation to use cigarettes
  can attest to the way the product can swallow
  souls as well as consumers' wallets. The clinical
  evidence of the devastation created by secondhand
  smoke is compelling enough for legislators to
  consider legal action against the powerful
  corporations. Unfortunately, tobacco companies
  have traditionally provided strong financial
  support for many political candidates. Write your
  congressional representative and express your
  outrage!

The purpose of the passage is to a. inform b.
persuade c. entertain d. reflect
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Identify the Purpose

• New York City- New York City is probably one of
  the busiest cities in the world. It is located in
  southeastern New York, and if you drive just a
  little farther, you drive down the Long Island
  Expressway onto Long Island. In New York City,
  there are several attractions to visit such as
  the Empire State Building and the massive New
  York Public Library.
• The purpose of the passage is to
• a. inform b. persuade
• c. entertain d. reflect

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Inferring Unstated Main Ideas

• Sometimes a selection lacks a topic sentence, but
  that does not mean that it lacks a main idea.
  The author simply lets the details of the
  selection suggest a main idea. You must figure
  out the implied idea by deciding the points of
  all the details.

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Inferring Unstated Main Ideas

1. Find the topic.
2. Decide what the writer wants you to know about
   the topic.
3. Express this idea in your own words.

Identifying Main Ideas
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What is the topic of the following? What is the
main idea?

• In ancient times, irrational behavior was
  considered the result of demons and evil spirits
  taking possession of a person. Later, Greeks
  looked upon irrational behavior as a physical
  problem caused by an imbalance of body fluids
  called humors or by displacement of an organ.
  In the highly superstitious Middle Ages, the
  theory of possession by demons was revived. It
  reached a high point again in the witch-hunts of
  eighteenth-century Europe and America. Only in
  the last one hundred years did true medical
  explanations gain wide acceptance and were
  categories of illnesses changed.

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Types of Supporting Details

• F Facts
• A Anecdotes
• T Testimony
• R Reasons
• E Examples/Illustrations
• D Details
• S Statistics

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Facts and Statistics

• GS Although nearly every war has been fought
  with the idea that it will be the last, the
  history of civilization has proved otherwise.
• SP From 1500 B.C. to 1860 A.D., there were at
  least 8000 wars.

• Facts and statistics indicate verifiable
  information to support the authors thesisthat
  the main idea is correct.

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Persuasive Appeals(add this to the back of your
notes)

• Logical Appeal (Logos)
• The appeal to someones mind with reason and
  logic
• Emotional Appeal (Pathos)
• The appeal to someones feelings, positive or
  negative
• Ethical Appeal (Ethos)
• The appeal of someone's character and credibility
• Character Morals / being good or bad
• Credibility Trustworthiness